The Mauna Lona Volcano
is large in size and
is also one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Half of the island of
Hawaii is made up by the volcano and its sheer size makes it about 85% of every
other Hawaiian island combined. The first documented eruption was in 1843, and
the most recent eruption took place in 1984. Between 1843 and 1984, an
additional 32 eruptions took place. It is believed to erupt again therefore the
volcano is currently being monitored at all times.
I will primarily be talking about the
recent eruption which took place in 1984. It started on March 25, 1984 and
lasted until April 15, 1984. During that 3 week long eruption, rivers of
lava came within 4 miles of the outskirts of the city of Hilo. It paved 16
square miles of land with lava in 3 weeks. Mauna Loa eruptions produced lava at
a much higher rate than any other Hawaiian volcano. This resulted in fast
moving and long travelled lava flows. High eruption rates like this required
quick responses in order to protect life and property. There were no fatalities
however some agriculture, forests and crops were destroyed. There was also $62
million dollars in property damage which was assessed from the eruption.
In this event, all of the four spheres were present. The biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere were all interacting with one another. It all started with the lithosphere which is also known as the crust and the top layer of the mantle where volcanic eruptions form as they cause molten rocks and hot gases to be pushed through the earths crust. As the volcanoes spewed a lot of gas and matter into the air, it affected the atmosphere by causing it to become polluted. This shows a relation between the lithosphere and atmosphere. The polluted atmosphere also had a negative impact on the biosphere since it could have caused humans to become sick. The volcano also sent hot lava to flow down on mountains, and caused plants or crops to be destroyed. Which disrupted the biosphere. This a relationship between the lithosphere and biosphere. Volcanoes also affected the hydrosphere because the pollution in the air (atmosphere) due to the ashes caused the water bodies to be polluted. This also shows an interaction between the lithosphere and hydrosphere because of the atmosphere. The hydrosphere relates to the biosphere because water is used by humans and plants for drinking and other purposes. The Mauna Loa volcano is a great example of the 4 spheres interacting together in one event.
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4 spheres interacting in the event of a volcano |
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ReplyDeletethanks for helping me with my project by giving me this information
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