What natural disasters can volcanoes cause?

Answer 1

Ash Fall

Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980 caused a heavy ash fall, crushing building and covering fields, electronics, and machinery. Wind carried it 22,000 square miles from the volcano itself, creating a huge problem for all Americans in the west.

Volcanic Gases

Mount Pinatubo's devastating explosion on June 15, 1991 resulted in an incredible surge of sulfur dioxide gas into the stratosphere where it combined with water to form sulfuric acid. The new aerosol deteriorated the Earth's ozone layer by altering the chlorine and nitrogen compounds, and it also lowered the Earth's surface temperature.

But even when a volcano isn't erupting, it emits gases from fumaroles, cracks or openings from the ground. Most of these gases is water vapor which combines with carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen, and fluorine to produce harmful gases such as acid rain. As a result of this dry acid deposition, damages to forests and soils, animals, plants, human health are prominent, along with visibility reduction. The extra carbon dioxide in the air will result in animal and human deaths and the fluorine will poison wildlife and contaminate water supplies.

Landslides

Landslides are also very common with volcanoes. The terrible shaking of an eruption causes the loose debris on the side of the mountain to rapidly fall down its steep flank. However, debris avalanches may also be caused by earthquakes or heavy rainfall. Mount St. Helens eruption caused the largest volcano landslide in recorded history, while Mount Rainier have had at least five large avalanches within the past 6,00 years. Such massive landslides result in a complete burial of surrounding cities and the obliteration of wildlife and such.

Lahars

However, of all the effects of volcanoes, mudflows or lahars are the deadliest. Debris flows of mud, rock, and water travel down the flank and into valleys and streams at velocities of 20 mph to 40 mph. Some of the most extreme cases have lahars with a consistency of wet concrete flowing up to 50 miles. They destroy houses, trees, and

if theres an earthquake under an ocean or on the ocean floor it could