In the simplest terms, a volcano is a rupture in the Earth’s crust which forces out volcanic ash and lava. The world has many volcanoes, some of which are active and others are dormant, but throughout history, this force of nature and resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, as well as animals. Volcanologists are the scientists who study these geological features.
Why the study on volcanoes can be supplied by several reasons by volcanologists but mainly, volcanology exists to predict volcanic eruptions. In the end it is likely to save several lives. Yes, volcanologists may measure the seismic activity and even the level of gases too but it can’t be totally told when a volcano is to erupt or how much impact its eruption will have.
In the last 50 years, more than 25,000 people have been killed because of volcanic eruptions. In terms of loss of life, the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia was the most catastrophic of these volcanic events, with more than 22,000 people being killed as a result of the eruption. In the United States, the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 was the most destructive in our nation’s history, causing the death of 57 people and causing millions of dollars in damage
Many more tools help volcanologists to materialize their studies. Clinometers or inclinometers for instance are important and known as tilt meter. The angles of slopes are measured using clinometers. You’ll find that the tilt meter is made especially to measure even the small changes on horizontal levels. Measuring even the smallest changes on the volcanic changes for the scientists to note is made accurate by this device. Volcanologists turn to another helpful tool in measuring seismic waves – the seismometer.
Seismic activity is an obvious occurrence prior any volcanic eruption. Different gases are also released which volcanologists measure in terms of their varying levels using special devices. One such device is a correlation spectrometer and this one is meant to measure the levels of sulfur dioxide. Know that the rise in the level of this particular type of gas surrounding a volcano is significant sign that an eruption is possible.
When volcanologists begin their study on a volcano they are likely to use several surveying tools including optical instruments and theodolites. Once the survey has been done rock samples are likely to be collected by them because they can tell so much historical prospective using the rocks found in the area of the volcano. A rock hammer of course is still truly useful for this even when there can already be high-tech equipment around.
Carey Bourdier enjoys blogging reviews on precision scientific instruments. For more details about optical instruments like an optical clinometer, or to find more details about a telemetric alignment system, visit the Warren Knight website today.