O volcanism is the set of activities to move and release magmatic materials from the interior to the Earth's surface. It is, therefore, any activity related to the dynamics of volcanoes and the material released by them. The elements released with magma, usually rocks, ash and smoke, are called pyroclastic materials.
Volcanic activities are important information about the functioning of the Earth's interior, being studied by several areas of scientific knowledge. They demonstrate some properties of the magma existing in the upper mantle, in addition to providing chemical and physical data on the inner layers of the planet, even though some mineral properties are lost during material displacement magmatic.
Volcanoes are important elements of relief modeling, since the solidification of lava by they emitted gives rise to extrusive igneous or magmatic rocks, also called rocks. volcanic. The best known example is basalt. These rocks, later, can give rise to soils, transform into metamorphic rocks or convert into sediments that, later, can form the sedimentary rocks.
Cooling of volcanic lava gives rise to rocks. In the image, we have the formation of the basalt
Eruptions are, therefore, the process of releasing the Earth's internal heat and are more common in the areas where two tectonic plates. It is not by chance that localities that tend to suffer from earthquakes also have large volcanoes, such as Chile, given that these two natural phenomena are related to tectonism.
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Although volcanoes are highly destructive, causing damage to the human areas affected, the areas around them usually present extremely fertile terrain. This is due to the materials they emit, basically consisting of sulfur and other chemical elements that favor the soil. In ancient times, this was a dangerous trap of nature for human societies, which settled in areas for the development of agriculture and later lost everything they produced when the volcanoes entered into activity.
In terms of occurrence, there are two types of volcanism: primary and secondary. Primary volcanism consists of actual volcanic activity. Secondary volcanism, on the other hand, refers to associated processes, such as geysers, thermal water heating, fumaroles, among others.
The volcanic activities, in addition to modifying the reliefs and soils in continental and oceanic areas, are also responsible for influencing the behavior of societies and even the atmosphere and the climate. In some cases, volcanic activities raise temperatures as a result of the average heating of watercourses and soils. In others, they have the opposite effect, when the ash hangs in the air for a while and prevents the sun's rays from penetrating.
There are even fears of catastrophic volcanic events, notably the case of yellowstone supervolcano, in the United States. An eventual eruption of this volcano would be so massive that the ash would orbit the atmosphere and drastic consequences for the climate would ensue.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "What is volcanism?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/geografia/o-que-e-vulcanismo.htm. Accessed on July 27, 2021.
