Geological Hazards
Volcanoes
Meteorological Hazards
Biological and Technological Hazards
Home
Contact the
webmaster.
  On 3 November 2002, El Reventador volcano erupted, spewing a plume of ash and gases over the city of Quito, Ecuador, located about sixty miles to the south-west. Figure V-1 shows a satellite view of the ash as the volcano erupted. None of the 1.4 million residents of Quito were killed in the eruption, but at least sixteen people were injured while trying to sweep ash off of their roofs. The city's water supply was contaminated by the falling ash, and crops and livestock in the surrounding areas sustained heavy losses. El Reventador (which means "The Exploder" in Spanish) had been dormant for 26 years before this most recent eruption.   Many people associate volcanoes with fire, explosive eruptions, destruction of cultural features, and loss of life. Yet volcanoes are important to geologists and geographers because they provide clues to processes occurring within the earth. Volcanoes play a role in the construction of continents and islands, and they have a profound impact on climates and organisms. Increased knowledge of volcanoes and related processes leads to a better understanding of how the earth evolves, and of how humans can learn to live with a volcano's destructive power.   Click on the links to the left to begin your exploration of volcanoes. |