SUBJECT: Earth and Life Science DEADLINE:

DATE & TIME: TEACHER: Ms. Princes Jhoy G. Batanes

I. TOPIC: Different Types of Volcanic Hazards

 Volcanic Hazards
 Signs of Volcanic Eruptions

II. LEARNING COMPETENCY

The learner shall be able to:
1. Explain various volcano-related hazards. (DRR11/12-Ih-i-22)
2. Recognize signs of an impending volcanic eruption. (DRR11/12-Ih-i-24)
3. Interpret different volcano hazard maps. (DRR11/12-Ih-i-25)

III. TARGET OUTCOMES:

At the end of the lesson, the student is expected to:
1. Explain various volcano-related hazards.
2. Identify the different parameters used to monitor volcanoes.
3. Explain the common signs of an impending volcanic eruption.

IV. MATERIALS NEEDED:

To accomplish exercises and activities, you need the following: black pen, pencil and/or other writing materials
and other available references.

V. GEAR UP YOUR MIND

You have learned from the previous module that hazards associated with earthquake – ground shaking, ground
rupture, liquefaction, earthquake-induced landslide, and tsunami – can harm persons and destroy structures. However, you
have also learned that these hazards can be prevented and handled by assessing if your area is exposed to such hazards
using earthquake hazards maps and by knowing the signs of an incoming tsunami. Thereby minimizing further
consequences. You will do something similar in a while.
In this module, you will explore another geological hazard: volcano hazards. You will study the hazards associated
with volcanic activities and how you can handle and prepare for them. Specifically, you will understand the principle behind
various volcano-related hazards, recognize signs of an impending volcanic eruption, and interpret different volcano hazard
maps

What do we have here?

2 kinds of eruption, one violent or explosive and one effusive or quiet
1.1 Volcanic Hazards
Volcanic Hazards are phenomena arising from volcanic activity that pose potential threat to persons or property
in a given area within a given period of time. Below is a list of volcanic hazards common in Philippine active volcanoes.

Volcanic Hazards NEGATIVE IMPACTS / WHY IT IS HAZARDOUS

1. Lava Flows are stream-like flows of incandescent Lava flows rarely threaten human life because lava
molten rock erupted from a crater or fissure. When lava is usually moves slowly -- a few centimeters per hour for
degassed and/or very viscous, it tends to extrude silicic flows to several km/hour for basaltic flows. Most
extremely slowly, forming lava domes. Lava flows move characterize this as quiet effusion of lava. Major hazards
so slowly that it does not pose much risk. However, it of lava flows -- burying, crushing, covering, burning
should not be disregarded. Major hazards of lava flows everything in their path.
include burying, crushing, covering, burning everything in
their path.
Lavas can burn. The intense heat of lavas melt and burn.
Lava Flows As lava flows are hot and incandescent, areas it covers
are burned (forest, built up areas, houses).

Lavas can bury. Lavas can bury homes and agricultural

areas under meters of hardened rock. Areas affected by
lava flows once solidified are also rendered useless and
will not be useful anymore (for agriculture, etc) for years
due to the solid nature of the lava deposit. Lavas can also
block bridges and highways, affecting mobility and
Lava flow can bury large area and render it useless for accessibility of people and communities
years. Lava flow from the 2000 eruption of Mayon
Volcano Photo from PHIVOLCS Collapsing viscous lava domes can trigger dangerous
pyroclastic flows
2. Ashfall or tephra fall are showers of airborne fine- to Ashfall endanger life and property by During peak of
coarse-grained volcanic particles that fallout from the eruption with excessive ash, can cause poor or low
plumes of a volcanic eruption; ashfall distribution/ visibility (driving, slippery roads).
dispersal is dependent on prevailing wind direction
Loss of agricultural lands if burial by ashfall is greater than
10 cm depth,

Producing suspensions of fine-grained particles in air and

water which clogs filters and vents of motors, human
Ashfall or Tephra Fall lungs, industrial machines, and nuclear power plants.

Ash suspended in air is also dangerous for aircrafts as the

abrasive ash can cause the engines to fail if the
suspended ash is encountered by the airplane

Carrying of harmful (even poisonous, unpleasant) gases,

acids, salts, and, close to the vent, heat.

Ash fall from Mt. Pinatubo, 1991, Creative Commons, Burial by tephra can collapse roofs of buildings, break
Wikimedia power and communication lines and damage or kill
vegetation. Even thin (<2 cm) falls of ash can damage
such critical facilities as hospitals, electric-generating
plants, pumping stations, storm sewers and surface-
drainage systems and sewage treatment plants, and short
circuit electric-transmission facilities, telephone lines,
radio and television transmitters

3. Pyroclastic flows and surges (Pyroclastic density Pyroclastic flows and surges are potentially highly
current) are turbulent mass of ejected fragmented volcanic destructive owing to their mass, high temperature, high
materials (ash and rocks), mixed with hot gases (200oC to velocity and great mobility. Pyroclastic flows can
700oC to as hot as 900oC) that flow downslope at very  Destroy anything on its path by direct impact
high speeds (>60kph). Surges are the more dilute, more
 Burn sites with hot rocks debris
mobile derivatives or pyroclastic flows.
 Burn forests, farmlands, destroy crops and
buildings

Pyroclastic flows and surges (Pyroclastic density current)

Deadly effects include asphyxiation (inhalation of hot ash
and gases), burial, incineration (burns) and crushing from
impacts.

The only effective method of risk mitigation is evacuation

prior to such eruptions from areas likely to be affected by
pyroclastic density currents

Pyroclastic flow from Pinatubo Volcano eruption, June

1991 Photo from PHIVOLCS
4. Lahars are rapidly flowing thick mixture of volcanic Lahars have destroyed many villages and lives living on
sediments (from the pyroclastic materials) and water, Pinatubo and Mayon Volcano because most people live in
usually triggered by intense rainfall during typhoons, valleys where lahars flow.
monsoons and thunderstorms. Lahar can occur
immediately after an eruption or can become long-term
 Lahars can destroy by direct impact (bridges,
problem if there is voluminous pyroclastic materials
roads, houses)
erupted such as the case of 1991 Pinatubo eruption.
Lahars can also occur long after an eruption has taken  Lahars can block tributary stream and form a
place such as the lahars at Mayon Volcano after the 1984 lake. This can submerged villages within the
eruption valley of the tributary that was blocked, there is
also the danger of the dammed lake breaching or
lake breakout and if this happens, this puts to
danger the lives of people in communities
downstream
 Lahars can bury valleys and communities with
debris
 Lahars can lead to increased deposition of
sediments along affected rivers and result to long-
term flooding problems in the low-lying
downstream communities.
5. Volcanic gases - gases and aerosols released into the Sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and hydrogen
atmosphere, which include water vapor, hydrogen sulfide, flouride (HF) are some volcanic gases that pose hazard to
sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, people, animals, agriculture and property. SO 2 can lead to
hydrogen fluorid acid rain. High concentrations of CO 2 which is colorless
and odorless can be lethal to people, animals and
vegetation. Fluorine compounds can deform and kill
animals that grazed on vegetation covered with volcanic
ash.
7. Debris avalanche or volcanic landslide- massive When a huge portion of the side of a volcano collapses
collapse of a volcano, usually triggered by an earthquake due to slope failure. This results to massive destruction
or volcanic eruption. An example of recent debris similar to what happened in Mt. St. Helens in the USA in
avalanche event occurred during the 1980 eruption of Mt. 1980. The huge volcanic debris avalanche typically leaves
St Helens. Based on present morphology of volcanoes, an amphitheater-like feature and at the base of volcanoes
Iriga Volcano in Camarines Sur, Banahaw Volcano and with debris avalanche event, a hummocky topography
Quezon Province and Kanlaon Volcano had pre-historic (small hills all over).
debris avalanche events.

8. Ballistic projectiles are Volcanic materials directly Ballistic projectiles endanger life and property by the force
ejected from the volcano’s vent with force and trajectory of impact of falling fragments, but this occurs only close to
 an eruption vent.
9. Tsunami- sea waves or wave trains that are generated An eruption that occurs near a body of water may
by sudden displacement of water (could be generated generate tsunamis if the pyroclastic materials enter the
during undersea eruptions or debris avalanches) body of water and cause it to be disturbed and displaced,
forming huge waves.

1.2 Signs of Volcanic Eruptions

Most volcanoes provide various types of warnings before eruptions begin. Some volcanoes, especially those that
have not erupted for a long time (hundreds of years) might display obvious precursors of reactivation months to weeks
before a major eruption (ex. Pinatubo in 1991).
Some volcanoes might explode without warning if the type of eruption is what is known as phreatic and also known
as steam-blast eruptions, these events could occur with little or no warning as superheated water flashes to steam similar to
what happened at Mayon volcano in 2013 and Ontake Volcano, Japan (2014).
It is important to be able to observe warning signs of volcanic unrest so that people can evacuate in time, to
minimize injuries and casualties. It is therefore important to be able to monitor a volcano’s activity, and this is normally done
with the aid of different tools or instruments to monitor the different parameters.
The assessment of a volcano’s status (if it is quiet or in normal state, in state of unrest, expected to erupt, erupting)
is based on the different parameters that can be observed. Volcanologists often use a combination of as many data
available from the different parameters used for evaluation. For example the number of earthquakes as recorded by the
seismograph may increase from background levels of 0-5 per week and may escalate into 100s in a day.
This is further confirmed and supported by increasing number of earthquakes felt by the local people. In addition
other parameters such as gas measurements and water acidity may also show signs of increasing trend.

From DOST-PHIVOLCS, the following are commonly observed signs that a volcano is about to erupt. These
precursors may vary from volcano to volcano.
1. Increase in the frequency of volcanic quakes with rumbling sounds; occurrence of volcanic tremors.
2. Increased steaming activity; change in color of steam emission from white to gray due to entrained ash.
3. Crater glow due to presence of magma at or near the crater.
4. Ground swells, ground tilt and ground fissuring due to magma intrusion.
5. Localized landslides, rockfalls and landslides from the summit area not attributable to heavy rain.
6. Noticeable increase in the extent of drying up of vegetation around the volcano's upper slopes.
7. Increase in the temperature of hot springs and crater lake near the volcano.
8. Noticeable variation in the chemical content of springs, crater lakes within the vicinity of the volcano.
9. Drying up of springs/wells around the volcano.
10. Development of new thermal areas and/or reactivation of old ones; appearance of solfataras.

PARAMETERS WHAT TO OBSERVE

Ground deformation  Some subtle ground movements (in millimeters)
may be detected by sensitive instruments and
equipment
Geochemistry (Gas, Water,  Changes in temperature (higher than usual)
Temperature)  Change in pH (water becomes more acidic)
 Changes in the concentration of gases (sudden
abrupt increase in levels)
Seismic activity/ Volcanic earthquakes  Increase in number of volcanic earthquakes
recorded

People living near volcanoes may observe premonitory events before an eruption
 PARAMETERS WHAT TO OBSERVE
Visual, observations  Intensified steaming activity
 What used to be white steam slowly or
drastically change to gray to dark (suggests
increasing presence of ash)
 Drying up of vegetation, drying up of streams,
water wells
 Crater glow at the summit area
 Increasing frequency of rolling rocks from the
summit; localized landslides not related to
heavy rains
 Summit area appears to glow or becomes
incandescent at night
Auditory observations  Hear rumbling sound
Olfactory  Smell of sulfur (rotten eggs)
Feel (Tactile)  Ground movement/ volcanic earthquake
increasingly become felt

1.3 Volcano Hazard Maps

You have learned that there are at least 8 volcano hazards that need to be considered: lava flow, ashfall,
pyroclastic flows and surges, lahar, volcanic landslide, ballistic projectiles, and tsunami. For years, experts have been
observing the occurrences of volcanic activities and their impacts in certain areas. From the observation of the behavior of
past volcanic eruptions present in the country and onsite conditions, experts have produced accurate and detailed maps
showing the areas where a certain specific volcano hazards are likely to happen and the severity of the expected impact
such areas will experience. Such volcano hazard maps illustrate the potential for ground-based volcanic impacts in areas
near the volcano. They are useful for the purposes of assessing safe and dangerous zones, and planning for emergency
mitigation and response. They are generated for various uses and are most useful in determining risks of living in identified
potentially hazardous areas.

A hazard map has the basic parts: (i) Map Title – indicates what the map is all about; (ii) Legend – indicates details
and meaning of the symbols used; and (iii) Scale – helps determine distances.
Volcano hazard maps are available in your community’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. You
can also access online the DOSTPHIVOLCS site and DENR-MGB site for a copy.