Brian Jones

TA: Steve Goldsmith

Fridays/12:30

The Killer Volcano

The film “In the Path of a Killer Volcano” documents the dangerous eruption of

Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. On top of causing damage to many indigenous

people, the volcano also hurt people who had adopted a more “civilized” lifestyle.

Moreover, a United States military base was only a few miles away from Pinatubo. The

footage of the eruption comes from the story of the scientists and military authorities who

were in the area at the time.

The eruption was not a momentary process. It went through many stages, and

lasted several hours. During the early stages of the eruption, three hypotheses were put

forth to explained the increased activity in the volcano. First of all, it was suggested that

perhaps intrusive magma was rising up from within the volcano, trying to escape through

the surface. This kind of activity would have explained the recent earthquakes that had

been occurring there. A second hypothesis could have also explained the earthquake

activity. This hypothesis was that the eruption was caused by tectonic stresses deep

beneath the surface. The stresses would be caused by tectonic plate movement, which

obviously causes earthquakes. The third hypothesis brought forth was that the volcano

was simply “letting off steam.” If this was the case, then very little damage would occur.

Surely, everyone was hoping that this final hypothesis was the correct one.

Unfortunately, it was not. The earthquakes were too deep to just simply be a “dome

building event,” which is what would have caused the letting off of steam. Because of
this, the rather safe hypothesis was eliminated. The reason for the eruption had to be

either rising magma or tectonic stress. What helped the scientists was the detection of

sulfur dioxide. A great amount of visible sulfur dioxide was seeping through cracks in the

ground very close to the volcano. This was the clue that tied everything together. The gas

was a side effect of magma rising from underneath the volcano.

This was not the first eruption of Pinatubo. Several signs indicated that the

volcano had erupted in the past. For instance, pyroclastic ash flow and rock deposits

surrounded the volcano. Also, a nearby incinerated tree dated around 2,000 years old.

Clearly, this tree had borne witness to a previous eruption. Several types of destructive

processes are associated with volcanic eruptions. One such process is the creation of lava

flows. Other effects include smothering the earth with ash and rock clouds, mud flows,

lateral volcanic blasts, and pyroclastic flows at up to 100 miles per hour. Evidence of

these were around the volcano, and surely no one wished for more to come.

It was a dilemma for the scientists who thought the volcano might erupt. After all,

the chance of eruption was only 60%. It is not good to officially predict an eruption that

fails to occur. Everyone changes their lives by moving elsewhere and making other plans,

and are then very unhappy to find out that they did not have to make a fuss after all. Also,

evacuating costs a good deal of money. However, failing to predict an eruption that does

occur is much worse. Thousands of people may easily die, and others may lose

everything, because no one is prepared. Still, people tend to ignore warnings of natural

disaster, because they do not want to change what they are doing. Furthermore, ignorance

may be a way to remain optimistic. No one wants to face the idea of losing everything.