Haeram Yang

Mr. Jasper Dioco

Research paper writing

26 Feb 2021

How Volcanoes Have the Benefits that are a Big Part of Our Lives

Have you ever heard about the benefits of volcanoes? Volcanoes have many dangers, like

health problems and famine that could kill thousands, maybe even more people. For instance,

in 2019, White Island's volcano erupted, killing 20 people with two missing people, who are

now known as dead. These deaths make up a total of 22 (Chappell). This eruption sent out a

large 3.5 kilometers of ash and gas, which also had harmed our planet. White Island eruption

had these devastating effects and several casualties. However, it also benefitted in enriching

marine life and plankton growth (Harris). From this eruption, we can gain several pieces of

information, but most importantly, about how volcanoes can also benefit of environment.

This is why volcanoes are a big part of our lives because it affects human life by producing

scenery, creating energy, getting information about the Earth, and fertilizing the soil to help

grow crops. Volcanoes also preserve the Earth by cooling the globe, fertilizing the soil to

reduce soil pollution, and creating and maintaining the atmosphere that created and saved

lives.

1. The Benefits of Volcanoes to Human Lives

The first reason volcanoes are beneficial is that they produce spectacular scenery.

These days, many people like to travel around the globe and look for scenery, and it has

become more effortless due to the evolution of transportation. There are many different types

of travel, but in this case, many people tour the volcanoes. According to Donna O' Meara,
volcano researcher and photographer, she said, "The sun was setting and the light was

magical". This scene she saw was magnificent. Because the scenery of volcanoes is

spectacular, many people like to travel and see the sights of volcanoes, which currently is a

large business, receiving lots of money. These scenes also entertain the tourists watching the

scenery. These scenes can provide various amazing pictures, which many people enjoy

watching. When large volcanic eruptions happen, the sunset has inspired many people to

create many different paintings about these sceneries. For instance, the volcanic eruption of

Krakatoa in 1883 had stimulated the painting "The Scream" painted by Edvard Munch (ABC

science). In the picture, the sky was orange, which is most likely the color of the sky after a

volcanic eruption. This picture is considered a masterpiece, sold in an auction at around 100

million dollars, becoming one of the most expensive paintings sold. Therefore, the scenery of

the volcanic eruption is spectacular, even worth about 100 million dollars.

Another reason why volcanoes are beneficial to human life is that the volcano's heat

can create energy, useful for many things in our lives. Energy is produced by the heat of the

volcano, powering lights, fridges, televisions, and computers, beneficial in our

lives(Handley). We use energy every day. Volcanoes provide a source of energy that can be

useful in our lives in many ways. We use energy to watch TV, do homework, use our phones,

and use most of the everyday things we have to use to live on like toilets, fridges, water, and

power lights. Many places in the world today are using the energy from volcanoes. These

places include Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Japan, and

Kenya. These are over 20 countries that use geothermal energy(Unwin). Although it might

seem simple, geothermal energy is created in a complicated way.

Volcanoes create geothermal energy, which is a sort of energy produced by the deep

part of the Earth. Volcanoes produce a large amount of pressure and heat, called the

supercritical state, which is made when molten from volcanoes and water meet. This state can
carry about 10 times more energy than other geothermal energy, which can help us create

more energy(Deamer). This heat drives the electric turbine, which is one of the main tools to

create energy(Unwin). This step in the process is usually done by air, water, or other fluids.

The volcano's heat and gas replace this, reducing the use of the limited materials. This helps

in saving resources. Also, volcanoes have the benefit of reducing the danger of other

materials used to create energy.

With the energy from volcanoes, we can minimize the dangers of the materials,

which can be devastating. Even though volcanic eruptions can be harmful, but according to

history, nuclear accidents can have more harmful effects than volcanic eruptions. For

instance, the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa killed around 36 thousand people(History.com).

The nuclear disaster of Chernobyl had killed an estimated about 60 thousand people(Ritchie).

Chernobyl had a death toll of almost twice the amount of the eruption of Krakatoa. Nuclear

disasters are dangerous than volcanic eruptions. Thus, utilizing volcanoes can give us a safer

way to create energy to use in our everyday lives. These days, we are looking for an

alternative energy source, which can replace the dangerous materials we use today.

Furthermore, volcanoes give us much useful information about our planet, the Earth.

From the volcanoes, we can learn what is happening in the volcano's lava chambers (USGS,

“Lava sampling: Why do we do it?). This information tells us about our planet. This

information is useful in cases of monitoring the inner parts of the Earth. If we can observe the

Earth's deep layers, it can benefit in preventing disasters that might happen at any time.

Monitoring the inner parts of the Earth is extremely important since it is our planet that we

have to take care of. If we couldn’t monitor the Earth, many people could be in danger. The

Earth has many natural disasters and other dangers. With magma chambers, we can get pieces

of information about the mantle since that is where some magma chambers lead to.

Therefore, could prevent any harm from the deeper layers of the Earth.
 Volcanic ash fertilizes the soil, which helps in growing crops by providing nutrients.

Volcanoes break volcanic rock and turn them into volcanic ash that contains the nutrients that

were trapped inside the rocks (Handley). These nutrients become food for the soil, becoming

nutrients to make better soil. These nutrients are good for the crops, which helps in growing

better crops. Most of the places on Earth that grow good crops, like Japan or Indonesia, have

a volcano nearby. This provides good crops to us. People in ancient times settled on the

fertilized soil that helped them advance civilizations. In Hawaii, the agricultural industry is

almost worth $500 million (Woods Hole Oceanography Institution) These foods help us live.

These crops have many nutrients that come from the soil. The places with volcanoes help

feed people and make more food for people who don’t have enough money to buy them.

Volcanoes can provide materials for many uses in our lives. Volcanoes provide clay

by melting rocks. The clay made from the molten rock is for ceramics, which is beneficial for

more work ceramics (Fontjin & Yirgu). Volcanic clay also has good effects on our skin

(Rima), which helps in makeup and skincare.

Volcanoes can also create volcanic rocks that are useful materials for constructing

and road building or many other uses(Data.gov). This material is sturdy. These are good for

protection and things that have to stay for a long time. For example, the moai of Easter Island

were made out of volcanic tuff(Hirst). Volcanic rock can make a better material than the

materials we use today because it is better for the environment.

Volcanoes can create minerals by creating mineral deposits made by volcanoes.

These minerals can be expensive. If volcanoes didn't exist, these minerals wouldn't too.

Minerals benefit in our life because it provides us with jewelry that can be useful in different

ways. Some of these minerals have enormous economic value, with benefits to the consumers

buying them. All of these materials have benefits in our lives, for our health, or for
constructing, they are all extremely useful to us.

2. Volcanoes and the Preservation of the Earth

Volcanoes can cause global cooling, causing the opposite effects of global warming.

Volcanic gas from an eruption gas absorbs sunlight, cooling the Earth and causing global

cooling (Wolfe). This could reduce the effects of global warming and save people affected by

global warming. Every year, an estimate of 150 thousand people is dying due to climate

change (WHO). Volcanoes can save or prevent the loss of most of these lives if there are

volcanic eruptions that could cool the climate. Global warming has warmed 0.75 degrees

Celsius more than the pre-industrial era(Hausfather), while the volcanic eruption of Mount

Pinatubo cooled 1.3 degrees Celsius(USGS, “Volcanoes can effect climate.”). The volcanic

eruption of Pinatubo cooled 0.55 degrees Celsius in 3 years than the warming of the past 120

years of the Earth.

Volcanic ash can fertilize the soil, making the polluted soil better. Today, many

plastic wastes are buried in the soil to get rid of, and many industrial wastes are produced.

Lava can break volcanic rocks, releasing the nutrients that were trapped inside the rock (Wei

Haas). Volcanic ash is created by the volcanic rocks that fertilize the soil (Handley). If the

soil d fertilized, the soil becomes better than before. These polluted soils can be better if the

volcanic ash fertilizes the soil, reversing the effects of plastic and other waste. If volcanic ash

turns the soil back to normal, the Earth’s land would be better than before. Soil pollution is a

serious problem these days, and volcanic ash can solve the problem by fertilizing the soil and

turning the soil into better soil that helps us in preserving our planet, the Earth.

About 80% of the Earth’s surface was made by volcanic eruptions and was cooled

down with water (Wei Haas)These lands are islands that are near volcanoes. These days,

many parts of the sea are turned into lands by human activity that sometimes can be harmful
to the environment. However, if the volcanoes create lands, they will be less harmful because

they will use no materials that can cause harm to the environment. This involves fewer

human materials, like concrete, that can be harmful to marine life in ways like water

pollution. If volcanoes create land, it can stop the pollution or other harms that the other

materials can cause.

One of the most important things that volcanoes do is making and shaping the

atmosphere. Submarine volcanoes shaped the atmosphere about 4.6 million years ago. At that

time, the atmosphere could not keep the oxygen. After terrestrial volcanoes were formed,

oxygen started to stay in the atmosphere(phys.org). The atmosphere keeps the oxygen in the

Earth, allowing us and other life to live. If volcanoes didn’t exist, we wouldn’t, too. Many

Volcanoes created the atmosphere so that life was possible, and so we live here today. If there

were no volcanoes, life would be impossible on Earth.

Volcanic energy can reduce the use of fossil fuels, saving the environment. Fossil

fuel harms the environment and our health. Fossil fuel harms the environment and causes

water pollution in the sea. Marine life can be harmed in this process (Denchak). Fossil fuel

causes many other different harms to the environment. However, volcanic energy does not

harm the environment. Many marine lives can be saved. Other harms could be prevented if

volcanic energy is used. Therefore, using volcanic energy prevents harm to the environment.

Volcanoes benefit in many different ways. Some of them help in our lives, while

some others help in preserving the Earth. Volcanoes help in our lives in ways like producing

scenery, providing energy, giving us useful information, providing food and materials which

play a crucial role in our lives. Volcanoes also benefit in preserving the Earth, our planet, in

ways like causing global cooling, which is the opposite effects of global warming that is an

extremely big threat to us, fertilizing, and reducing soil pollution that has extremely bad
effects on our planet, creating land that can save underwater lives, and shaping the

atmosphere and making us, humans and other living animals and plants to live on our very

own planet, the Earth, and using safe volcanic energy. These benefits have saved lives and

even have allowed us to live on this planet. Volcanoes have the benefits that make us live,

which is an extremely important part of our lives. Volcanoes can be very destructive.

However, some other disasters, like nuclear disasters, can be much more devastating than

volcanic eruptions. All these benefits have a big impact, becoming a big part in our lives.
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General Comments:
- Your paper is ready! Good job.
- You just have to follow the minor corrections that I pointed out. Also, read your paper
once again to see if there are things you want to change or revise.