Conclusion

There are estimated to be anywhere from 500 to 800 volcanoes on the planet today. Technically, an “active” volcano is one that has erupted anytime in the last 100,000 years. How would we know if a volcano had erupted 90,000 years ago? Well, I think we would have to ask a geologist, who could probably figure it out.

Of course, even better than knowing if a volcano had blown up in the past would be knowing if and when it was going to blow up in the future so you could be prepared. This is something that seismologists, geologists and oceanographers are working hard to figure out right now. One of the big goals for Earth scientists today is improving the prediction of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

There are areas that are famous for earthquakes and volcanoes. If you mark the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions from the stories in this book on a map, you can start to see where they are happening.

I think it is interesting that the Earth builds up more land where a volcano forms. Yet, other times the volcano is blown away and distributes itself all over the world through clouds of ash. And then, even though the ash clouds from an eruption may block the sun for years, and make farming difficult, eventually, the new volcanic earth makes the land more fertile. Just like my friend told me, the Earth needs eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis to keep the land rich for plant and animal life. We just have to get better at learning how to be out of the way when these natural disasters happen.

Could it happen here? Could it happen now? I guess, maybe, it could. But, I will have to find out. I’ll keep learning more about this, so I can understand more about how the Earth works, and how I may have to deal with it during my life.