A smoky start to 2020
February 6, 2020
Just recently on Sunday, January 19, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, the volcano Taal erupted. Ash flew nine miles total up into the sky and forced civilians in the area to evacuate immediately, abandoning their homes and walks of life.
Many evacuees were forced into evacuation centers where they sat and waited for help. Many families are housed by the government and even volunteered to go and rescue animals that had been left at the danger zones of the eruption. In addition to this, roads were damaged from volcanic tremors forming giant cracks in the ground, which sometimes made transport difficult.
Breathing in ash may be toxic to children and residents, and as a result many purchased masks and wore them for days or weeks after the eruption. In some cases civilians also wore ponchos to shield themselves from the ash infused rainwater.
Taal volcano is actually located within Lake Taal. The lake is formed from ancient volcanic eruptions which form calderas; they are collapsed evacuated magma chambers.
Scientists are unsure about whether the volcano will continue erupting. In the case of a major volcano, Taal could cause an explosive eruption. Mount Pinatubo, an explosive eruption, occurred in the Philippines as well, causing so much ash to rise into the atmosphere which cooled down the whole atmosphere by one degree for a year.
Many people’s lives are at stake because of this eruption and the world can only wait and watch hoping for the best.
Sources
Achenbach, Joel. 2020. “Eruption of Taal in the Philippines Is a Warning about Global Volcano
Hazards.” The Washington Post. WP Company. January 16, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/taal-volcano-in-the-philippines-is-a-warning-about-global-volcano-hazards/2020/01/15/30f1e9b8-36e1-11ea-bf30-ad313e4ec754_story.html.
“Photos: Taal Volcano in the Philippines Erupts.” 2020. CNN. Cable News Network. January 19,
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