Let’s Play with Earth–from Volcanoes to Soil
A volcano can be scary but it is at the origin of soil and mineral deposits that supply all of mankind’s needs.
4.3.1 In our land/apple analogy in the previous post, we “discarded” a
good part of the land because it is mountainous, snowy, occupied
by urban areas, or inhospitable like the land located in the vicinity of
the cold poles and hot deserts. Yes, there’s much less agriculture
going on there, but these so-called “discarded” areas
have other valid purposes. They are vast playgrounds for man.
They can be areas of both great hardship and immensurate
pleasure. Places of contemplation, of beauty, of discovery, and
of sporting ecstasy are always learning opportunities, since all
the natural formations on Earth never cease to amaze us.
We overlook the orange glow from a lava lake as we
gather at an observation point high above the Halema’uma’u
Crater in the Kilauea volcano, which is located on the Big
Island of Hawaii. Galacti consults with a ranger at the Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park and tells us that the plume of gas
and steam reaching from the crater up to the sky is coming
from a volatile 500-foot-wide vent. Many of us have read that
the Kilauea volcano, which attracts travelers from around the
globe, is the world’s most active volcano.
Thanks to a special telescope Galacti provides, we can see
the orange light from the lava lake inside the crater, but we
cannot get closer—not yet. Even with Galacti as our guide,
we dare not go anywhere in the lava fields without protective
clothes. We all find a private place to change into heavy
boots, jeans, long-sleeved shirts, heat-reflective jackets,
heatreflective gloves, helmets, and gas masks.
Galacti’s SidebarI can travel through time and explore a wide range of journeys humans
can’t, but man’s life activities seem to revolve around four themes:
working, eating, sleeping, and playing.
‘Playing’ or playful behavior in humans encompasses a range of what Sam
and our audience experts call “socio-intellectual” activities: reproduction,
family, friends, study, reading, personal development, entertainment: this,
along with the other three themes, is a resume of our lives. It seems like
a short list.
Is that all there is to human life? Wait and see. I could learn something
too! Let’s delve deeper.
Now that we are prepared and equipped like geologists,
Galacti takes us to the other active region of the volcano, the
rift zone along the Pu’uO’o vent. We study and watch in awe
as the fountain of lava flows from this eastern lava tube, even
as we’re mindful of volcanic gases with high sulphur content
blowing our way.
“A volcano is the perfect place to visit to show you the
process of land being formed,” Galacti explains. “We can
visit other places, such as the Kalahari Desert, the African
savannah, the tundra in Siberia, the chaparrals in Mexico
and the American Southwest, boreal forests, and grasslands.
However, here in tropical Hawaii, in the thick of a tropical
rainforest, we can actually see basalt lava hardening into land.
As we watch, the slow lava flow hardens into fresh a’a,
one of two types of lava in the islands. A’a is jagged, uneven,
and sharp, while pahoehoe is generally wavy, smooth, and
flat—almost sculpted. When pahoehoe flows into the ocean,
it quickly cools into black glass, shatters, and accumulates at
the edge of the “submarine slope” along the coastline.
Other lava flows settle on the foundation provided by these
uneven fragments, and a new unstable lava delta is formed.
One of our trekkers sifts through black volcanic soil and
collects a sample. Galacti produces a snack of yellow mangoes
from the farmers market in the town of Volcano. As we bite
into the mangoes, we’re tasting the benefits of the nutrients
in the crumbly, fine volcanic soil.
Hawaiian lava is produced when heat wells up from Earth’s
core and melts crystals from the lower mantle and crust.
The lava contains nitrogen, iron, magnesium, phosphorous,
and of course sulphur (which we’re avoiding breathing).
As the group remembers, nitrogen is essential for plants,
including the mangoes we’re enjoying.
Returning to the crater overlook, we view digital images of
other volcanoes worldwide: Indonesia’s Mount Merapi (which
we can hike), Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, Stromboli in Italy, and
Uturuncu in Bolivia. We’re aware that we’re fortunate to be
at Kilauea, which is considered the “drive-up” volcano of the
world due to its relative safety and ease of access.
This volcanic zone is one of five on the island, although several
are dormant. One of our travelers points out that this island has
eleven of the world’s thirteen climate zones as well as different
landforms.
“It doesn’t have the African savannah,” Galacti notes as
we view picture postcards from the universe showing the
different biomes, or ecosystems. A lot of these correspond
to the inhospitable, variegated, and often spectacular parts
of the “land apple” where arable land is not the norm.
We’re witnessing the space, atmospheric, and water processes
from the last three chapters combining with the land processes to
give Earth its extremes and everything in between—from
the bitter cold at the poles to the ardent heat at the equator.
Extremes, yes, but very mild compared to interstellar bodies
and fully within man’s capacity to live on and visit, even for a
very short time, whether it be the world-record-setting sweltering
furnace of Death Valley in the United States (measured
at 56.7 degrees Celsius) or the biting iciness of Antarctica
at −89.2 degrees Celsius.
As we go about our daily business without giving it much of a thought,
land is indeed the ideal habitat for mankind.
The Explanation Blog Bonus
Volcanoes are as dangerous as they are majestic. Over 50 eruptions rock our planet every year. This video from National Geographic helps you understand what causes volcanoes to form and erupt—and shows where they are most likely to be found.
This next video about volcanoes unlocks the mystery of this worldwide majestic phenomena. They are part of the land piece of our puzzle: Inventory of the Universe
Take Inventory–the Game
Learn how to play here and here are some concepts to use: a’a, African savannah, basalt lava, black volcanic soil, boreal forests, chaparrals Mexico and the American Southwest, eating, geologist, grasslands, Halema’uma’u Crater, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, iron, Kalahari Desert, Kilauea volcano, lava flow, lava lake, life activities, magnesium, Mount Merapi, Mt. Kilimanjaro Africa, nitrogen, pahoehoe, phosphorous, playing, Pu’uO’o vent, rift zone, sleeping, socio-intellectual activities, Stromboli Italy, sulphur, tropical rainforest, tundra Siberia, Uturuncu Bolivia, working.
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