I guess the main good effect that volcanoes have on the environment is to provide
nutrients to the surrounding soil. Volcanic ash often contains minerals
that are beneficial to plants, and if it is very fine ash it is able to
break down quickly and get mixed into the soil.
Perhaps the best place to look for more information about this
would be to look up references about some of the countries where lots of
people live in close proximity to volcanoes and make use of the rich
soils on volcanic flanks. These would include Indonesia, The Philippines,
Japan, Italy, etc.
I suppose another benefit might be the fact that volcanic slopes
are often rather inaccessible, especially if they are steep. Thus they
can provide refuges for rare plants and animals from the ravages of
humans and livestock.
Finally, on a very fundamental scale, volcanic gases are the
source of all the water (and most of the atmosphere) that we have today.
The process of adding to the water and atmosphere is pretty slow, but if
it hadn't been going on for the past 4.5 billion years or so we'd be
pretty miserable.
You might also have a look at the chapter called "The effects on economic
activity" in Blong's Volcanic Hazards.
Scott Roland, University of Hawaii
Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota
Source of Information:
Blong, R.J., 1984, Volcanic Hazards: A Sourcebook on the Effects of
Eruptions: Orlando, Florida, Academic Press, 424 p.
Chris Morales
Other Categories
Other Questions
To VolcanoWorld