volcanoes

//Volcanoes// In May 18, 1980, Mount St Helens erupted in Washington State. It killed 58 people and caused more than $1 billion in property damage. Fresh volcanic ash made of crushed rock can be harsh, acidic, dirty, glassy and smelly. The ash can cause damage to the lungs of older people, babies and people with breathing problems.
 * A volcano is a mountain that opens downwards to a pool of melted rock below the surface of the earth. When pressure pulls up along the eruptions occur. Gasses and rocks shoot up through the opening and spill over or fill air with small pieces of lava. Eruptions can cause sideways b lasts, lava flows, hot ash flows, mudslides avalanches and falling ash floods.
 * Volcano eruptions have been known to knock down entire forests. An erupting volcano can trigger tsunamis, flash floods, earthquakes, mudflows and rock falls. Active volcanos in the U. S. are mainly found in Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington. The greatest chance of eruptions near areas where many people live is in Hawaii and Alaska. The danger area around a volcano covers about a 20 mile radius that can go any direction.
 * by Monique Lustig.