VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS:
There're two types of volcanoes basing on their activity; the EFFUSIVE (producing mainly slow lava fluxes) and the EXPLOSIVE; the most dangerous and difficult to predict are the latter that can remain silent and inactive for many years, even for centuries and then, suddenly, start to erupt with violent explosive eruptions, that cover wide areas around the volcano with ashes and lapilli, destroying and burying everything.

Today, geologists can easily monitor these volcanoes, like it happens for VESUVIO, near Naples, Italy, that is one of the most studied volcanoes of the world.
Just here, the first seismologic station of the world was installed about the half of the XIX century.

The monitoring on these volcanoes are made studying the trends of gaseous emissions from craters in the amount and in their chemical composition; the occurrence of swelling or movements in certain zones of the volcano, also about few cm or mm, measured by means of very sensible laser sensors and the possible increase of seismic and micro-seismic activity.

All these phenomena can reveal that, under the volcano, the magma is moving again upwards and making pressure on the rocks that are clogging the craters, after many years of inactivity.
The predictions of an eruption can arrive to few weeks before it but are not exact, because of many factors, like the "weak points"
inside the volcano body.

EARTHQUAKES:
It's not still possible to predict WHEN a destructive earthquake will occur; it's only clear that, in a certain zone, an event like this WILL OCCUR, but not when.

FLOODS AND LANDSLIDES:
We can expect that in tropical and temperate regions, with frequent, massive rains or not frequent but sudden and violent rains, a high population density along rivers and in planes and a territory deeply altered and affected by human activity (forest cutting, intensive agriculture, fire woods, buildings and roads on unstable grounds, without hearing the warning of geologists,
the damages of a flood or landslide (the last, in most of cases comes together with floods, because of high erosion by rains and swollen rivers along mountains flanks) can be very serious and recurrent, worsening every time the situation.

The mountain zones, for ex., very frequent in my Country, Italy, are particularly vulnerable to these events, if the territory is damaged by forest cut, excessive and wrong house and roads building, also in exposed areas along rivers, even little streams.
Many alarm and civil protection plans are today ready to start by authorities and, in case of heavy rains, predicted to be long and intense on a certain area at risk, with evacuation and aid programs.

It's a matter of organization, laws, care for the territory and money available; something good has been made in the richest Countries, with more resources to intervene, but this is not enough, as we have seen for the terrible New Orleans flood in U.S.A., where the civil protection has been late and even ridiculous.

The real danger is in the poor Countries, where the economic resources are very limited and also eaten by the corruption and superficiality of local authorities.
These are just the Countries where the atmospheric phenomena are more intense and dangerous and the destruction of natural environment is faster, for need, ignorance, economic interests of great local or international companies.
This mixture has already proved to be EXPLOSIVE in many cases.

Learn more about this author, Aldo Bonincontro.
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