introduction
News of a volcanic eruption has caught the world's attention, located at Vena del Mar in Chile.
The power of this volcanic eruption is even more impressive. It is reported that the eruption power of Vena del Mar Volcano reached 5 to 6 levels, and the energy behind this number is unimaginable.
In general, we estimate the power of a volcanic eruption by using the Volcanic Eruption Index, which is calculated based on the total amount of energy released by the volcano in an eruption. Among all the volcanic eruption indexes, the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) is one of the most widely used, and its calculation method is very intuitive, which can clearly reflect the power of the eruption.
To better understand the eruption of Vena del Mar, we first need to have a clear understanding of the VEI, and only through this understanding can we better understand the exact power of this eruption.
Against this backdrop, we can better understand that the more powerful a volcanic eruption is, the more serious the impact on the surrounding region and the world.
1. What is the Volcanic Eruption Index (VEI)?
Volcanic Explosivity Index, abbreviated as VEI, is an index used to measure the power of volcanic eruptions.
Through this index, we can clearly understand how much energy is released by different volcanic eruptions, and how it may affect the surrounding environment and human society.
The VEI ranges from 0 to 8, with 0 representing small-scale volcanic activity and 8 representing supervolcanic eruptions.
In this range, the energy difference between each adjacent level is an order of magnitude increase, that is, as the VEI increases, the power of the eruption will increase exponentially.
Specifically, when the eruption power of the volcano reaches VEI level 4, the energy released by it is equivalent to an earthquake of magnitude 8.7, and it is conceivable that such energy will have a very serious destructive effect on the surrounding environment and organisms.
In the long history of the entire earth, there are very few supervolcanoes that can actually reach level 8, but once such a volcanic eruption occurs, the impact on the entire earth will be immeasurable.
2. The eruption of the Vena del Mar volcano in Chile
This time, the volcano that has attracted the world's attention is the Vena del Mar volcano in Chile, and its eruption power has reached the level of 5 to 6.
According to the previously introduced standards, when the eruption power of the volcano reaches level 5, the energy released by it will be ten times that of level 4, and the eruption material and eruption height will also increase more significantly.
According to the current observation data, the eruption of Vena del Mar has formed a volcanic ash column tens of kilometers high, and such a scene will have a very big impact on flights and residents in the surrounding area.
In addition, the process of volcanic eruption is accompanied by a variety of risk factors such as volcanic smoke and pyroclastic flows, which can pose a serious health threat once these substances enter the human respiratory tract.
Due to the special geographical location of Vena del Mar Volcano, the South American region where it is located happens to be part of the global volcanic distribution zone, and there are many other active volcanoes around it, and this volcanic eruption may have a certain impact on global volcanic activity.
3. Why didn't the satellite capture the eruption?
For such a rare volcanic eruption event, I believe that many people hope that they can observe it through satellite images, after all, looking at the entire volcanic eruption process from a high altitude, the picture presented must be very shocking and spectacular.
However, just after the eruption, people found that neither domestic satellites nor some international satellites seemed to have captured the eruption of Vena del Mar Volcano.
In fact, it is not easy for a satellite to successfully capture the picture of a volcanic eruption, first of all, it needs to have enough shooting range and shooting resolution to be able to clearly capture the situation around the crater.
During the eruption of the Vena del Mar volcano, the surrounding visibility was very low due to the interference of volcanic ash and volcanic smoke, which brought certain difficulties to the satellite photographic work.
In addition, there is another key point, that is, the orbit design of the satellite, a meteorological satellite, its orbital altitude and orbital speed, are precisely designed, so that the global dynamic monitoring can be realized.
Once a volcanic eruption occurs, the energy and matter it releases are actually very limited, and if there happens to be a satellite nearby at this time, it is possible to take pictures of the eruption.
It is not an easy thing to do, because the orbital range of the satellite is very limited, and its shooting angle is also fixed, if the specific location of the volcano is exactly within the blind zone of the satellite, then it is difficult to capture the picture of the eruption.
epilogue
Through the eruption of the Vena del Mar volcano in Chile, we can not only understand more intuitively how powerful the eruption is, but also better understand how we should prepare for natural disasters.
At the same time, there is also a deeper understanding of the satellite shooting technology, and the challenges and limitations it faces are actually very large, and only by continuous technological innovation can we better cope with the challenges of various extreme weather events.
It is hoped that through such reports, more people can pay attention to natural disasters and meteorological monitoring, and it is also hoped that scientific researchers around the world can make breakthroughs in related fields and make greater contributions to the sustainable development of human society.