By: Zainab Sadiq Noor –e-Haram Arif Simrun Shahid Khadeja Schahnawaz

Despite the fact that volcanoes can cause great damage to land and property when they erupt, and may even lead to loss of life, more than 350 million people around the world choose to live on or near active volcanoes. In Mexico, 30 million people live within sight of Popocatépetl. In southern Italy, near Naples, 1.5 million people live on the slopes around Mount Vesuvius, still a very active volcano. Why do people take such risks? It is mainly because volcanic activity does have some benefits.

Fertile land Over thousands of years, the lava that is spewed out during violent eruptions breaks down slowly to form very fertile soil, which can be successfully used for farming. Hawaii’s pineapple and sugar plantations are found on volcanic soils. Some of the best rice- growing areas of Indonesia lie in the shadow of volcanoes. So too do the rich farming lands around Mount Vesuvius in Italy, where olives, vines, nuts and fruit – especially orange and lemon trees – are grown.

Volcanic products The volcanic ash produced by some eruptions is deposited over vast areas. In the short term this ash can be harmful to the environment. But over many years the ash slowly releases valuable nutrients, and if combined with water, it can make the soil more fertile.

The products of volcanoes can be useful in other ways, too. Hot magma, circulating near the earth’s surface, heats the rock in contact with it and often turns underground water into superheated steam. The steam can be converted into electricity in special power stations. This type of energy, which is called geothermal energy, is important in parts of Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Italy. Elsewhere, metals such as copper, lead, silcon and zini can be mined from the volcanic rocks found deep underground. Other minerals and some gemstones, such as diamonds and opals, are also concentrated in the igneous rock produced by volcanoes.

Volcanoes provide resources for energy extraction, also called geothermal resources. Heat from the earth's crust is being converted to energy. The big advantages to this type of energy are that it is very clean and the resources are nearly inexhaustible.