Soil Fertility Around Volcanoes
Why do people live by active volcanoes?
- The soils around the volcano are fertile.
- People will be able to grow a variety of crops.
- (Rich soil) encourages farming, agriculture and population growth.
- By-products of volcanic activity can be used in everyday applications.
- Volcanic ash us used as a filler in adhesives, and great for construction use.
- Beneficial products of volcanic activity are that the earth (soil) will be filled with nutrients.
- Thermal energy, used to produce electricity.
- Prime petroleum sources.
- High-energy geothermal systems most efficient natural concentrators of valuable ore minerals.
How do volcanoes make soil fertile?
- Soil Fertility is rich in nutrients like zinc, chlorine, iron, cobalt, nitrogen, boron, and many more.
- Lava coming down the side breaks down slowly to form fertile soil, which holds lots of water.
- The ash from the volcanoes can be good because it releases valuable nutrients that will make the soil more fertile.
- Climate plays a huge role because good soil depends on the precipitation to get growth in the vegetables.
- Not all volcanic soil is rich because hydrogen ions could be released instead and become more acidic, which will be harder for plants to grow.
- Over the years the minerals from lava and ash will be broken down more but it could be or not be beneficial to the soil.
Volcanic Soil, Ash, Water
- Volcanoes soil are also know as andisols. Andisols are formed from volcanic ash.
- Volcanic materials break down and weather to form some of the most fertile soils on Earth.
- Volcanic ash often contain minerals that are beneficial to plants, and if it is very fine ash it will break down quickly and get mixed into soil.
- Volcanic soils contain small amounts of iron witch plants need to make chlorophyll.
- Volcanoes make soil fertile because magmatic soil/material contain many many different kinds of nutrients that aid farming and agriculture.
- Volcanic ash is hard,rough, and does not dissolve in water. It can conduct electricity when it is wet.