Section 3 : Why Do People Live Near Volcanoes?

People choose to live near volcanoes because they felt that the advantages overweighed the disadvantages.  The main things that attract people to live near active volcanoes are minerals, geothermal energy, fertile soils and tourism and many people felt that these are more important than the potential danger of living close to a volcano.

Volcanoes are rich sources of minerals.  Hot gases escape through vents, which brings minerals to the surface,  an example will be sulfur.  The sulfur collects around the vents as it condenses and solidifies.  The locals will then collect the sulfur and sell it.

Geothermal energy means heat energy from the earth.  The heat from underground steam is used to drive turbines and produce electricity or to heat water supplies that are then used to provide household heating and hot water.  The steam is not used directly because it contains too many dissolved minerals that could precipitate out and clog pipes, corrode metal components and possibly poison the water supply.

Lava and ash are rich in minerals.  Once they cool and are broken down by the weather, they form fertile soils.  The farmers love to star near volcanoes as the productive soils can grow any kind of fruits and vegetables quickly.

Volcanoes attract millions of visitors every year.  Tourism creates jobs in shops, restaurants, hotels and tourist centers/national parks.  This way, more people are able to have jobs and support their families.  Local economies can profit from volcanism throughout the year.

In short, there are indeed many advantages of living near volcanoes, however, are we willing to risk our lives just for those advantages?  We cannot say that living near volcanoes is practical or ridiculous as it is up to individuals to decide for it.   In actual fact, the reasons gave by people of less developed countries and developed countries are the same.  All of them are willing to risk the potential danger just by having the advantages like fertile soils, which is very useful for farmers and may even allow them to earn more money.

Farmers farming near volcanoes due to fertile soil

Done by Rachel Chua(11) 2/2