Volcanoes in Fiji

url.jpg
Koro

url_1.jpg
Nabukelevu  

url_2.jpg
Taveuni

This week in my blog I will be discussing Fiji’s volcanic activity. There are three main volcanoes located in Fiji which are Koro, Nabukelevu, and Taveuni. Koro is a group of basaltic cinder cones that are located between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Many of these cones are less than 10,000 years old, but are not likely to erupt. 
Nabukelevu is an andesitic-dacitic lava dome complex. This volcano is located at the end of Kadavu Island. Nabukelevu has not erupted in over 10,000 years, but is still proposes dangers to Fiji. A main hazard from Nebukelevu is that debris from the complex can cause issues by damaging near by coastlines. Also, earthquakes  can cause avalanches and landslides of debris and volcanic rock to slide into the ocean, disrupting the underwater life. “Three fault lines run through Nabukelevu, making the volcano prone to failure.”(Volcanoes of Fiji). 
The Taveuni volcano is so massive that it forms the third largest island of Fiji, Taveuni Island.  Due to the rich volcanic soils on this island, Taveuni Island is known as the “Garden Island”. Tavenui has had at least 36 eruptions since 370-110 BC. All of the eruptions occurred from vents on the southern side of the island. However, the last time the volcano erupted occurred in 1658. 
Even though Fiji is classified as having a low chance of having a volcano erupt, there are precautions people can take if an eruption did occur. Early warning action is a prominent aspect that is taken, which makes the inhabitants aware about possible eruptions and when they are suppose to occur. Another way that this country warns their inhabitants is by forecasting volcanic eruptions. Forecasting eruptions can only be used if information is gained through monitoring different aspects such as: seismic activity, thermal, magnetic, and hydrologic conditions, land surface, volcanic gas emissions, and history of the volcano. 

"Fiji Volcanoes ." Go Fiji , https://www.go-fiji.com/volcanoes.html. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.

"Volcanoes of Fiji ." Volcano Discovery , https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/fiji.html. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.

"Volcano ." Think Hazard , GFDRR , thinkhazard.org/en/report/83-fiji/VA. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.


Keller, Edward A., and Duane E. DeVecchio. Natural Hazards. Fourth ed., Pearson, 2015, pp. 158-62.

Comments

  1. Ana GGFebruary 22, 2018 at 1:49 PM

    Great research this week. I am happy to see they do take the preparedness seriously....a note, unfortunately I cannot see those images...maybe it's just my computer...

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownFebruary 25, 2018 at 10:13 PM

    All the information you have for Fiji about Volcano activity, I like the history back ground that you gave. All the information is very interesting and the good new is that the volcano hasn't erupted since 1658. I can't relate to the information because I did a different country then my own due to no volcanos.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Differences Between Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes

Many times people believe that hazards, disasters, and catastrophes are terms that can be used interchangeably. However, this is a common misconception. A hazard is an event that is seen as a threat to humanbeings and the property they own. Some examples of a natural hazard would be floods, landslides, expansive soils, and frost because they could do damage to a human’s property. There is no area that is considered hazard free because every country, state, and city is prone to natural events. A disaster is an event that happens in a certain area that occurs over a certain time. One of four aspects have to be met for an event to be classified as a natural disaster—10 or more people are killed, 100 or more people are affected, a state of emergency is declared, and international assistance is requested. Natural disasters cause not only physical damage, but also financial and social loss. A catastrophe is a huge disaster that only occurs when a tremendous amount of money and time is neede
Read more

The Impact of Landslides on Fiji Inhabitants

Image
In this weeks blog, I will be discussing the topic of mass wasting. Mass wasting is defined as “a comprehensive term for any type of downslope movement of earth materials”, which can also be referred to as landslides. Landslides have had a great impact on the land of Fiji and it’s inhabitants.  This mass wasting has been seen to occur repetitively in areas near mountains. In these mountainous places, rock and soil move down toward people’s homes. One family had to wake up in the middle of the night in order to alert the others in the house that they needed to evacuate immediately. Thankfully, the parents of the household were able to evacuate their family and no one was hurt. Unfortunately, the family had experienced a landslide like this in the past. However, it was also not in 2003 as it was recently in 2017. In another incident, the  Dreketi Health Centre on Qamea was also destroyed by a landslide. Fortunately, the services provided at the center were still given out despite
Read more