Small volcanic eruptions are capable of leading to a global catastrophe for humanity, if they provoke the “domino effect” in the most vulnerable points of the planet. This conclusion came scientists from the University of Cambridge, who called the most dangerous places of the Earth, where even weak volcanoes can cause irreparable damage. This is reported in the article published in the journal Nature Communications.
How to write the authors of the work, usually in the scientific literature, much attention is paid to large-scale eruptions with force 7-8 on the scale of volcanic activity. Such supervolkanic eruptions, despite global catastrophic consequences, very rare. For example, the Vulcan of the Tambo in 1815 threw a huge amount of sulfur into the atmosphere, which led to cooling, frost and crouching in Europe. However, many important elements of infrastructure are located in close proximity to regions with moderate volcanic activity.
These vulnerable points are located in Taiwan, in North Africa, North Atlantis and North-West USA. In Taiwan there are TSMC production facilities – one of the largest companies engaged in the study and production of chips on semiconductors. If this area is, along with the Taipei port, it will be under the blow of a volcanic eruption, then the entire global technological industry will be damaged. In the Mediterranean, the tsunami due to the eruption can damage underwater cable networks and block the movement of ships through the Suez Canal.
Eruptions in Washington state in the north-west of the Pacific Ocean can provoke villages and ash clouds that will cover Seattle, which will stop the work of airports and seaports. Simulation has shown that the eruption of the volcanic Mount Reinir by force six points can lead to economic losses in the amount of more than seven trillion US dollars over the next five years. Active volcanic regions in Indonesia pose a threat to the Malack Strait, where one of the most loaded shipping routes in the world runs.
In the South China Sea through the Luzon Strait, surrounded by volcanic arc, underwater cables connecting China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. In addition, the ashes loops from the volcanic region on the border between China and Northern Korea may disrupt the work of the most loaded air routes in the East. Icelandic volcanoes represent a similar threat to Western flights, which has already demonstrated Eyafyadlayekyudle in 2010, whose eruption led to the closure of airspace over Europe.