Reading response

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Reading Response
Since time in memorial, human beings have been on a never-ending war with the natural catastrophes such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Often than not, the geological processes in the core of the earth happen without warning and may be to the detriment of civilians who suffer from the loss of life and property. Following this, measures have been put in place to counter these adverse outcomes through the incorporation of technology and emergency response techniques. The historical volcanic activity of Iceland is a good example of such as scenario and John McPhee’s article, Cooling the Lava gives a detailed account of the event and the strategies that were employed to combat the molten lava. It started in January 1973 when Heimaey, the most inhabited Island in Iceland experienced minor tremors that were followed by the formation of a fissure on the surface releasing a stream of molten lava. Although the majority of the people had already been evacuated, the main concern was the harbor that was a major asset to the fish exporting industry that sustained the town (McPhee 98). The region lies in a highly active area where the Eurasian plates interact with the North American ones.
The lava-cooling operation began a fortnight after the onset of the eruption and seawater was pumped over the flowing debris to ensure that it solidified as quickly as possible. This continued for a month, and over eight million cubic meters of water had been used, and the efforts of the islanders received massive media coverage.

In Hawaii, the same technique was incorporated in 1984 after the volcanoes erupted forming the Mauna Loa mountains. The US Army already constructed a dam between the islands to act as a reservoir to provide water for cooling lava flows in the area that is notorious for eruptions. In my opinion, lava-cooling is advantageous as evidenced by the author and some of the past events mentioned in the article. However, the geographical location of Iceland and Hawaii were ideal because there were next to massive seabeds. This raises the question of what would have happened if the countries were landlocked and as a result geologist should come up with new emergency response strategies that will cut across the different topographical settings.
Works Cited
McPhee, John A. The control of nature: Los Angeles against the mountains. New Yorker Magazine, Incorporated, 1988.