The article that I will be discussing is titled “Lava and Ash from Fuego Volcano Kills 33 in Guatemala”. This article was written by Laura Geggel on June 4, 2018, for the Scientific American website. This author has been proven reputable by being hired by this notable website. This website puts forth correct information and data, and therefore, publishes only work that fits the necessary standards.
On June 3, 2018, a volcano in Guatemala erupted and killed at least 33 people. This eruption produced lava that reached at most 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. The Fuego Volcano is a stratovolcano that reaches 12,346 feet in height. A stratovolcano is a volcano that is made up of layers of sediment, cooled lava, etc. It is a part of the Central American Volcanic Arc. This arc sits on the Pacific coast of Central America and is approximately 930 miles long. This volcanic eruption was tragic and happens to be the deadliest eruption that Guatemala has experienced since 1902. In 1902, the Santa María volcano erupted and killed thousands of people.
Since 1999, the Fuego volcano has been continuously erupting. It usually has multiple smaller eruptions every day. One day after the eruption on June 3, 2018, there were approximately 50 people still missing. It had also injured around 20 people. For that reason, the number of deaths, missing persons, and injuries could have changed. This caused thousands of people to have to evacuate their homes, and then the country of Guatemala declared three days of national mourning for those who were victims of the tragic eruption.
This article was an update on a large tragedy. It shared basic information about the entire situation. It told about what happened, what type of volcano it is, a comparison of a previous disaster, and a conclusion of what actions were taken to help resolve the situation. The article touched on general knowledge that we have learned in our class. The data took up the majority of the article, and in the process, made me forget what had happened. The data, however, was seriously important in this article.
The data was giving the readers numbers for reference so that the reader could personally interpret the situation. This is a very wise move on the author’s behalf. After the readers are given the dimensions of the volcano and the volcanic arc, the author explains what type of volcano erupted. This detail is quite important, and it was beneficial to understand that this volcano consisted of multiple layers. It spoke to the life of the volcano, which in turn helped the reader understand the situation on a deeper level.
This article also used history to make a point. The eruption of 1902 in Guatemala was a good reference point to support the idea that horrific tragedies like volcanic eruptions are not very common in this area. It makes the situation of the article bleaker than it should have been due to the people of Guatemala not expecting it.
The topic of volcanoes is extremely important in regards to how the Earth is affected. According to our textbook, Earth Science 15th Edition by Tarbuck, when a volcano erupts, both the internal and external sides of the Earth’s surface are affected. Hot magma comes up from the internal side, and on the external side, the lava comes out and cools. This cooled lava then becomes igneous rock. Eventually the igneous rock, due to weathering and other external forces, turns into sedimentary rock. This sedimentary rock eventually turns into metamorphic rock, and later, magma. This starts the entire process over again. This is considered the Rock Cycle. The Rock Cycle is important in all parts of the world. Rocks are a part of the surface, and the surface is what holds everything else.
This article relates to my life in almost no direct way. This type of disaster is something that I honestly would not think about if I was not enrolled in this class. For me, I donate money to my church, and my church donates money and services that help to relieve those who have been negatively affected by these disasters. Otherwise, I know for a fact that everything that happens creates this domino-like effect. Something of that magnitude could have easily affected something in my life, and I may have not even known it. Maybe whatever would affect me hasn’t happened yet.
I genuinely believe that the article that I wrote about was not the definition of “good science”. I think it had imperative factors of “good science” like data, facts, and supporting ideas, but this specific article didn’t need things like the scientific method. It was just a report of things that have occurred. In a way, this article was just science journalism. Due to this, I did find some information about the subject in the textbook.