The prosperity of the underground world can also bring unexpected treasures

The "fire" in the center of the earth is not actually fire, but hot magma. Volcanoes are not mountains burning, but hot magma gushing out from underground. The fireworks are rich in a large amount of hot volcanic ash, gas and water vapor, rushing straight into the sky; the liquid lava, with a temperature of more than 1000℃, is like boiling molten iron, and can even reflect the red smoke and clouds at night, which is gorgeous and dazzling. On March 26, 2021 (local time), the volcano in Girtindalur, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, erupted. The volcanic dust polluted the local air quality, seriously affecting people's travel and life, but also attracted a large number of tourists and scientists to appreciate and study the volcanic eruption activities up close.

We often see the hazards caused by volcanic eruptions on TV or in newspapers, but in fact, volcanic eruptions can also bring us beautiful scenery and rich resources.

Scenic crater, magnificent volcanic lake

Volcanic eruptions have created many unique landscapes in nature. The series of craters, lava lakes, lava rivers, volcanic cones, basalt columns and other special landforms formed by volcanic activities can all become tourist attractions with great viewing value. The more famous ones are the Five Lotus Ponds in Heilongjiang, the Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain in Jilin, the Huangyi Mountain Basalt Volcano Park in Dandong and the Tengchong Volcano Geological Park in Yunnan, as well as the Yellowstone Park and Hawaii Island in the United States, the Stromboli Volcano in Italy, and the Paricutin Volcano in Mexico.

Rich and diverse mineral resources, natural and colorful building stones

Many of the mineral resources we are familiar with, such as gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, and building materials such as granite, basalt, and bentonite, are related to magma activities. In the process of magma gushing out from underground to the surface, it not only carries a large amount of mineralizing materials, but also provides a "heat source" for the enrichment of mineralizing materials. Under certain physical and chemical conditions, it is enriched and formed into minerals in favorable locations for mineralization. For example, the nationally famous Kebutai iron mine in the West Tianshan Mountains, the Yinshan copper deposit in Jiangxi, and the Gan-Hang volcanic rock uranium deposit.

Crystal clear gemstones, raw materials for multiple uses

The formation of many gemstones is also related to volcanic activity. For example, (natural) diamonds are mainly produced in volcanic channels; the chicken blood stone in Balin Right Banner, Inner Mongolia is also produced in Mesozoic volcanic rocks. Opal, amethyst, grape agate and other gemstones are also closely related to volcanic activity. Volcanic activity can also form many non-metallic minerals, such as zeolite and fluorite, which are important mineral resources. The perlite formed by volcanic eruptions has natural adsorption capacity due to its porous structure with micropores, which can effectively absorb excess oil, so it is used in cosmetics. Porous basalt can also be used as grinding materials, filters, dryers, catalysts, etc.

With the continuous development and progress of science and technology and the in-depth study of volcanoes, many resources formed by volcanic activities will be discovered and better developed and utilized.