Vacationing at a Volcano?

A volcano is an opening in Earth’s surface through which magma and gases can escape. Magma is incredibly hot liquid rock beneath the planet’s crust. Once it reaches the surface, it’s called lava.

There are more than 1,500 active volcanoes worldwide today. The majority of them are located on the Ring of Fire. That’s a horseshoe-shaped area along the edge of the Pacific Ocean where several tectonic plates meet (see map, below). 

Tectonic plates are huge, slow-moving slabs of Earth’s crust that fit together like puzzle pieces. They are constantly shifting—about one half-inch to four inches every year. Volcanoes erupt when two plates collide or split apart, allowing magma to reach Earth’s surface. (Some volcanoes, however, lie far from plate boundaries. At those spots, magma pushes up directly through Earth’s crust.)

Regardless of where a volcano is located, scientists agree that traveling to an active one can be hazardous. Eruptions often produce poisonous gases that may damage people’s lungs. Sightseers can also get hit by lava or rock, as was the case in 2018 when a “lava bomb” crashed through a tour boat near an erupting volcano in Hawaii, injuring 23 people. And in 2019, 22 people died when a volcano suddenly erupted in New Zealand.

Despite the risks, visiting a volcano can be a rewarding experience—if travelers take the right precautions. For starters, people should assess the risk level for any volcano they plan to visit by checking with the local science observatory that monitors that particular site. Tourists should also learn the evacuation routes in case of an emergency.

Taking such steps, experts say, can help people have a safe volcano vacation. And no one understands the lure of visiting volcanoes better than the scientists who study them. 

As Frank Trusdell, a geologist in Hawaii, recently told reporters: “Every time you go somewhere that you see a geological process . . . it gives you a much greater respect for our planet.”