The Volcanoes of Hainan

 



Entrance to Hainan Volcano-themed National Geo-Park

On the small island of Hainan, over half of the northern portion of the country is inhabited by a volcanic field. There are 58 total volcanoes in the area, with most of them being pyroclastic cones in structure, formed between the timescales Pleistocene to Holocene. Most of the volcanoes on the island are extinct, however, this does not rule out the fact that any of these volcanoes can still erupt.



Inside a Volcanic Cave with Lava Illuminating the Walls

The typical eruption style of the Hainan volcanoes in this field are effusive eruptions which means they are characterized by outpouring lava instead of exploding.By the volcanoes being effusive, it means the magma under the island is very hot, basalt-based with a low silica content and low viscosity; making the magma very runny and coherent with any down slopes. Only two eruptions have been recorded in history with both being fissure eruptions in 1883 and 1933. Fissure eruptions are usually linear volcanic vents or cracks where lava flows out from the volcano rather than possessing violent explosive activity due to a high silica content.

Vegetation shows how long these volcanoes have been extinct
with some volcanoes last erupting 65,000 yrs ago.

With Hainan being so rich with volcanoes, there is a very scenic volcano-themed National geo-park in the Hainan capital of Haikou. Even though Hainan only has an area of nearly 13,700 sq miles, the island of Hainan does house nearly every variety of volcanoes in the world, making it an even bigger attraction to the world. The volcanoes in the National geo-park are well-preserved with many different volcanic caves, vegetation, soils, mineral waters, and hot springs which draw many tourists to the island of Hainan and leading to a stronger economy for the country. Regardless of the potential hazards such as gases or eruptions from volcanoes, Hainan has a strong, healthy ecology with pleasing climate temperatures, fresh air, clean spring waters, beaches, etc; which all fuse well with tourists and residences alike.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainan_Volcanic_Field
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/Fissure.html
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/ks3/gsl/education/resources/rockcycle/page3599.html
http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/hainan_dao.html
http://www.sanyaweb.com/sight_haikou_volcano_park.html
http://www.globalgeopark.org/aboutGGN/list/China/6409.htm
http://www.whatsonsanya.com/sanya-info-970.html