Volcanoes Essays (2385 words) - Volcanology, Plate Tectonics

Volcanoes Volcanoes JACK KNOFF WR 327 Technical Report Spring '99 Introduction In this report I plan to discuss the geological event of volcanic eruptions and the disasters they cause. To me, this is a fascinating topic and timely seeing how the 19th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens is upon us. I hope to inform people of the mass destruction that is caused by the eruption of a volcano. The scope of my report will be limited to: 1) describing what comes out of a volcano, 2) explaining the seven different types of volcanoes, 3) explaining the five types of volcanic eruptions, and 4) explaining the disasters they can cause people. The procedure for completing this report first started by watching educational television programs that featured volcanoes and the upcoming anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. From there, I decided that the topic of volcanoes would be a good subject for my analytical report. Then I began my research, first looking online for websites that contained information and pictures of volcanoes. After this, I looked for pu blications about volcanoes in the library, finding many books that pertained to my topic. Having an abundance of data, I began to sort through all of it and found what I thought to be the most informative. I then prepared an outline of the subjects I wanted to write about and arranged the data and visuals to fit my outline. And of course from there, I began to write this report using the technical writing methods taught during lecture and described in the book. Collected Data If we look through volcanoes we can view the interior of the earth. More than just lava flows are spewed out of volcanoes when they erupt. The three main components that erupt out of a volcano are: lava, ash, and bombs. When all three of these components lump together, the solid fragments are called pyroclastics. Pyroclastic rocks can be erupted in two different ways: they can be airfall deposits or pyroclastic flows. There are seven different types of volcanoes: Submarine volcanoes; Ridges and vents; Shield volcanoes; Lava plateaus and Flood basalts; Lave domes; Composite volcanoes; Cinder and Scoria cones; and Calderas. Each of these volcanoes is found in different geographical locations and have different eruptions. Along with different types of volcanoes, there are also different types of eruptions. The five eruption types are: Pelean, Vulcanian, Strombolian, Hawaiian, and Icelandic. These volcanoes have different levels of explosiveness, and their eruptions occur due to their geographic location. A volcanic hazard is destructive natural process that has a probability of reoccurring. Losses from volcanoes include: people's lives, property, livestock, and the productive capacity of the area. The factors of predicting volcanic activity are: the longer a volcano is inactive, the greater the chances are for it to become active; eruptive behavior may change with time; and some hazards are indirectly related to an eruption, making it difficult to forecast. Being informed of volcanoes in your area and knowing cautionary steps can save your life. What Comes out of Volcanoes? Volcanoes are dark windows to the interior of the Earth (Decker 104). Volcanic products are our only direct samples of the Earth's composition from deeper levels. Most people think that lava flows are the only products spewed from volcanoes, but actually volcanic ash and larger solid fragments, called cinders and blocks, form the major products of observed volcanic eruptions (Decker 104). The three components that erupt from a volcano are: lava ash, and bombs. The volcanic debris that lumps together all the sizes of solid fragments is called pyroclastics (See Figure 1). Pyroclastics come from three sources: magma that is cooled and broken into fragments by expanding gases at the moment of eruption; fragments of old crater walls which are ripped loose in explosive eruptions; and clots of liquid lava thrown into the air which cool during their flight. Pyroclastic rocks are set apart by the general size of fragments. Volcanic dust is fine; volcanic ash is gritty, with particles up to th e size of rice; cinders include pieces as big as Ping-Pong balls; and blocks cover all other fragments up to the size of a house. Volcanic bombs are block-sized clots of liquid lava thrown from erupting vents. Pyroclastic rocks can

Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II

Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II Battle of Guadalcanal Conflict Date The Battle of Guadalcanal began on August 7, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945). Armies Commanders Allies Major General Alexander Vandergrift Major General Alexander Patchup to 60,000 men Japanese Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake General Hitoshi Imamura rising to 36,200 men Operation Watchtower In the months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Allied forces suffered a string of reverses as Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines were lost and the Japanese swept through the Pacific. Following the propaganda victory of the Doolittle Raid, the Allies succeeded in checking the advance of the Japanese at the Battle of the Coral Sea. The following month they won a decisive victory at the  Battle of Midway which saw four Japanese carriers sunk in exchange for USS Yorktown (CV-5). Capitalizing on this triumph, the Allies began to move to the offensive in the summer of 1942. Conceived by Admiral Ernest King, Commander-in-Chief, US Fleet, Operation Watchtower called for Allied troops to land in the Solomon Islands at Tulagi, Gavutu–Tanambogo, and Guadalcanal. Such an operation would protect the Allied lines of communication to Australia and allow for the capture of a Japanese airfield then under construction at Lunga Point, Guadalcanal. To oversee the operation, the South Pacific Area was created with Vice Admiral Robert Ghormley in command and reporting to Admiral Chester Nimitz at Pearl Harbor. The ground forces for the invasion would be under the leadership of Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift, with his 1st Marine Division forming the bulk of the 16,000 troops involved. In preparation for the operation, Vandegrifts men were shifted from the United States to New Zealand and forward bases were established or reinforced in the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. Assembling near Fiji on July 26, the Watchtower force consisted of 75 ships led by Vice Admiral Frank J. Fletcher with Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner overseeing the amphibious forces. Going Ashore Approaching the area in poor weather, the Allied fleet remained undetected by the Japanese. On August 7, the landings began with 3,000 Marines assaulting the seaplane bases at Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo. Centered on Lieutenant Colonel Merritt A. Edsons 1st Marine Raider Battalion and the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, the Tulagi force was compelled to disembark approximately 100 yards from the beach due to submerged coral reefs.   Wading ashore against no resistance, the Marines began securing the island and engaged enemy forces led by Captain Shigetoshi Miyazaki. Though Japanese resistance was fierce on both Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo, the islands were secured on August 8 and 9 respectively. The situation on Guadalcanal was different as Vandegrift landed with 11,000 men against minimal opposition. Pushing forward the next day, they advanced to the Lunga River, secured the airfield, and drove off the Japanese construction troops that were in the area. The Japanese retreated west to the Matanikau River. In their haste to retreat, they left behind large quantities of food and construction equipment. At sea, Fletchers carrier aircraft incurred losses as they battled Japanese land-based aircraft from Rabaul. These attacks also resulted in the sinking of a transport, USS George F. Elliott, and a destroyer, USS Jarvis. Concerned about aircraft losses and his ships fuel supplies, he withdrew from the area on the evening of August 8. That evening, Allied naval forces suffered a severe defeat at the nearby Battle of Savo Island. Caught by surprise,  Rear Admiral Victor Crutchley screening force lost four heavy cruisers. Unaware that Fletcher was withdrawing, the Japanese commander, Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa, departed the area after the victory fearing air attack once the sun rose   His air cover gone, Turner withdrew on August 9 despite the fact that not all of the troops and supplies had been landed (Map). The Battle Begins Ashore, Vandegrifts men worked to form a loose perimeter and completed the airfield on August 18. Dubbed Henderson Field in memory of Marine aviator Lofton Henderson who had been killed at Midway, it began receiving aircraft two days later. Critical to the islands defense, the aircraft at Henderson became known as the Cactus Air Force (CAF) in reference to Guadalcanals code name. Short on supplies, the Marines initially possessed about two weeks worth of food when Turner departed. Their situation was further worsened by the onset of dysentery and a variety of tropical diseases. During this time, the Marines began patrolling against the Japanese in the Matanikau Valley with mixed results. In response to the Allied landings, Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake, commander of the 17th Army at Rabaul, began shifting troops to the island. The first of these, under Colonel Kiyonao Ichiki, landed at Taivu Point on August 19. Advancing west, they attacked the Marines early on August 21 and were repulsed with heavy losses at the Battle of the Tenaru. The Japanese directed additional reinforcements to the area which resulted in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. Though the battle was a draw, it forced Rear Admiral Raizo Tanakas reinforcement convoy to turn back. As the CAF controlled the skies around the island during daylight hours, the Japanese were compelled to deliver supplies and troops to the island using destroyers. Holding Guadalcanal Fast enough to reach the island, unload, and escape before dawn, the destroyer supply line was dubbed the Tokyo Express. Though effective, this method precluded the delivery of heavy equipment and weapons. His troops suffering from tropical diseases and food shortages, Vandegrift was reinforced and re-supplied in late-August and early-September. Having built up sufficient strength, Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi attacked the Allied position at Lunga Ridge, south of Henderson Field, on September 12. In two nights of brutal fighting, the Marines held, forcing the Japanese to retreat. On September 18, Vandegrift was further reinforced, though the carrier USS Wasp was sunk covering the convoy. An American thrust against the Matanikau was checked late in the month, but actions in early October inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese and delayed their next offensive against the Lunga perimeter. With the struggle raging, Ghormley was convinced to dispatch US Army troops to aid Vandegrift. This coincided with a large Express run scheduled for October 10/11. On that evening, the two forces collided and Rear Admiral Norman Scott won a victory at the Battle of Cape Esperance. Not to be deterred, the Japanese sent a large convoy towards the island on October 13. To provide cover, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto dispatched two battleships to bombard Henderson Field. Arriving after midnight on October 14, they succeeded in destroying 48 of CAFs 90 aircraft. Replacements were quickly flown to the island and CAF began attacks on the convoy that day but to no effect. Reaching Tassafaronga on the islands western shore, the convoy began unloading the next day. Returning, CAF aircraft were more successful, destroying three cargo ships. Despite their efforts, 4,500 Japanese troops landed. The Battle Grinds On Reinforced, Hyakutake had around 20,000 men on Guadalcanal. He believed Allied strength to be around 10,000 (it was actually 23,000) and moved forward with another offensive. Moving east, his men assaulted the Lunga Perimeter for three days between October 23-26. Dubbed the Battle of Henderson Field, his attacks were thrown back with massive losses numbering 2,200-3,000 killed against less than 100 Americans. As the fighting was concluding, American naval forces now led by Vice Admiral William Bull Halsey (Ghormley was relieved on October 18) engaged the Japanese at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Though Halsey lost the carrier USS Hornet, his men inflicted severe losses on the Japanese aircrews. The fight marked the last time that either sides carriers would clash in the campaign. Exploiting the victory at Henderson Field, Vandegrift began an offensive across the Matanikau. Though initially successful, it was halted when Japanese forces were discovered to the east near Koli Point. In a series of battles around Koli in early November, American forces defeated and drove off the Japanese. As this action was underway, two companies of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson landed at Aola Bay on November 4. The next day, Carlson was ordered to move overland back to Lunga (approx. 40 miles) and engage enemy forces along the way. During the Long Patrol, his men killed around 500 Japanese. At Matanikau, Tokyo Express runs aided Hyakutake in strengthening his position and turning back American attacks on November 10 and 18. Victory at Last As a stalemate ensued on land, the Japanese made efforts to build up strength for an offensive in late November. To aid in this, Yamamoto made available eleven transports for Tanaka to transport 7,000 men to the island. This convoy would be covered by a force including two battleships which would bombard Henderson Field and destroy the CAF. Aware that the Japanese were moving troops to the island, the Allies planned a similar move. On the night of November 12/13, the Allied covering force encountered the Japanese battleships in the opening actions of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Taking off on November 14, CAF and aircraft from USS Enterprise spotted and sunk seven of Tanakas transports. Though taking heavy losses the first night, American warships turned the tide on the night of November 14/15. Tanakas remaining four transports beached themselves at Tassafaronga before dawn, but were quickly destroyed by Allied aircraft. The failure to reinforce the island led to the abandonment of the November offensive. On November 26, Lieutenant General Hitoshi Imamura took command of the newly created Eighth Area Army at Rabaul which included Hyakutakes command. Though he initially began planning for attacks at Lunga, the Allied offensive against Buna on New Guinea led to a shift in priorities as it presented a greater threat to Rabaul. As result, offensive operations on Guadalcanal were suspended. Though the Japanese won a naval victory at Tassafaronga on November 30, the supply situation on the island was becoming desperate. On December 12, the Imperial Japanese Navy recommended that the island be abandoned. The army concurred and on December 31 the Emperor endorsed the decision. As the Japanese planned their withdraw, changes occurred on Guadalcanal with Vandegrift and the battle weary 1st Marine Division departing and Major General Alexander Patchs XIV Corps taking over. On December 18, Patch began an offensive against Mount Austen. This stalled on January 4, 1943 due to strong enemy defenses. The attack was renewed on January 10 with troops also striking ridges known as the Seahorse and the Galloping Horse. By January 23, all objectives had been secured. As this fight was concluding, the Japanese had begun their evacuation which was dubbed Operation Ke. Unsure of Japanese intentions, Halsey sent Patch reinforcements which led to the naval Battle of Rennell Island on January 29/30. Concerned about a Japanese offensive, Patch did not aggressively pursue the retreating enemy. By February 7, Operation Ke was complete with 10,652 Japanese soldiers having left the island. Realizing the enemy had departed, Patch declared the island secured on February 9. Aftermath During the campaign to take Guadalcanal, the Allied losses numbered around 7,100 men, 29 ships, and 615 aircraft. Japanese casualties were approximately 31,000 killed, 1,000 captured, 38 ships, and 683-880 aircraft. With the victory at Guadalcanal, the strategic initiative passed to the Allies for the remainder of the war. The island was subsequently developed into a major base for supporting future Allied offensives. Having exhausted themselves in the campaign for the island, the Japanese had weakened themselves elsewhere which contributed to the successful conclusion of Allied campaigns on New Guinea. The first sustained Allied campaign in the Pacific, it provided a psychological boost for the troops as well as led to the development of combat and logistical systems that would be used in the Allies march across the Pacific. With the island secured, operations continued on New Guinea and the Allies began their island hopping campaign towards Japan.

Art in Iraqi secondary schools Literature review

Art in Iraqi secondary schools - Literature review Example Along with learning arts, they also use arts to strengthen the understanding of other subjects. The advantage of this integration is that children will not have to join extra classes and give additional fees to accomplish their passion. However, many children do not even get the opportunity to learn what interest them because their parents do not have resources to get them into arts classes. Despite the huge importance and recognition of arts globally, there exist many countries, which do not want the teaching of this subject in their secondary schools (Alias, Gray & Black, 2002, pp. 165-175). Neither have they wanted the children to learn in interdisciplinary ways. Iraq is one of those countries, which in spite of knowing the value of this subject, has removed the subject of arts from its schools. The schools in developing countries, mostly of Asia, even if have arts as subject, they are not able to deliver the true essence of arts to the students. The primary reasons behind this sc enario is that teachers give arts education in theory in the primary classes and in secondary classes this education is given through elective subjects. Teachers in many schools of developing countries do not have enough knowledge of what they are teaching, if a person does not have enough knowledge, one cannot expect him to teach that subject in different ways. This happens in the schools, which do not have enough funds to hire well-educated and skilled teachers. With the limited amount of money, they can only hire teachers who have a little knowledge about the subject. This might be one of the reasons that Iraqi schools do not have arts as essential model. Lack of resources is one of the important issues that hinder the provision of arts education in developing countries. Nevertheless, this is not the only reason, mostly in Asian countries, schools use western modules of arts however, western and eastern cultures are greatly different from each other (Cacchione, Mohring & Bertin, 2012, pp.1-10). An art is something that one learns from everyday life environment. Therefore, every country should design arts module according to its own culture so that children can easily observe, express and envisage the concepts that they learn. In many countries like New Zealand, arts in the curriculum carry the equal credit as other subjects like mathematics and science. Schools implement this to meet the needs of students, as students of this era do not want to limit their learning to the theory however; they want practical examples of everything they learn. Arts enable them to practically examine every phenomenon. There are mainly four key learning areas of arts i.e. creative, perceptual and cognitive skills; Aesthetic skills; communication and expression skills; and lastly understanding of one’s culture and values. For provision of quality arts education, schools should indulge few factors in the module of arts. Firstly, relevance between subject material and oneâ €™s environment and cultural background is important for the children. As discussed above, today children need practical examples to learn in a better way (Carroll, 2011, pp. 9-25). If teachers educate students about something that they can never encounter, the learning of that subject would not be fruitful for the students. Integration of arts in the module would induce teachers to design the