Wizard Island

Wizard Island

Wizard Island is undoubtedly a unique and interesting name for a volcano, in fact this volcano maybe better known as the island volcano in the middle of crater lake.

Wizard Island is located in the west coast of crater lake, Oregon (United States) on the North American continent, it is located relatively on top of the seduction zone between the North American plate and the Juan De Fuca, a oceanic plate causing many major earth quakes in the area. Wizard Island's has a latitude of 42.93 and a longitude of -122.15. It has a height of 233meters with a small crater that is 90meters across and 27meters deep.

Wizard Island's shape and characteristics makes it classified as a cinder cone, a type of volcano that has a bowl shaped crater at the top of mountain that may look more like a hill and is made mostly of lava not ash. A cinder cone volcano are built of lava that is "gas-charged" and shoots out clumps of lava from its vent which quickly solidifies and fractures in to many parts. Interesting characteristic of the lava is that they dont drop as liquid but as a circular or oval cone.

Other kinds of Volcanos include a shield volcano that is typically large and has slow flowing liquid lava and a composite volcano. Composit volcanoes are steep and large and have layers from past eruptions that are made of lava.

Wizard Island was created when Mt. Mazma, a ancient volcano, erupted violently approximately 7000years ago lasting months. The eruption is told to be 42 times as powerful as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and the basin which is now crater lake, the seventh deepest lake in the world and the deepest lake in the United States, was formed when the top 5000feet of Mr. Mazma collapsed. Wizard Island appears on the west coast of crater lake and was made by the lava flow from the eruption. Wizard Island, being located in the middle of Crater Lake National Park and has class 1 air quality because it is under the protection of the clear air act. While south Oregon has relatively low pollution, the surrounding environment of wizard island is very fragile and could be disrupted in many ways.

There are various other volcanic islands with the famous leading Hawaii. Hawaii's separation of islands is of many interests and is the result of a "hot spot" being located near the current Hawaii island, but the movement of the tectonic plates move the newly formed islands forever north west creating a chain of islands. Currently it is rumored that there is a new Hawaii Island being created.

. Living in Japan hot springs are of great interest as well as Mt. Fuji. Mt. Fuji is currently not considered as a threat through eruption, but if it does ashes will cover hundreds of square kilometers, will have fast lava flows and Tokyo's daily supplies such as water, electricity and transportation will be unavailable.