Why do people live near volcanoes?
When a volcano erupts, it throws out a lot of ash. At short notice, this ash can be very harmful to the environment, but on the long term, the ash layer, which contains many useful minerals, will be converted to a very fertile soil. Nearly everywhere volcanoes are located people use the rich soil for farming. Even after an eruption, people still return because of the fertile soil. Also, volcanoes can produce very spectacular scenery like the beautiful sunsets caused by explosive eruptions. Other features include plant-rich environments, stunning eruptions, beautiful lava fountains etc. Small active volcanoes at Papua-New-Guinea, deep beneath the sea, have thrown precious metals out of the earth. The sea-bottom there contains so much gold and other metals that commercial ventures are being investigated. There, cold sea-water trickles through the rocky bottom downwards where it is being heated by magma...