Weathering of volcanic ash releases nutrients that contribute to fertile soils for agriculture, such as these fields at the foot of Kaimon volcano in southern Kyushu. Because of this, population density is often high near volcanoes and results in communities developing in increasingly hazardous areas. Volcanic soils support crops such as rice fields in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Japan, sugar cane in Hawaii and Central America, and vineyards in Italy.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1988 (Smithsonian Institution).

This image is made available under the Public Domain Dedication CC0 license, but proper attribution is appreciated.

Galleries: Human Impacts

Keywords: agriculture

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