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USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington
"Living With Volcanoes"

The Plus Side of Volcanoes -
Industrial Products


Image, Medicine Lake, California
Medicine Lake, California



People use volcanic products as building or road-building materials, as abrasive and cleaning agents, and as raw materials for many chemical and industrial uses. Most of the metallic minerals mined in the world, such as copper, gold, silver, lead, and zinc, are associated with magmas found deep within the roots of extinct volcanoes located above subduction zones. -- Excerpts from: Robert I. Tilling, 1985, Volcanoes: USGS General Interest Publication; and Kious and Tilling, 1996, This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics: USGS General Interest Publication


Auckland's (New Zealand) volcanoes are of special significance to the region. In the recent past, several of the volcanoes have been quarried for basalt and scoria, which has been used in the construction of the airport, buildings, pathways and roads. As a result, some of the landforms have either completely disappeared or are not easily recognizable (e.g. Ericsson Stadium). Some volcanoes are still being quarried; for example the Winstone Quarry at Mount Wellington still extracts basalt from one of the main lava flows. -- Excerpt from: The Volcanoes of Auckland Website, June 2001


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06/06/01, Lyn Topinka