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Volcanic

Regions

VOLCANIC REGIONS

Recall mid ocean ridges

What happens as oceanic crust spreads?

GSC 350
Fall 2013

VOLCANIC REGIONS

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Fall 2013

Mid ocean ridges


Plates are moving apart
Creating

area of low pressure which brings up


higher pressured material

Magma is generally representative of mantle


Why?

Recall pillow basalt- lava that solidifies under


water and has a pillow-like appearance.

VOLCANIC REGIONS

GSC 350
Fall 2013

Recall subduction zones

What happens as the oceanic crust moves into


the mantle?

VOLCANIC REGIONS

Subduction zones

Oceanic crust contains basalt, eroded


sediments, and fluids.

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Fall 2013

Heats

up at ~100km depth, fluids boil off and rise


through the mantle and overriding crust.

Subduction magmas contain recycled material


and water (the content which determines
volcanic activity)

VOLCANIC REGIONS

Hotspots-

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Fall 2013

VOLCANIC REGIONS

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Fall 2013

Hotspots

Rising mantle plume of super heated mantle


material
Generally very pure magmas representative of
mantle material (although can pick up fluids
and continental material)
Consider Yellowstone (midcontinent) and
Hawaii (mid ocean)

VOLCANIC REGIONS

GSC 350
Fall 2013

VOLCANIC REGIONS

Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain

- Increases in age
to the Northwest
- Increases in
water depth
The plate is moving
over the hotspot

GSC 350
Fall 2013

VOLCANIC REGIONS

Volcano forming regions

GSC 350
Fall 2013

VOLCANIC REGIONS

GSC 350
Fall 2013

Next time Volcanoes and how natural disasters


affect us

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