UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA

GY 111: Physical Geology

The eruption of Mount Tavurvur volcano
August 29th, 2014. Captured by Phil
McNamara.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUR
EX8aFbMs

Instructor: Dr. Douglas W. Haywick

By Taro Taylor (originally posted to Flickr as Tarvurvur)

Last Time
1. Review of where volcanoes occur
2. Properties of magma/lava (viscosity)
3. Basic types of volcanoes

Where Volcanoes Occur

2) Convergent P. B.

3) Hot Spots.

1) Divergent P. B.

Divergent Plate
Boundaries

Rapid rise of
magma to surface
because of multiple
fractures and faults
(low resistance)

Magma (molten rock inside

the Earth) rises upwards
along fractures and fault as
plutons (inverted tear dropshaped blebs 100s to
1000s of m in diameter).
Why?.... Buoyancy. Hot
magma is less dense than
cool country rock

Convergent Plate
Boundaries

Subduction

35
km

Plutons rise at convergent plate

boundaries too.
but they have to burn their way up.
This is not an easy trip to the surface.

Hot Spots

Properties of Magma/Lava
1.
2.

3.

Magma derived from just below the lithosphere (e.g., 100

km down) is hot (2000 C) and very fluid (low viscosity)
Lava erupted at divergent plate boundaries and oceanic
hotspots has made it to the surface of the Earth quickly and
is still hot (up to 1800 C) and fluid (low viscosity).
Lava erupted at convergent plate boundaries and
continental hotspots has made it to the surface of the Earth
very slowly. It is cooler (as low as 800 C) and very
contaminated by country rock and water (high viscosity)

Types of Volcanoes

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Imgs/Jpg/Photoglossary/30424305-084_large.JPG

Cinder cone in Hawaii

http://www.discoverourearth.org/student/volcanoes/images/shield_volcanoes_big.jpg

Shield Volcanoes (Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, HI)

Composite Volcanoes
in Japan (Mt. Fuji)

Minor eruption

Plinian eruption

Pyroclastic flows

Petal to the metal or else!

Air fall deposits (volcanic ash)

Shield volcanoes
produce annoying
eruptions (but
generally not
disastrous)

Todays Agenda
1. Volcanic Landforms
2. Volcanic eruptions (case studies)
3. Measurements of activity
Web notes 7

Cross-section of an
Active Composite
Volcano

Chalk board time

Landforms of Extinct
Volcanoes

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/GRAPHIC0/ROCKMIN/Ig-Rocks/CALDERA.GIF

Calderas: Can form via

collapse (boring) or
explosion (exciting).
When filled with water they
are called crater lakes.

Volcanic Islands
(Island Arcs)

Island Arcs: chains of composite volcanic islands that pop up on

the overriding plate along an oceanic-oceanic plate boundary

Volcanic Islands
(Island Arcs)

Island Arcs: chains of composite volcanic islands that pop up on

the overriding plate along an oceanic-oceanic plate boundary

Volcanic Eruptions (Rocks)

Shield Volcanoes, fissure eruptions, oceanic hot spots: all
produce low viscosity lava flows that when cooled, form rocks
like basalt

Volcanic Eruptions (Rocks)

Shield Volcanoes, fissure eruptions, oceanic hot spots: The lava
flows come in two main flavors

Pahoehoe (AKA ropey)

Aa (AKA jagged)

Volcanic Eruptions (Rocks)

Composite Volcanoes and continental hot spots: produce high
viscosity lava flows that might flow and form rocks like
rhyolite

Volcanic Eruptions (Rocks)

Composite Volcanoes and continental hot spots: produce high
viscosity lava flows that might flow and form rocks like
rhyolite or blow-up and form pyroclastic deposits like
volcanic ash

Volcanic Eruptions (Rocks)

Composite Volcanoes and continental hot spots: are dangerous

Mt. Pinatubo

David H. Harlow/U.S.Geological Survey

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

1) Kilauea, Hawaii

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

2) Mt Nyiragongo, Africa

http://www.gomafilmproject.org/images/nyiragongopretty.gif

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

3) Lake Nyos, Africa

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

3) Lake Nyos, Africa

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

3) Lake Nyos, Africa

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

3) Lake Nyos, Africa

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

4) Mt Pele, Martinique

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

4) Mt Pele, Martinique

Nue Ardent

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

4) Mt Pele, Martinique

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

5) Mt Unzen Japan

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

5) Mt Unzen Japan

Lahar

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

6) Mt Krakatoa

today

Lahar

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

6) Mt Krakatoa

http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsu1883Krakatau15daysBefore.jpg

1883

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

6) Mt Krakatoa

1883 (7 weeks later)

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

6) Mt Krakatoa
Tsunami

15 meter (45 feet!)

Travel Times (minutes)

Tsunami height (metres)

http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami1883Krakatau.html

Volcanic Eruptions (Case Studies)

6) Mt Krakatoa

Anak Krakatoa

Today (kind of)

Volcanic Activity
Three states of activity are recognized:

Volcanic Activity
Three states of activity are recognized:
1) Active - the volcano is either erupting now, or there is a
historical record of it erupting in the past (e.g., Mt. Vesuvius
in Italy)

Volcanic Activity
Three states of activity are recognized:
2) Dormant - no record of recent activity (i.e., no historical
observations), but the volcano looks fresh and may show
some signs of thermal activity (e.g., Mt. Shasta, California)

Volcanic Activity
Three states of activity are recognized:
3) Extinct: it may be a volcano, but it is badly eroded, tree
encrusted and shows no signs of thermal activity (e.g.,
Diamondhead, Oahu, Hawaii).

http://www.sternwarte.uni-erlangen.de/~ai32/hawaii/diamondhead.jpg

Volcanic Activity (recap)

Three states of activity are recognized:
1) Active - the volcano is either erupting now, or there is a
historical record of it erupting in the past
2) Dormant - no record of recent activity (i.e., no historical
observations), but the volcano looks fresh and may
show some signs of thermal activity
3) Extinct - it may be a volcano, but it is badly eroded, tree
encrusted and shows no signs of thermal activity

Todays Homework
1. Come up with a plan for world peace
2. Baton Rouge school relief opportunity

Next Time
1. Quiz 4: definitions
2. Bowens Reaction series and the
crystallization of magma

GY 111: Physical Geology

Lecture 7: Volcanic Landforms, Features and
Case Studies
Instructor: Dr. Doug Haywick
dhaywick@southalabama.edu

This is a free open access lecture, but not for commercial purposes.
For personal use only.