Hand-Out for Volcanoes 1.

Shield Volcano -
Broad, gentle
slopes, built from
many low
viscosity lava
flows (basalt);
Relatively mild
eruptions
associated with
hot spots,
divergent plate
boundaries

STRUCTURE OF VOLCANOES 2. Stratovolcano

- Steeper
TYPES OF VOLCANOES slopes built
from
alternating
layers of
tephra and
medium
viscosity lava
(andesite);
Form on plates
 overriding subduction zones at convergent plate boundaries

3. Cinder Volcano - small, steep-

sided, cone-shaped volcano made of
volcanic cinders and other rock
particles. Build from a
more viscous
magma.

OTHER VOLCANIC LANDFORMS
1. Lava Plateau - Hundreds of low viscosity lava flows stack up to on top
of each otherIndividual layers of basalt 10-20 meters thick; Form from
some of the largest volcanic eruptions
2. Geyser – water heated under pressure with volcanic gases
3. Hot spring – heated groundwater rises to surface
4. Mud volcano – chemical reactions convert rock to clay
5. Fumerole – volcanic gases escape in absence of water
6. Caldera - Giant crater formed from collapse of volcano into underlying
magma chamber
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
- Escaping gases drive volcanic eruptions
o Gases are dissolved in magma (Water vapor, carbon dioxide,
sulfur dioxide)
o Pressure on magma decreases as magma rises toward surface
o Gases are released as pressure decreases
- How easily gases escape from magma is controlled by magma
viscosity
VISCOSITY
- resistance to flow
− Viscosity of materials decreases with increasing temperature
 − Viscosity varies with composition (Silica content)

Magma composition and Viscosity

- Silica is combination of oxygen and silicon that combines with other
elements (e.g., sodium, potassium) to form minerals
− Elements combine to form simple structures in minerals with less
silica = low viscosity
− Elements combine to form more complex structures in minerals
with more silica = high viscosity
- Silica content is controlled by magma source (plate tectonics)
- Silica content is controlled by partial melting of rocks at magma source
o Partial melting occurs when some minerals in a rock melt while
others remain solid
Three types of magma defined by silica content
o Minerals with lowest melting temperatures will melt first
1. Partial Melting of Asthenosphere generates Basaltic magma with Low
o Silica-rich minerals have lowest melting temperatures
Silica Content
o Partial melting generates a more silica-rich magma than the
2. Partial Melting of Mantle wedge generates Andesitic magma with
parent rock
Intermediate Silica Content

Magma Sources and Magma Composition

- Different plate settings generate magma from melting different source
rocks
 3. Partial Melting of Continental crust generates Rhyolitic magma with • Volcanic bombs and ash are found near and far from eruption
High Silica Content source, respectively
• Wind can transport fine volcanic ash for hundreds of kilometers
downwind
• Volcanic gases (water vapor, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide) may
affect climate patterns
• Sulfur dioxide may block insolation, temporarily (up to 1 year)
reducing global temperatures
• Widespread release of carbon dioxide and higher temperatures
due to faster rates of volcanic activity approximately 120-80
million years ago

Eruption Products on Land

• Low viscosity lava can flow up to 50 km from its source
− Lava transported to front of lava flows in long lava tubes
− Lava flows build up in a series of layers
• Higher viscosity lava remains within volcano crater
Volcanic Eruption and Viscosity
• Pyroclastic flow – dense cloud formed from combination of tephra and
− Gases escape easily during mild eruptions with low viscosity magma
volcanic gases
− Gases escape explosively from high viscosity magma
• Lahars – mudflows formed when volcanic debris mixes with streams or
Products of Volcanic Eruptions
melting ice. Often confined to stream channels
1. Airborne Eruption Products
• Rare lateral blasts can destroy objects up to 12 km away and knock
down trees more than 25 km distant
• Tephra represents particles blasted into air by eruption