Types of volcanic eruptions

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"Eruption" redirects here. For other uses, see Eruption (disambiguation).
"Volcanic eruption" and "Volcanic eruptions" redirect here. For the short story,
see Volcanic Eruption. For the film company, see Volcanic Eruptions.

Some of the eruptive structures formed during volcanic activity (counterclockwise): a Plinian eruption
column, Hawaiian pahoehoe flows, and a lava arc from a Strombolian eruption.

Several types of volcanic eruptions—during which lava, tephra (ash, lapilli, volcanic

bombs and volcanic blocks), and assorted gases are expelled from a volcanic
vent or fissure—have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often named
after famous volcanoes where that type of behavior has been observed. Some
volcanoes may exhibit only one characteristic type of eruption during a period of activity,
while others may display an entire sequence of types all in one eruptive series.
There are three different types of eruptions. The most well-observed are magmatic
eruptions, which involve the decompression of gas within magma that propels it
forward. Phreatomagmatic eruptions are another type of volcanic eruption, driven by the
compression of gas within magma, the direct opposite of the process powering
magmatic activity. The third eruptive type is the phreatic eruption, which is driven by
the superheating of steam via contact with magma; these eruptive types often exhibit no
magmatic release, instead causing the granulation of existing rock.
Within these wide-defining eruptive types are several subtypes. The weakest
are Hawaiian and submarine, then Strombolian, followed by Vulcanian and Surtseyan.
The stronger eruptive types are Pelean eruptions, followed by Plinian eruptions; the
strongest eruptions are called "Ultra-Plinian." Subglacial and phreatic eruptions are
defined by their eruptive mechanism, and vary in strength. An important measure of
eruptive strength is Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), an order of magnitude scale
ranging from 0 to 8 that often correlates to eruptive types.