A volcanic eruption is when lava and gas are released from a volcano—sometimes

explosively. The most dangerous type of eruption is called a 'glowing avalanche' which is
when freshly erupted magma flows down the sides of a volcano. They can travel quickly
and reach temperatures of up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. Other hazards include ash fall,
and lahars (mud or debris flows). Volcanoes often cause population displacement and
food shortages.
Volcanoes erupt when molten rock called magma rises to the surface.
Magma is formed when the earth's mantle melts. Melting may happen where tectonic
plates are pulling apart or where one plate is pushed down under another.
Magma is lighter than rock so rises towards the Earth's surface. As the magma rises,
bubbles of gas form inside it.
Runny magma erupts through openings or vents in the earth's crust before flowing onto
its surface as lava. If magma is thick, gas bubbles cannot easily escape and pressure builds
up as the magma rises.
When the pressure is too much an explosive eruption can happen, which can be
dangerous and destructive. Another way an eruption happens is when water underneath
the surface interacts with hot magma and creates steam, this can build up enough
pressure to cause an explosion.

Cinder cones- cinder cone, also called ash cone, deposit around a volcanic vent, formed
by pyroclastic rock fragments (formed by volcanic or igneous action), or cinders, which
accumulate and gradually build a conical hill with a bowl-shaped crater at the top. Cinder
cones develop from explosive eruptions of mafic (heavy, dark ferromagnesian) and
intermediate lavas and are often found along the flanks of shield volcanoes. The outside
of the cone is often inclined at about 30°, the angle of repose (the slope at which the loose
cinder can stand in equilibrium). Cinder cones may be only a few tens of feet high, or they
may grow to a height of several hundred meters (several thousand feet), like that of
Paricutín in Mexico. Cinder cones, also known as pyroclastic cones, are the smallest and
the simplest type of volcano. They are the world's most common volcanic landform.

Composite cones- are large volcanoes (many thousands of feet or meters tall) generally
composed of lava flows, pyroclastic deposits, and mudflow (lahar) deposits, as well as lava
domes. Composite volcanoes are active over long periods (tens to hundreds of thousands
of years), and erupt periodically. Composite cone volcanoes are also called
Stratovolcanoes. They form when different types of eruptions deposit different materials
around the sides of a volcano. Alternating eruptions of volcanic ash and lava cause layers
to form. Over time these layers build up. Composite volcanoes: steep slopes; thick, sticky
lava; lava does not flow quickly or far; erupt violently. Shield volcanoes: gentle slopes;
runny lava; lava flows quickly; lava may flow far; erupt less violently. Acidic lava, which is
very viscous (sticky).
Steep sides as the lava doesn't flow very far before it solidifies.
Alternate layers of ash and lava. For this reason, they're also known as stratovolcanoes.
Strato means layers.
Violent eruptions.
Longer periods between eruptions.
A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's
shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid lava, which travels
farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava erupted from a stratovolcano.
Shield volcanoes have the following characteristics: Basaltic magma, which is high in
temperature, very low on silica and with low gas content. This type of magma produces
fluid lava with very little explosive activity. Basic lava, which is non-acidic and very runny.
A shield volcano is built mainly out of basaltic lava of low viscosity. The lava flows out,
cools and hardens, adding to layers of cooled and hardened lava underneath it. This
process creates a gradual increase in elevation over time resulting in the formation of
shield volcanoes.
basic lava, which is non-acidic and very runny
gentle sides as the lava flows for long distances before it solidifies
no layers, as the volcano just consists of lava
less violent eruptions
shorter periods between eruptions
Lava domes may be rounded, pancake-shaped, or irregular piles of rock, depending on
the type of lava they form from. They can sometimes collapse and create pyroclastic
flows, extrude lava flows, or experience small and large explosive eruptions that may even
destroy the dome. Domes are usually made up of silicic lavas (dacite, rhyodacite, or
rhyolite) since high viscosity is necessary to form domes. Because they are made up
viscous lava, domes are usually steep-sided. They typically have rough brecciated
surfaces, and sometimes they have glassy rinds due to quenching of the hot lava once it
was erupted onto the surface.