Volcanoes

Vulcan - roman god of fire

 Magma

l Magma is molten rock

» may contain mineral grains and dissolved gas
l Volcanoes - where magma reaches the surface
» lava is flowing, extruded magma
» Ash- frozen magma
l Magma characterized by:
» Composition
» Temperature - 800-1200 º C
» Ability to flow-viscosity
 Processes That Form Magma in-
class exercise

l Name three variable that can cause

solid to melt.
l How might one of these variables change at
different types of plate boundaries?
 Processes that form magmas

l Increasing temperature
» When a solid becomes hot enough it melts
l Decreasing pressure
» Most solids take up less space than their melt.
» High pressure in mantle prevents melting.
» If pressure decreases, rock melts.
l Addition of water
» A wet rock melts at a lower Temp than a dry rock
Processes that form magma
and rock
Figure 7-2
 Environments of Magma
Formation
Fig. 7-4
l Spreading
Centers
» What causes the
melting?
 Environments of Magma
Formation

l Spreading Centers
» 1) Convection causes asthenosphere to rise
» 2) Plates rift apart because of the rise
» 3) As the asthenosphere rises, pressure drops and it
melts.
» 4) Melt is lower density than surrounding rock so it
rises.
– Most spreading centers are at mid-ocean ridges.
– Nearly all the oceanic crust is produced this way.
 Environments of Magma
Formation
Fig. 7-7
l Subduction zones
l What causes the
melting?
 Environments of Magma
Formation

l Subduction zones
» Water-rich (hydrated) lithosphere sinks into
the mantle and dehydrates.
» Water reduces melting temperature of the
overlying mantle, which then melts.
 Environments of Magma
Formation
l Mantle Plume
» Rising column of hot, mantle
» Melts as pressure decreases
» e.g. Hawaii, Yellowstone
 Partial Melting: The Origin of
Basalt and Granite (Section 7.2)
Basaltic magma = 50% silica
• Rocks are mixtures of (1100o C)
minerals, which melt at Forms the rock basalt
different temperatures.
• In contrast: pure H2O
melts at a fixed Melting
temperature.
• When a rock begins to
Asthenosphere
melt, the magma has a 40% Silica
different composition.
Silica melts at lower temperature!
 Partial Melting: The Origin of
Basalt and Granite (Section 7.2)
Granitic magma ~ 70% silica
• Rocks are mixtures of (700-900o C)
Forms granite (a mixture of
minerals, which melt
quartz and feldspar)
at different
temperatures.
• In contrast: pure H2O Melting
melts at a fixed
temperature. Continental Crust
(Mainly low melting
• When a rock begins to point minerals such as
melt, the magma has a quartz, feldspar, mica)
different composition.
Silica melts at lower temperature!
 Plutons (section 7.4)

l Magma that solidifies within the crust

 Batholith
l Large pluton (> 100 square km).
l Stock: Similar to Batholith with Smaller
surface area
 Batholith
l Batholiths in Western
North America
» Fig. 7-10
 Volcanoes - Types of Magma:
Composition
l Basaltic l Granitic
» Silica Poor » Silica Rich
» Low Viscosity-liquid » High Viscosity

Which is more
explosive?
~50% ~60% ~70%
 Types of Volcanoes

l Fissure Eruptions
l Shield Volcanoes
l Cinder Cones
l Composite Volcanoes or Stratovolcanoes

» (See Table 7-1)

 Types of Volcanoes
l Fissure Eruptions (Flood basalts)
» Columbia Flood Plain Basalt (Fig 7-19)
 Types of Volcanoes
l Shield Volcanoes
» Hawaii
 Types of Volcanoes
l Volcanic Domes

Fig 4.18
 Types of Volcanoes
l Cinder Cones
 Types of Volcanoes
l Composite Volcanoes or Strato-Volcanoes
» Mt. St Helens
Composite Volcano: Mt. Saint Helens
 Volcanic Hazards
l Lava Flows
l Pyroclastics
» Ash flows
l Lahars
l Toxic Gas
l Steam
 Volcanic Hazards

l Lava Flows
» 800 - 1100 (basalt) degrees C
» Flows Downhill
» Predictable
» Mostly a threat to structures (not life threatening)
» Defense: Cool and solidify the lava with water (Iceland)
 Volcanic Hazards

l Pyroclastics
» “Airborne fragments of hot rock and spattering lava”
» Erupt suddenly and explosively
» Examples:
– Mt. St. Helens, 1980 - 1 cubic km of ejecta covered several states
– Mt. Mazama Oregon (Crater Lake), 5000 B.C. - 40+ cubic km
– Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines, 1991
 Volcanic Hazards
l Ash flow or Nuee Ardente
» “Pyroclastic flow”
» Temperatures can exceed 1000 degrees C
» Move at up to 100 km / hr
» Mt. Pinatubo, 1991
» Mt Vesuvius, AD 79 - buried Pompeii
» Mt. Pelee, Martinique, 1902 -
– In three minutes 25-40 thousand people died
– No immediate warning
Pyroclastics

Mt. Pinatubo, 1991

Mt. Saint Helens - Mudflow
 Volcanic Hazards
l Gases
» Cameroon Africa, 1986
– Carbon Dioxide Cloud suffocated 1700 people
» Mt Vesuvius, AD 79
– toxic gasses killed many that were not burried
» Toxic gasses include SO2 and HCl
l Steam - Phreatic Eruption
» Krakatoa, 1883 - energy or 100 Million tons of TNT
– blasted ash 80 km into atmosphere
– 40 meter high Tsunami
– 36,000 killed in low lying areas
Caldera Example: Crater Lake Development
Fig 7-24

Caldera
Crater Lake - Caldera
Predicting Volcanic Eruptions

l Volcanic Activity
» Active - Erupted within recent history
» Dormant - Fresh looking flows
» Extinct - No historical activity
l Volcanic Precursors
» Earthquakes
» Uplift and Tilting
» Temperature and Gas
Cascades Volcanoes - Activity
 Volcanic Regions of the US
l Hawaii (hot spot)
» Damaging lava flows
» Landslides (large segments of islands can slide into ocean)
l Cascade Range - Western US (subduction)
» Explosive Eruptions - large ash cloud
» Mudslides
l The Aleutians / S. Alaska (subduction)
» Ash Eruptions damaging to aircraft, cars, atmosphere
l Mammoth Lakes, CA (subduction)
l Yellowstone (hot spot)
Mt. Saint Helens - before eruption
Mt. Saint Helens - Spirit Lake
Mt. Saint Helens - 1980
Bulge building
 Mt.
Saint
Helens
Events
Mt. Saint Helens:1980 eruption
Ash Engulfed Several States to the East
Mt. Saint Helens:
Force of Blast
Leveled this Forest
Mt. Saint Helens:
Dome Building
Deadly Eruptions
 Predicting hazards

l What factors would you use to assess

the potential volcanic hazards of an
area?