LOCATION OF

VOLCANOES
PLATE TECTONICS & TECTONIC PLATES
• Plate tectonics is a theory about the large scale
motions of Earth's lithosphere.
• Tectonic plates are pieces of the Earth's crust and
uppermost mantle, together referred to as the
lithosphere.
 DIVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARIES
• Divergent boundaries occur when two plates
separate from each other and it causes the crust to
make an opening and from that opening lies the
materials of volcano mainly the magma.
CONVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARIES
• occur when two plates collide mainly continental
and oceanic crust. The oceanic crust submerges
because it is denser than the continental crust. As
the oceanic crust sinks, it creates massive friction
between them releasing enough energy to melt
and form volcanoes
 HOTS SPOTS
• Hots spots are constant and stationary source of
heat beneath the earth’s surface. As stated in plate
tectonic theory the sections of the earth’s crust is
constantly moving it pounches through creating a
chain of islands under sea mountains and that is
why Hawaii has a chain of islands or volcanoes.
 PACIFIC RING OF FIRE
• The Ring of Fire is a ring of volcanoes around the
Pacific Ocean that result from subduction of
oceanic plates beneath lighter continental plates.
• Pacific ring of fire mainly causes earthquakes and
volcanic activity. It extends from south America to
new Zealand about 25000 miles long. About 75%
active volcanoes on earth in the pacific ring of fire
and 90% of earthquakes occur on the ring by sliding
of tectonic plates.
TYPES OF VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS
TWO FACTORS TO DETERMINE THE TYPE OF

ERUPTIONS
• Amount of water vapor & other gases in the
magma
• The chemical composition of the magma.
 EXPLOSIVE ERUPTIONS
• Trapped gases under high pressure will violently
explode when the magma reches the lower
pressure of the surface.
• The high water content of the magma produces
more water vapor which when mixed with granitic
magma produces explosive eruptions
MOUNT PINATUBO
 QUITE ERUPTIONS
• Low pressure of gas
• Has basaltic magma (is more fluid and will flow
instead of exploding)
• And has low water content
MAUNA LOA (HAWAII)