Volcanoes

Chapter 6
 Eruptions
• Volcano – (#34) opening in Earth’s surface
which allows gas & magma to escape
– Magma: (#35) molten rock underground
– Lava: (#36) molten rock at Earth’s surface
• Two types
– Non-explosive
• calm flows of lava such as Mt. Kiluea or sea floor spreading
• most common
• happen over long periods, all the time
– Explosive
• clouds of hot ash, debris, and gas shoot out
• rarer
• sudden and destructive
Volcano Parts
 Magma
• Explosiveness of eruption depends on:
– water
– silica in magma
– gases
• Water and CO2 remain dissolved in magma until
pressure released
– Like a can of soda exploding when top opened
• Magma with high silica content very stiff and can
plug vent opening
– Builds pressure by preventing water and other gases
from escaping
 Eruption Materials

• Lava (non explosive) – liquid rock

– Aa or blocky: high viscosity, stiff, slow moving, brittle, jagged or blocks
– Pahoehoe or pillow lava: low viscosity, more fluid, faster moving, smooth
 More Eruption Materials
• Pyroclastic material
(explosive) –
magma hardens in
the air or shatters
existing rock
– volcanic bombs
– volcanic blocks
– lapilli
– volcanic ash
• Pyroclastic flows
(#37)
– hot ash, dust, and
gases ejected and
flow rapidly downhill
 Effects
• Deaths by blast or pyroclastic flows
• Ecologically damage
• Climate change
– ash in upper atmosphere
– blocks sunlight
– Mt. Tambora in Indonesia in 1815
• 12,000 direct deaths
• 80,000 deaths from hunger and disease
• Food shortages in Europe and N. America next year due to
reduced sunlight and temperature
• Global temperatures dropped .5 degrees C
 Types
• Shield
– (#39) Repeated lava flows build up over time from non-explosive
eruptions
– Gently sloping over wide area
– Mauna Kea in Hawaii
• Cinder cone
– (#40) Pyroclastic material builds up from moderately explosive eruptions
– Steep slopes of cinder cones
– Not very stable, sometimes on sides of other volcanoes
– Paricutin in Mexico
• Composite (aka stratovolcano)
– Most common type
– (#41) Alternating flows of lava and pyroclastic material build up
– Broad bases that get steeper towards top
– Mt Fuji in Japan, Mt Hood, Mt Ranier, Mt St Helens, Mt Shasta
 Other Volcanic Landforms
• Craters
• Calderas (#38)
• Lava plateaus
 Locations
• Divergent boundary – mid ocean ridges
– most volcanic activity on Earth
• Convergent boundary – subduction zones
– descending oceanic crust
– melting rock less dense and rises up
– 80% of all land volcanoes at convergent
• Hot spots
– mantle plumes far from plate boundaries
– Hawaiian islands
– Yellowstone