Volcano

Volcanoes
 How do volcanoes work?
• Heat and pressure cause rocks to melt and form magma.
• Magma needs to get out, too much pressure!!!!!!
• Rise in temperature or drop in pressure causes magma to form
faster.
 How do volcanoes work?
• Magma is forced onto
Earth’s surface.
• It dries and hardens,
this happens many
times over thousands
of years.
• Eventually a mountain
called a volcano is
formed.
 Parts of a Volcano
• Most volcanoes share a
specific set of features.

• The magma that feeds the

eruptions pools deep
underground in a structure
called a magma chamber.

• At Earth’s surface, lava is

released through openings
called vents.
• Flowing lava in the interior
travels through long, pipelike
structures known as lava
tubes.
 Where do most volcanoes occur?
• Volcanoes occur at
both divergent and
convergent
boundaries and also
at hot spots.
 Why do we have different types of
Volcanoes?
• The process of magma formation is
different at each type of plate boundary.

• Therefore, the composition of magma

differs in each tectonic setting.

• Tectonic settings determine the types of

volcanoes that form and the types of
eruptions that take place.
Volcanoes at Divergent Boundaries
• At a divergent boundary, the lithosphere becomes
thinner as two plates pull away from each other.

• A set of deep cracks form in an area called a rift zone.

• Hot mantle rock rises to fill these cracks.

• As the rock rises, a decrease in pressure causes hot
mantle rock to melt and form magma.

• The magma that reaches Earth’s surface is called lava.

Basaltic magma rises to Earth’s surface through these

fissures and erupts nonexplosively
Types of volcanoes
 Types of volcanoes
• Shield volcano: usually form at hot spots,
from non explosive eruptions
• Cinder cone volcano: form from explosive
eruptions, very steep.
• Composite volcano: form from both
explosive and non explosive eruptions.
 Shield volcano

• Form from many layers of “runny” lava.

• Very wide, not to steep.
• Biggest type of volcanoes
• Tallest mountain in the world is Mauna Kea
(measures from sea floor to top)
• non explosive eruptions
Mauna Kea, Hawaii
 Cinder cone volcano
• Smallest type of volcano
• Most common
• Made from pyroclastic material (material
shot out of a volcano)
• Form a large crater
• Explosive!
Paricutin, Mexico
 Composite volcano:
• Eruptions alternate between explosive and
non-explosive.
• Sometimes they have runny lava layers,
other times the have pyroclastic materials
form layers.
• Have a wide base and steep sides.
• Have a crater
• Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
 2 Types of eruptions
• Explosive: volcanoes
that build enough
pressure to blow its
top, sending
pyroclastic material
into the air.

• Non explosive: Build

only enough pressure
to allow lava to run
down its sides.
 Non explosive eruption
• Mafic: refers to rocks and magma rich
in iron and magnesium.
• This type of lava is very runny.
• As magma nears the surface there is
little pressure, causing gasses escape
easily.
• Magma low in Silica have quiet
eruptions
 Explosive eruptions
• Felsic: means magma with high silica and
feldspar content.
• Felsic magma traps water and gas
bubbles, which leads to lots of pressure.
• Silica acts like a cork
• Explosive eruptions are caused by a build
up of high pressure.
• Convergent zones contain lots of water,
therefore have explosive eruptions.
 Pyroclastic materials
• Material that is thrown into the air during
an explosion.
• Volcanic bombs: large blobs of magma
that harden in the air.
• Lapilli: pebble size rocks
• Volcanic ash: tiny powder like material
 Four types of lava
• Aa: lava that is thick and sharp
• Pahoehoe: lava that forms thin crust and
wrinkles
• Pillow lava: lava that erupts under water,
has a round shape
• Blocky lava: cooler, lava that does not
travel far from eruption, jagged when it
dries.
 Aa
• lava that is thick and sharp
 Pahoehoe:
• lava that forms thin
crust and wrinkles
 Pillow lava
• lava that erupts under
water, has a round
shape
 Blocky lava
• cooler, lava that does
not travel far from
eruption, jagged when
it dries.
Thank you….