VOLCANOES
What is a volcano?
•A volcano is a natural opening in
the earth’s surface where molten
rocks, smoke, gases and ashes
are ejected. A volcano usually
has a summit, a slope and base.
How are volcanoes formed?
There are two main processes.
• Volcanoes are made when two tectonic plates
come together. When these two plates meet, one
of them (usually the oceanic plate) goes under
the continental plate. This is the process of
subduction. Afterwards, it melts and makes
magma (inside the magma chamber), and the
pressure builds up until the magma bursts
through the Earth's crust.
• The second way is when a tectonic plate moves
over a hot spot in the Earth's crust. The hot spot
works its way through the crust until it breaks
through. The caldera of Yellowstone Park was
formed in that way; so were the Hawaiian Islands.
• Most volcanoes have a
volcanic crater at the top.
When they are active,
materials pour out of it.
This includes lava, steam,
gaseous compounds of
sulfur, ash and broken rock
pieces.
• Volcanoes erupt when
magma and pressure come
together, and the pressure
blows off the top of the
solid rock, and the magma
pours out.
Types of Volcanoes
• Shield volcanoes are built out of
layers of lava from continual
eruptions (without explosions).
Because the lava is so fluid, it
spreads out, often over a wide
area. Shield volcanoes do not
grow to a great height, and the
layers of lava spread out to give
the volcano gently sloping sides.
Shield volcanoes can produce
huge areas of basalt, which is
usually what lava is when cooled.
MT. MAUNA KEA, HAWAII
Even though their sides are not very
steep, shield volcanoes can be huge.
Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the biggest
mountain on Earth. If it is measured
from its base on the floor of the sea,
Mauna Kea is even taller than Mount
Everest, the tallest mountain on land.
STRATOVOLCANOES
• A stratovolcano, also
known as a composite
volcano, is a tall, conical
volcano. It is built up of
many layers of hardened
lava, tephra, pumice, and
volcanic ash. This is nearly
perfect sloped structure
formed from the
alternate solidification of
both lava and pyroclastic
deposit.
Unlike shield volcanoes,
stratovolcanoes have a steep profile
and periodic eruptions. The lava that
flows from stratovolcanoes cools and
hardens before spreading far. It is
sticky, that is, it has high viscosity.
MT. FUJI, JAPAN
CINDERCONE VOLCANOES
This is built from
ejected lava
fragments .They
have steep slope,
wide crater and
most abundant of
the three
volcanoes.
MT. PARICUTIN, JAPAN
Lava domes are formed when
erupting lava is too thick to flow and
makes a steep-sided mound as the
lava piles up near the volcanic vent.
CALDERA
• A caldera is what is left when a huge stratovolcano
blows its top off. It leaves a crater where the top of
the volcano was before. Krakatoa, best known for its
catastrophic eruption in 1883, is much smaller now.
MT. KRAKATOA, HAWAII
Classification of Volcanoes
A traditional way to classify or identify
volcanoes is by its pattern of
eruptions. Those volcanoes which
may erupt again at any time are called
active. Those that are now quiet
called dormant (inactive). Those
volcanos which have not erupted in
historical times are called extinct.
ACTIVE VOLCANOES
•An active volcano is currently erupting, or
it has erupted in the last 10,000 years. An
example of an active volcano is Mount St.
Helens in the United States (US).
Examples of Active
Volcanoes found in
the Philippines
MT. TAAL, BATANGAS
MT. BULUSAN, SORSOGON
MT. MAYON, ALBAY
MT. BABUYAN CLARO, BABUYAN ISLAND
MT. PINATUBO, ZAMBALES
MT. BANAHAW, QUEZON
MT. HIBOK-HIBOK, CAMIGUIN
DORMANT VOLCANOES
•A dormant/inactive volcano is
"sleeping," but it could awaken in the
future.
MT. APO, DAVAO
MT. ARAYAT, PAMAPANGA
EXTINCT VOLCANOES
•An extinct volcano has not erupted
in the past 10,000 years.
SUMMIT
SLOPE
BASE
P V
A O
R L
T C
S A
N
O O
F
Magma - Molten rock beneath Earth's
surface.
Parasitic Cone - A small cone-shaped
volcano formed by an accumulation of
volcanic debris.
Sill - A flat piece of rock formed when
magma hardens in a crack in a volcano.
Vent - An opening in Earth's surface
through which volcanic materials escape.
Flank - The side of a volcano.
Lava - Molten rock that erupts from a
volcano that solidifies as it cools.
Crater - Mouth of a volcano - surrounds a
volcanic vent.
Conduit - An underground passage
magma travels through.
Summit - Highest point; apex
Throat - Entrance of a volcano. The part
of the conduit that ejects lava and
volcanic ash.
Ash - Fragments of lava or rock smaller
than 2 mm in size that are blasted into
the air by volcanic explosions.
Ash Cloud - A cloud of ash formed by
volcanic explosion
What determines the nature
of eruption?
There are many primary factors
affecting the volcanoes eruptive style:
• the magma’s temperature, its
chemical composition, the amount
of dissolved gases it contains.
•These factors can affect the magma’s
viscosity in different way.
VISCOSITY
•VISCOSITY is the property of the
material’s resistance to flow. It is
also described as the liquid’s
thickness and stickiness. The
more viscous and thicker the
material is, the greater is its
resistance to flow.
Effect of Magma’s
Temperature to Viscosity
•The viscosity of the magma
decreases with temperature. The
higher the temperature of magma
is, the lower is its viscosity. As
lava flows, it cools and begins to
harden, its ability to flow
decreases and eventually stops.
Effect of Magma’s Composition
to Viscosity
•Magma’s with high silica
content are more viscous than
those with low silica content .
The magma that contains less
silica is relatively fluid and
travels far before solidifying.
Effect of the Amount of Gases
Contained in Magma to Viscosity
•Gas (mainly water vapor) dissolved
in magma tends to increase its
ability to flow. Therefore, in near-
surface environments, the loss of
gases makes magma more viscous a
dome or a columnar.
Lava with low amount of
gas as it rises has high
viscosity that piles up at a
vent resulting into a dome.
Lava with less silica content
is too viscous to travel far,
and tends to break up as it
flows
Lava with less silica
content has less silica
content has low viscosity
that it can travel a great
distance, fow=rming a thin
sheet
Volcanic Eruption
• Eruption of Mayon Volcano last 2006 in Albay, Philippines
[Link]
• Eruption of Mt. Kilauea in Hawaii, USA
[Link]
Types of Volcanic Eruption
PHREARIC OR
HYDROTHERMAL
- is a stream-driven
eruption, as the hot rocks
come in contact with
water. It is short lived
characterized by ash
columns but may be an
onset for a larger eruption.
Example is Taal volcano
eruption in Batangas.
Types of Volcanic Eruption
• PHREATOMAGMATIC
- is a violent eruption due to
the contact between water
and magma. As a result, a
large column of very fine
ash, high speed and side-
way emission of phyroclatics
called based surges are
observed. Example is the
eruption of Mt. Fukutoku-
Okanoba in Bonin Islands,
Japan.
Types of Volcanic Eruption
• STROMBOLIAN
- a periodic weak to
violent eruption
characterized by
fountain lava.
Example is Mt.
Irazu Eruption in
Costa Rica
Types of Volcanic Eruption
• VULCANIAN
- characterized by
tall eruption
coulmns that reach
up to 20 km high
with pyroclastic flow
and ash fall tephra.
Example is Mt.
Paricutin in Mexico.
Types of Volcanic Eruption
•PLINIAN
- excessively
explosive type of
eruption of gas
and pyroclastics.
Example is Mt.
Pinatubo in
Zambales.
Suggested Videos
• Naked Science: Volcanoes (it provides discussion about the formation
of new volcanoes in Yellowstone National Park, USA)
[Link]
• BBC: Iceland Volcanoes Erupts (it shows eruption of Iceland
volcanoes, its effects and how people in Iceland adapts and survive
along the volcanic areas)
[Link]
