Classification of Volcanoes

1) Active volcanoes: erupted within historical times (within the last 600 years),
accounts of these eruptions were documented by man; erupted within the last
10,000 years based on analyses of datable materials.

List of Active volcanoes

2) Potentially active volcanoes: morphologically young-looking but with no

historical records of eruption.

List of Potentially Active volcaoes

3) Inactive volcanoes: no record of eruptions; physical form is being changed by

agents of weathering and erosion via formation of deep and long gullies.

List of Inactive Actives volcanoes

Volcanic phenomena directly associated with eruption

Lava flow, dome growth
Pyroclastic flow, pyroclastic surge, lateral blast

Tephra fall - ash fall, volcanic bomb

Volcanic gas

Volcanic phenomena indirectly associated with eruption

Lahar, flooding
Debris avalanche, landslide
Tsunami, seiche
Subsidence, fissuring
Secondary/hydrothermal explosion
Secondary pyroclastic flow.

Types of hazards posed by an active volcano

LAVA FLOW
Lava flow is a higly elongated mass of molten rock materials cascading downslope
from an erupting vent. The lava flow being extruded has low silica and low water
contents.
Rate of flow: 3 km/day (slightly high viscosity) or 45 km/hour (low viscosity). Speed
and geometry of lava flows depend on local topography. Steep slopes encourage
faster and longer flows than gentle slopes or terrain
DOME GROWTH
Lava dome is a pile or mound of lava that grew on the floor of an active crater, on
the side slopes via a feeder vent that breached through the surface of the edifice, or
inside the volcanic edifice.
Types: Exodomes - lava domes that were formed on the surface of the volcanic
edifice)
Cryptodomes - lava domes that grew anywhere inside the edifice
PYROCLASTIC FLOW
Pyriclastic flow refers to hot dry masses of fragmented volcanic materials that move
along the slope and in contact with ground surface. This includes: pumice flow, ash
flow, block-and-ash flow, nuee ardente and glowing avalanche.
Mechanism...
Pyroclastic flow mechanism:

Nuee ardente is a glowing eruption cloud characterized by: extreme heat (about 500
C or higher)
1. high gas contentrapid flow down the slope of an erupting volcano enormous
amounts of ash and other fragmental volcanic materials
A nuee ardente may originate directly from an active crater or from a collapse of a
growing lava dome.
PYROCLASTIC SURGE
Pyroclastic surges are turbulent low-concentration density currents of gases, rock
debris and in some cases, water, that move above the ground surface at high
velocities.
Types: Ground surge, Ash-cloud surge, Base surge
HOT BLASTS
* Hot blasts arise when pent-up gases facilitate their way out through the
impermeable overlying materials and cause a very rapid escape into the
atmosphere. Blasts that are directed obliquely often do much damage and could
exact a high toll in human lives.
* Lateral blasts are combination of pyroclastic flows and pyroclastic surges with an
especially strong initial laterally-directed thrust. They have an initial velocity of 600
kph and slow down to about 100 kph near its margin 25 km from the volcano.
TEPHRA FALLS
Tephra falls may consist of pumice, scoria, dense lithic materials or crystals or
combination of the four.
Particle size: less than 2 mm diameter (ash) , 2-64 mm diameter (lapilli) , more than
64 mm diameter (blocks and bombs)
VOLCANIC GAS
Volcanic gas is one of the basic components of a magma or lava. Active and inactive
volcanoes may release to the atmosphere gases in the form of: water vapor,
hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide , carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride and hydrogen
fluorid.
Aside from the major constituents, minor amounts of nitrogen, methane, argon and
helium may be also present in volcanic gases. The proportion of these components
changes with changing temperature.
LAHAR

Lahar (an Indonesian term), sometimes called mudflows or volcanic debris flows,
are flowing mixtures of volcanic debris and water. Lahars are classfied into: Primary
or hot lahar - associated directly with volcanic eruption and Secondary or cold lahar
- caused by heavy rainfall.
Lahar distribute and redistribute volcanic ash and debris deposited around the
volcano after the materials has cooled and has become water logged.
Lahar in tropical areas can be produced by:
* sudden draining of a crater lake, caused by either an explosive eruption or
collapse of a crater fall (e.g. Agua, Kelut, Ruapehu)
* movement of a pyroclastic flow into a river or lake, displacing and mixing with
water
* avalanche of water-sustained rock debris, where water can be from heavy rain,
hydrothermal activity or other sources
* torrential rainfall on unconsolidated deposits on slope of a volcano (e.g. Pinatubo)
* collapse of a temporary dam, where recent volcanic deposits have blocked a
steam channel (e.g. Asama, Pinatubo
TSUNAMI
Tsunami are long-period sea waves or wave trains that are generated by the underthe-sea earthquake. Most tsunamis are caused by fault displacements on the sea
floor and of volcanic sudden displacement of water. They travel at high speed water
as low broad waves and build to great heights as they approach shores. Origin
including volcanic or volcano-tectonic earthquakes, explosions collapse or
subsidence, landslides, lahars, pyroclastic flows or debris avalanches entering
bodies of water, and atmospheric waves that couple with the sea.
OTHER ERUPTION PHENOMENA
Debris avalanche - fast downhill movement of soil and rock, speed: 70 km/hr (due to
high water content and steep slopes) caused by slope failure on the cones of
stratovolcanoes
Hydrothermal explosions - explosions from instantaneous flashing of steam upon
contact with hot rocks
Secondary explosions are caused by the contact of water with hot pyroclastic flow
deposits.
Subsidence is a ground deformation resulting from the downward adjustment of
surface materials to the voids caused by volcanic activity.
This may result also from mine workings or geothermal water or oil extraction.

Precursors of an Impending Volcanic Eruption

The following are commonly observed signs that a volcano is about to erupt. These
precursors may vary from volcano to volcano.

1. Increase in the frequency of volcanic quakes with rumbling sounds; occurrence of

volcanic tremors
2. Increased steaming activity; change in color of steam emission from white to gray
due to entrained ash
3. Crater glow due to presence of magma at or near the crater
4. Ground swells (or inflation), ground tilt and ground fissuring due to magma
intrusion
5. Localized landslides, rockfalls and landslides from the summit area not
attributable to heavy rains
6. Noticeable increase in the extent of drying up of vegetation around the volcano's
upper slopes
7. Increase in the temperature of hot springs, wells (e.g. Bulusan and Canlaon) and
crater lake (e.g. Taal) near the volcano
8. Noticeable variation in the chemical content of springs, crater lakes within the
vicinity of the volcano
9. Drying up of springs/wells around the volcano
10. Development of new thermal areas and/or reactivation of old ones;appearance
of solfataras.