Volcanoes

VOLCANOES

BIG Questions
1 – What plate settings
do volcanoes occur at?
2 - Volcanoes aren’t equally dangerous
how do their hazards differ, and why?
 Volcano
• an opening in a planet's
crust, which allows hot molten rock,
ash, and gases to escape from
below the surface.
hat comes out of a volcano?
Ash
hat comes out of a volcano?
Gas
Most common:
H2O
CO2
SO2
HCl
hat comes out of a volcano?
Lava
 So...Why are there
different types of
Volcanoes
• Viscosity of the magma controls the type of
volcano.
• Viscosity – a liquid’s resistance to flow
• Low viscosity – flows easily
• High viscosity – flows slowly
• Viscosity is controlled by the composition
and temperature of the magma.

• Silica (SiO ) content controls viscosity.

2
 What are the
different types
of Magma?

• Basaltic
• Andesitic
• Rhyolitic
 Viscosity and Silica
content
Compositi Magma Viscosity Gas % Silica % Explosive Location
on Source ness

Basaltic Upper Low 1-2 % ~ 50 % Least / Divergent

Mantle Mild Boundarie
s and Hot
Spots
Andesitic Ocean Medium - 3-4 % ~ 60 % Intermedi Convergen
Crust & High ate t
Sediments Subductio
n Zones
Rhyolitic Continent High - 4-6 % ~ 70 % Greatest Convergen
al Crust Extreme t
Subductio
n Zones
High silica = high viscosity = explosive
eruption
Low silica = low viscosity = quiet
 Shape

• Shapes of volcanoes are due to the

viscosity of the magma.
• Runny lava forms relatively flat shield
volcanoes with quite eruptions.
• Thick lava forms steep cones with explosive
eruptions.
 Explosivenes

Explosiveness of the volcano

is controlled by
- the silica content of the magma
- the viscosity of the magma
- the release of gases
 Types of
QuietEruptions
“runny”
Plate Setting: Divergent Boundaries
and Hot Spots
Type of Volcano: Shield volcanoes
Type of Magma: Basaltic composition

Explosive “clogged”
Plate Setting: Convergent Boundary Subduction Zones
Type of Volcano: Composite volcanoes and Cinder Cones
Type of Magma: Andesitic or Rhyolitic composition
 Quiet Eruptions
• Magma flows easily
• Gasses bubble out gently
ate Setting: Divergent Bounda
nt boundary volcanoes have very low viscous
and non-explosive eruptions
 Plate Setting: Hot Spot
spot volcanoes form when mantle plumes ri
through the crust like a blow torch
cterized by low viscous magma and non-explo
eruptions
 Type of Volcano:
Shield

•Usually start under water

•resembles a Roman shield lying on the ground
•characterized by relatively quiet eruptions with lava
flows that harden on top of each other
Type of Magma:
Basaltic
• runny, low viscosity lava

Examples:
• relatively little explosive activity
- Hawaiian Is
- Iceland
ea, Hawaii: A typical shield vo
 Basaltic eruptions
produce
2 types of lava
oe – hot, fast moving lava. Surface looks
wrinkles and rope-like coils
Pahoehoe Lava
Pahoehoe Lava
 Basaltic eruptions
produce
2 types of lava
oler, slow moving lava. Hardens to form r
jagged lava chunks
Anatomy of a Shield
Volcano
 Explosive
Eruptions
• Magma is thick and “sticky”
Magma slowly builds up in the volcano's pipe
•
Gasses cannot easily escape from the magma
•
• Trapped
explodes
gasses build up pressure until the volcano

• More dangerous and

pyroclastic flows
have more hazards such as
Pyroclastic Flows
• Pyroclasticflows - fast-moving
hot gas and rock fragments which
travel away from the volcano
• speedsgenerally as great as 450
miles/hr
• Can reach temperatures of 1,830
°F
te Setting: Convergent Bound
Explosive volcanoes form at
convergent subduction zones and have
highly viscous magma
pe of Volcano: Cinder Cone
• relatively small (less than 300 m or 1000 ft high)
• relatively steep slopes (30 - 40 degrees)
• made of pyroclastic material
 Type Of Magma:
Andesitic
- high silica content
- highly viscous magma
- explosive eruptions

Examples
- Paracutin, in Mexico
Anatomy of a Cinder
Cone
ype of Volcano:
Composite

• large (1 - 10 km across)
• Also called a Stratovolcano
• layered structure, consisting of alternating
layers of lava and pyroclastic material
• These volcanoes make up the largest
percentage of the Earth's volcanoes (about
60%)
 Type Of
agma: Rhyolitic
- high silica content
- highly viscous
- explosive eruptions

Examples:
Mt. Vesuvius,
Mt. St. Helens and
Mt. Rainier in the
Cascade Range
St. Helens: Before the 1980 erup
St. Helens after its 1980 erupt
 Anatomy of a
Composite Volcano

Pyroclastic
flow
 Status of a
Volcano
• Active– currently erupting or
showing signs of an imminent
eruption. Risk is high

• Dormant– does not show signs of

an erupting in the near future or
has not erupted in the recent
past

• Extinct – unlikely to ever erupt

again
 Signs a volcano is
about to erupt
• Whena volcano begins to show new
or unusual signs of activity, it
is possible it is about to erupt

• Increased Earthquake Activity

• Ground Deformation
• Change in water composition
• Gas emissions
• Monitoring from space
Volcanic Hazards
 Volcanic Hazards
Lava flows

Ash fall

Pyroclastic flows

Mudflows

Volcanic Gases

Tsunami
Volcanic Hazards
Volcanic Hazards
Volcanic Hazards
Volcano Hazards program
• http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/alertsystem/icons.php
•