Volcanoes

EEn.2.1.1 Explain how the rock cycle, plate

tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes impact the
lithosphere.

Anatomy of a Volcano
Magma chambers fuel
volcanoes
When magma reaches Earths
surface it is called lava
Lava erupts through an
opening called a vent
Over time, lava can
accumulate to form a
mountain called a volcano
At the top of a volcano is a
bowl-shaped depression
called a crater
Larger craters are called
calderas can form when the
side of a volcano collapses
into the magma chamber

Types of Volcanoes
What factors affect
the appearance of
a volcano:
Type of material
that forms the
volcano
Type of eruptions
that occur

Volcanic Characteristics
SHIELD VOLCANOS
This type has a slope that is small
This type usually has flowing lava that does not shoot out in the air
The lava flow is very slow and you could outrun it
This type makes large chunks of basalt
Ex. Hawaiian Islands

CINDER CONES
This type has the steepest slope of the volcanoes
This type shoots lava in the air and has a faster lava flow
The lava hardens in the air
The hardened lava helps reform the volcano again

COMPOSITE VOLCANOS
This type is the worst of the volcanoes because it is very explosive
It usually has poisonous gases, ash and lava
The ash can blanket an area with over an inch of it
The ash can fly faster than 200 miles an hour
Kills more people than any type of volcano
Ex. Mount St. Helens

Volcanic Material

Volcanic Material
Pyroclastic flow
Fast moving clouds of
gas, ash, and other
tephra
Travel at speeds of
200 km/hr
Contains hot
poisonous gases

Lahar

Hot and cold mixture

of water and rock
fragments flowing
down volcano
Mud flow
Debris flow

Volcanic Material
Magma

Lava

Molten material found

beneath earths
surface with large
crystals when it cools
slowly and forms
minerals with small
crystals when it cools
rapidly

Magma that flows onto

earths surface

Volcanic Effects
Lithosphere

Atmosphere

Volcanic activity adds:

rocks and boulders to
lithosphere
minerals to soil
material to lithosphere
in layers

Volcanic activity adds:

Ash into atmosphere
Gases into atmosphere

Volcano Occurrence
Most volcanoes form
at plate boundaries
80% of all volcanoes
are found along
convergent
boundaries
15% are found along
divergent boundaries
Only 5% occur far
from plate boundaries

Convergent Volcanism
Where slabs of oceanic
crust descend into mantle
and melt
The magma is forced
upward through the plate
and forms volcanoes
Volcanoes associated with
convergent plate
boundaries form two
major belts:
Circum-Pacific Belt (Pacific
Ring of Fire) larger
Mediterranean Belt
(includes Mt. Etna and Mt.
Vesuvius) - smaller

Divergent Volcanism
Magma is forced upward
into fractures and faults
(rift zones) that form as
plates separate
Most of the worlds rift
volcanism occurs under
water at ocean ridges
Results in the formation
of new ocean floor
One of the few places
where rift volcanism
occurs above sea level
is in Iceland

Hot Spots
Some volcanoes are located far
from plate boundaries
Hot spots unusually hot
regions of Earths mantle where
plumes of magma rise toward
the surface
Trail of progressively older
volcanoes form as the plate
moves over a hot spot

Example: Hawaiian islands

The volcanoes on the oldest
island (Kauai) are inactive
because the island no longer sits
above the hot spot
The worlds most active volcano
(Kilauea) is on the big island of
Hawaii and is currently located
over the hot spot

Volcanoes and Society

Volcanic activity is
proof that Earth is
a dynamic planet
While many
volcanic eruptions
can be spectacular
events, these
geologic
phenomena can
pose risks to
humans and their
environment.