Types of volcano

When magma erupts at the surface it can form different types of volcanoes depending on the viscosity, or
stickiness, of the magma, the amount of gas in the magma, and the way in which the magma reached the
surface.

Different types of volcanoes include stratovolcanoes, shield, fissure vents, spatter cones and calderas.

Stratovolcanoes
These volcanoes are majestic giants with steep sides and a symmetrical cone shape. They form from
very thick, viscous, or sticky, lava that won't flow easily. The lava therefore builds up around the vent
forming a volcano with steep sides – we call this a stratovolcano and it has a familar triangular shape.

Because the magma is so viscous, gas can't leave the magma, therefore, when the magma rises to the
surface the gas pressure builds up inside the volcano, resulting in an explosive eruption.

Stratovolcanoes erupt viscous lava that forms a steep-sided triangular-shaped structure.

 Volcan Colima in Mexico is a
Stratovolcano.

Shield volcanoes

Shield volcanoes erupt thin, 'runny', lava that forms a gently sloping structure.
Where a volcano produces low viscosity, runny, lava it spreads far from the source forming a volcano with
gentle slopes. This type is called a shield volcano.

Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are shield volcanoes. They are the world's largest active volcanoes, rising
nearly 9 km above the sea floor around the island of Hawaii.

Magma (or lava if erupted to the surface) viscosity is largely controlled by its composition, temperature
and gas content. (Video source: National Geographic)

Fissure vents
The first phase of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010 was characterised by fire-fountains and fissure-fed
lava flows. (Image: © REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)
As magma rises, it will find the easiest route to reach the surface. If it rises up through a long fracture,
fountains of lava can form a ‘curtain of fire’ which we call a fissure eruption. The Eyjafjallajökull eruption in
2010 began with a fissure eruption on the side of the volcano.

Spatter cones
When magma contains too much gas to form an effusive lava flow, but too little to form an explosive
eruption, it erupts from the volcano as blobs of magma which fall close to the vent forming a low, steep-
sided cone that we call a spatter cone.

Caldera
Magma is stored beneath a volcano in a magma chamber. When a very large explosive eruption occurs
which empties the magma chamber, the roof of the magma chamber can collapse forming a depression,
or bowl on the surface which has very steep walls. These are calderas and can be tens of miles across.
An example of a caldera is Yellowstone in North America.

What is a volcano?
A volcano is a conical hill or mountain formed by material from the mantle being forced
through an opening or vent in the Earth's crust.
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What are the main features of a volcano?

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What are active, dormant and extinct volcanoes?

Volcanoes are found in three states - extinct, dormant and active. An extinct volcano will
never erupt again. A dormant volcano has not erupted in 2000 years. An active volcano
has erupted recently and is likely to erupt again.

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Case Studies
The 1980 eruption of Mount St
Helens
The 1991 eruption of Mount
Pinatubo
The 2000 eruption of Popocatepetl

What is a supervolcano?
A supervolcano is any volcano capable of producing a volcanic eruption with an ejecta volume greater
than 1,000 km3 (240 cu mi). This is thousands of times larger than normal volcanic eruptions.
Supervolcanoes are on a much bigger scale than other volcanoes. Unlike composite volcanoes, with
their steep sides, they are difficult to spot. They are typically depresssions in the ground. The calderas
are so large they can be seen from space. They have been identified in Indonesia, in New Zealand, in
South America and an extinct one in Glen Coe in the UK.

Supervolcanoes can occur when magma in the mantle rises into the crust from a hotspot but is unable
to break through the crust, and pressure builds in a large and growing magma pool until the crust is
unable to contain the pressure (this is the case for the Yellowstone Caldera). They can also form at
convergent plate boundaries (for example, Toba). Although there are only a handful of Quaternary
supervolcanoes, supervolcanic eruptions typically cover huge areas with lava and volcanic ash and
cause a long-lasting change to weather (such as the triggering of a small ice age) sufficient to threaten
species with extinction.
back to

What are the characteristics of a supervolcano?

Supervolcanoes are not mountains – they form DEPRESSIONS within the Earth’s crust. They begin
with a column of magma rising through a vent into the Earth’s crust. The magma gets stuck and pools
melting the rock around for thousands of years. Over thousands of years the pressure builds up and
when the eruption eventually happens it drains the magma lake and the land above collapse down ove
creating a caldera.
source - BBC Bitesize

source - BBC Bitesize

 source - BBC Bitesize

source - BBC Bitesize

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What are the likely effects of supervolcanoes?

Supervolcanoes are eruptions and explosions of catastrophic proportions, on the Volcano Explosivity
Index (VEI) supervolcanoes are an 8 on a scale that runs from 1 to 8. Each leap up the scale represen
an increase of explosive scale of 10 times the power. Mount St Helens was VEI 5! There have been
estimates that a major eruption of Yellowstone would result in at least 1m of ash being deposited acro
the UK!

Where are volcanoes located?

Volcanoes are found along destructive (subducting) plate
boundaries, constructive (divergent) plate boundaries and at hot spots in the earth's
surface.

What is the Ring of Fire?

The 'Ring of Fire' is a volcanic chain surrounding the Pacific Ocean. The 'Ring of Fire' is
famous for its regular earthquake and volcanic activity. More than half of the world's
active volcanoes above sea level form part of the ring.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pacific_Ring_of_Fire.svg

The Pacific Plate, an oceanic plate that forms the bed of the Pacific Ocean, is
surrounded by a number of continental plates including the North American plate, South
American plate, Philippine plate, the Australian-Indian plate and the Eurasian plate. The
movement of these plates create zones of subduction (e.g. where the Pacific and
Eurasian plates meet). This leads to the formation of volcanoes and the occurance of
earthquakes.

What are lahars and pyroclastic flows?

The most destructive aspect of volcanoes are lahars and pyroclastic flows. Lahars are
volcanic mudflows created when water (from rain or melt water from glaciers) and ash
mix. This deadly combination can have devastating results on the surrounding area.
When lahars settle they can be metres thick and as hard as cement. Lahars can occur
long after a volcanic eruption.

Pyroclastic flows are avalanches containing hot volcanic gases, ash and volcanic
bombs. On steep volcanoes pyroclastic flows can reach speeds of over 100 miles per
hour.

What are the Different Types of Volcanoes?

A volcano is an opening in the Earth’s surface where molten rock can escape from
underneath. The Earth’s surface is made up of tectonic plates, which are spreading
apart, crunching into each other, or sliding beside one another. Volcanoes are typically
found at the fault lines between these plates. There can be active volcanos, which are
currently, or have recently erupted. There are also dormant volcanoes, which haven’t
erupted recently, and extinct volcanoes, which will never erupt again.

There are 4 major types of volcanoes:

Cinder Cone Volcanoes:

These are the simplest type of volcano. They occur when particles and blobs of lava are
ejected from a volcanic vent. The lava is blown violently into the air, and the pieces rain
down around the vent. Over time, this builds up a circular or oval-shaped cone, with a
bowl-shaped crater at the top. Cinder cone volcanoes rarely grow larger than about
1,000 feet above their surroundings.

Composite Volcanoes:
Composite volcanoes, or stratovolcanoes make up some of the world’s most
memorable mountains: Mount Rainier, Mount Fuji, and Mount Cotopaxi, for example.
These volcanoes have a conduit system inside them that channels magma from deep
within the Earth to the surface. They can have clusters of vents, with lava breaking
through walls, or issuing from fissures on the sides of the mountain. With all this
material coming out, they can grow thousands of meters tall. As we’ve seen with the
famous Mount Saint Helens, composite volcanoes can explode violently.

Shield Volcanoes:
These are large, broad volcanoes that look like shields from above – hence the name.
The lava that pours out of shield volcanoes is thin, so it can travel for great distances
down the shallow slopes of the volcano. These volcanos build up slowly over time, with
hundreds of eruptions, creating many layers. They’re not likely to explode
catastrophically. Perhaps the best known shield volcanoes are the ones that make up
the Hawaiian Islands, especially Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

Lava Domes:
Volcanic or lava domes are created by small masses of lava which are too viscous
(thick) to flow very far. Unlike shield volcanoes, with low-viscosity lava, the magma from
volcanic domes just pile up over and around the vent. The dome grows by expansion of
the lava within, and the mountain forms from material spilling off the sides of the
growing dome. Lava domes can explode violently, releasing a huge amount of hot rock
and ash.

Principal Types of Volcanoes

Geologists generally group volcanoes into four main kinds--cinder cones, composite
volcanoes, shield volcanoes, and lava domes.

Cinder cones

Cinder cones are the simplest type of volcano. They are built from particles and
blobs of congealed lava ejected from a single vent. As the gas-charged lava is blown
violently into the air, it breaks into small fragments that solidify and fall
as cinders around the vent to form a circular or oval cone. Most cinder cones have a
bowl-shaped crater at the summit and rarely rise more than a thousand feet or so
above their surroundings. Cinder cones are numerous in western North America as
well as throughout other volcanic terrains of the world.
 Schematic representation of the internal structure of a typical cinder
cone.

In 1943 a cinder cone started growing on a farm near the village of Parícutin in
Mexico. Explosive eruptions caused by gas rapidly expanding and escaping from
molten lava formed cinders that fell back around the vent, building up the cone to a
height of 1,200 feet. The last explosive eruption left a funnel-shaped crater at the top
of the cone. After the excess gases had largely dissipated, the molten rock quietly
poured out on the surrounding surface of the cone and moved downslope as lava
flows. This order of events--eruption, formation of cone and crater, lava flow--is a
common sequence in the formation of cinder cones.

During 9 years of activity, Parícutin built a prominent cone, covered about 100
square miles with ashes, and destroyed the town of San Juan. Geologists from many
parts of the world studied Parícutin during its lifetime and learned a great deal about
volcanism, its products, and the modification of a volcanic landform by erosion.
 Parícutin Volcano, Mexico, is a cinder cone rising approximately
1,200 feet above the surrounding plain.

Composite volcanoes

Some of the Earth's grandest mountains are composite volcanoes--sometimes

called stratovolcanoes. They are typically steep-sided, symmetrical cones of large
dimension built of alternating layers of lava flows, volcanic ash, cinders, blocks, and
bombs and may rise as much as 8,000 feet above their bases. Some of the most
conspicuous and beautiful mountains in the world are composite volcanoes, including
Mount Fuji in Japan, Mount Cotopaxi in Ecuador, Mount Shasta in California, Mount
Hood in Oregon, and Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier in Washington.

Most composite volcanoes have a crater at the summit which contains a central vent
or a clustered group of vents. Lavas either flow through breaks in the crater wall or
issue from fissures on the flanks of the cone. Lava, solidified within the fissures,
forms dikes that act as ribs which greatly strengthen the cone.

The essential feature of a composite volcano is a conduit system through which

magma from a reservoir deep in the Earth's crust rises to the surface. The volcano is
built up by the accumulation of material erupted through the conduit and increases in
size as lava, cinders, ash, etc., are added to its slopes.
 Schematic representation of the internal structue of a typical
composite volcano.

When a composite volcano becomes dormant, erosion begins to destroy the cone.
As the cone is stripped away, the hardened magma filling the conduit (the volcanic
plug) and fissures (the dikes) becomes exposed, and it too is slowly reduced by
erosion. Finally, all that remains is the plug and dike complex projecting above the
land surface--a telltale remnant of the vanished volcano.

Shishaldin Volcano, an imposing composite cone, towers 9,372 feet

above sea level in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska.
An interesting variation of a composite volcano can be seen at Crater Lake in
Oregon. From what geologists can interpret of its past, a high volcano--called Mount
Mazama- probably similar in appearance to present-day Mount Rainier was once
located at this spot. Following a series of tremendous explosions about 6,800 years
ago, the volcano lost its top. Enormous volumes of volcanic ash and dust were
expelled and swept down the slopes as ash flows and avalanches. These large-volume
explosions rapidly drained the lava beneath the mountain and weakened the upper
part. The top then collapsed to form a large depression, which later filled with water
and is now completely occupied by beautiful Crater Lake. A last gasp of eruptions
produced a small cinder cone, which rises above the water surface as Wizard Island
near the rim of the lake. Depressions such as Crater Lake, formed by collapse of
volcanoes, are known as calderas. They are usually large, steep-walled, basin-shaped
depressions formed by the collapse of a large area over, and around, a volcanic vent or
vents. Calderas range in form and size from roughly circular depressions 1 to 15 miles
in diameter to huge elongated depressions as much as 60 miles long.

Crater Lake, Oregon; Wizard Island, a cinder cone, rises above the
lake surface.

The Evolution of a Composite Volcano

A. Magma, rising upward
through a conduit, erupts
at the Earth's surface to
form a volcanic cone.
Lava flows spread over
the surrounding area.

B. As volcanic activity
continues, perhaps over
spans of hundreds of
years, the cone is built to a
great height and lava
flows form an extensive
plateau around its base.
During this period,
streams enlarge and
deepend their valleys.

C. When volcanic activity

ceases, erosion starts to
destroy the cone. After
thousands of years, the
great cone is stripped
away to expose the
hardened "volcanic plug"
in the conduit. During this
period of inactivity,
streams broaden their
valleys and dissect the
lava plateau to form
isolated lava-capped
mesas.

D. Continued erosion
removes all traces of the
cone and the land is worn
down to a surface of low
relief. All that remains is a
projecting plug or
"volcanic neck," a small
lava-capped mesa, and
vestiges of the once lofty
volcano and its
surrounding lava plateau.
Shield volcanoes

The internal structure of a typical shield volcano

Shield volcanoes, the third type of volcano, are built almost entirely of fluid lava
flows. Flow after flow pours out in all directions from a central summit vent, or group
of vents, building a broad, gently sloping cone of flat, domical shape, with a profile
much like that of a warrior's shield. They are built up slowly by the accretion of
thousands of highly fluid lava flows called basalt lava that spread widely over great
distances, and then cool as thin, gently dipping sheets. Lavas also commonly erupt
from vents along fractures (rift zones) that develop on the flanks of the cone. Some
of the largest volcanoes in the world are shield volcanoes. In northern California and
Oregon, many shield volcanoes have diameters of 3 or 4 miles and heights of 1,500
to 2,000 feet. The Hawaiian Islands are composed of linear chains of these volcanoes
including Kilauea and Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii-- two of the world's most
active volcanoes. The floor of the ocean is more than 15,000 feet deep at the bases
of the islands. As Mauna Loa, the largest of the shield volcanoes (and also the world's
largest active volcano), projects 13,677 feet above sea level, its top is over 28,000
feet above the deep ocean floor.
 Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawaii, a giant among the active volcanoes of
the world; snow-capped Mauna Kea Volcano in the distance.

In some eruptions, basaltic lava pours out quietly from long fissures instead of central
vents and floods the surrounding countryside with lava flow upon lava flow, forming
broad plateaus. Lava plateaus of this type can be seen in Iceland, southeastern
Washington, eastern Oregon, and southern Idaho. Along the Snake River in Idaho,
and the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon, these lava flows are beautifully
exposed and measure more than a mile in total thickness.

Lava domes

Schematic representation of the internal structure of a typical

volcanic dome.

Volcanic or lava domes are formed by relatively small, bulbous masses of lava too
viscous to flow any great distance; consequently, on extrusion, the lava piles over and
around its vent. A dome grows largely by expansion from within. As it grows its outer
surface cools and hardens, then shatters, spilling loose fragments down its sides. Some
domes form craggy knobs or spines over the volcanic vent, whereas others form short,
steep-sided lava flows known as "coulees." Volcanic domes commonly occur within
the craters or on the flanks of large composite volcanoes. The nearly circular
Novarupta Dome that formed during the 1912 eruption of Katmai Volcano, Alaska,
measures 800 feet across and 200 feet high. The internal structure of this dome--
defined by layering of lava fanning upward and outward from the center--indicates
that it grew largely by expansion from within.
 The Novarupta Dome formed during the 1912 eruption of Katma
Volcano, Alaska.

Mont Pelée in Martinique, Lesser Antilles, and Lassen Peak and Mono domes in
California are examples of lava domes. An extremely destructive eruption
accompanied the growth of a dome at Mont Pelée in 1902. The coastal town of St.
Pierre, about 4 miles downslope to the south, was demolished and nearly 30,000
inhabitants were killed by an incandescent, high-velocity ash flow and associated hot
gases and volcanic dust.

Only two men survived; one because he was in a poorly ventilated, dungeon-like jail
cell and the other who somehow made his way safely through the burning city.

A sketch of the havoc wrought in St. Pierre Harbor on Martinique

during the eruption of Mont Pelée in 1902.
Types of Volcanoes & Eruptions

Mt Eden, Auckland.

Volcanic Fields
Volcanic fields, such as Auckland and Northland, are where small eruptions occur over a wide geographic
area, and are spaced over long periods of time (thousands of years). Each eruption builds a new single
new volcano, which does not erupt again. Mount Eden and Rangitoto Island are examples in Auckland.

Ngauruhoe

Cone Volcanoes
Cone volcanoes (also called composite cone or stratovolcanoes) such as Ruapehu, Taranaki /
Egmont and Ngauruhoe, are characterised by a succession of small-moderate eruptions from one
location. The products from the successive eruptions over thousands of years build the cones.

Lake Taupo

Caldera Volcanoes
Caldera volcanoes, such as Taupo and Okataina (which includes Mt Tarawera), have a history of
infrequent but moderate-large eruptions. The caldera forming eruptions create super craters 10-25 km in
diameter and deposit cubic kilometres of ash and pumice.
Types of eruptions
Multiple types of eruptions can occur at each of New Zealand’s volcanoes - the eruption type can vary
minute to minute. The style of eruption depends on a number of factors, including the magma chemistry
and content, temperature, viscosity (how runny the magma is), volume and how much water and gas is in
it, the presence of groundwater, and the plumbing of the volcano. For information on volcanic hazards
which can be produced by our volcanoes, click here.

Hydrothermal eruption
An eruption driven by the heat in a hydrothermal systems. Hydrothermal eruptions pulverise surrounding
rocks and can produce ash, but do not include magma. These are typically very small eruptions

Phreatic eruption
An eruption driven by the heat from magma interacting with water. The water can be from groundwater,
hydrothermal systems, surface runoff, a lake or the sea. Phreatic eruptions pulverise surrounding rocks
and can produce ash, but do not include new magma.

Phreatomagmatic eruption
An eruption resulting from the interaction of new magma or lava with water and can be very explosive.
The water can be from groundwater, hydrothermal systems, surface runoff, a lake or the sea.

Lava
Lava is molten rock erupted at the ground surface. When molten rock is beneath the ground, it is called
magma.

 Lava flows are the effusive (non-explosive) outpourings of lava, and usually flow slower than
walking pace. Lava flow types include a’a, blocky and pahoehoe.
 Lava fountains are a fountain of runny lava fragments from a vent or line of vents (a fissure). They
can form spatter piles, and if the fragments accumulate fast enough, they can form lava flows.
 Lava domes are mounds that form when viscous lava is erupted slowly and piles up over the vent,
rather than moving away as a lava flow. They are generally caused by viscous, thick, sticky lava
that has lost most of its gas. They can range in volume from a few cubic metres to cubic
kilometres.

Strombolian and Hawaiian eruptions

These are the least violent types of explosive eruptions. Hawaiian eruptions have fire fountains and lava
flows, whereas Strombolian eruptions have explosions causing a shower of lava fragments.
Vulcanian eruptions
Vulcanian eruptions are small to moderate explosive eruptions, lasting seconds to minutes. Ash columns
can be up to 20 km in height, and lava blocks and bombs may be ejected from the vent.

Subplinian and Plinian eruptions

Eruptions with a high rate of magma discharge, sustained for minutes to hours. They form a tall,
convective eruption column of a mixture of gas and rock particles, and can cause wide dispersion of ash.
Subplinian eruption columns are up to 20 km high, and are relatively unsteady, whereas Plinian eruptions
have 20 to 35 km tall columns which may collapse to form pyroclastic density currents (PDC’s). Very rare
Ultraplinian eruptions are even larger and have a higher magma discharge rate than Plinian eruptions.