VOLCANOES

Sinabung volcano, Karo Indonesia 2014

 WHAT IS A VOLCANO?
A volcano is a natural vent or fissure linking
the earths interior to the surface through
which an assortment of hot molten liquid,
solid and gaseous materials are ejected.
 FORMATION OF VOLCANOES

The worlds major volcanoes are formed at

the major plate margins. These eruptions
occur over a long period of time where
magma erupts to the surface and cools to
form volcanic hills and mountains.
 VOLCANOES ARE FORMED AT:

A zone of convergence: two plates move towards

each other, the denser oceanic crust is forced
under the continental crust in the mantle where it
melts. The magma rises slowly to the surface
where it cools and hardens. These volcanoes have
steep sides and may be explosive.
A zone of divergence: where plates move apart,
molten rock from the mantle rises towards the crust
through cracks. The magma builds over the sea
floor to form volcanoes. If the magma rises above
the surface of the sea they form volcanic islands.
 Fissure eruption: magma may escape through
fissures or vertical cracks on the earths
surface and flow as lava. The lava takes a
long time to solidify and build up a cone.
Hot spots: These are located away from
tectonic plate margins. They are
associated with hot spots (reservoir of hot
magma) in the earths mantle. The hot
spot burns through the moving plate
above, creating a line of volcanoes in the
process eg. Hawaiian Island chain.
STRUCTURE OF A VOLCANO
 MATERIALS EJECTED FROM VOLCANOES

1. GASES nitrogen, carbon dioxide, monoxide,

steam and vapour.
2. SOLID MATERIALS Lapilli and bombs
- scoria

- cinders
- pumice
- tuff (ash and dust)
- pyroclast or tephra (all compacted
solid materials including lava.
 3. LIQUIDS
lava
--- pahoe hoe (rope-like lava)
 TYPES OF LAVA
BASIC
ACID
1. Where found?

2. Description of lava.

3. Description of cone

4. Examples of volcano
 Volcanic mudflows
 Pyroclastic flows
 Nuee ardente
 EXAMPLES OF VOLCANOES

NAMES OF VOLCANOES COUNTRY YEAR OF ERUPTION

Popacatapetl Mexico 1519, 2005
Krakateau Indonesia 1833, 2007
Nevada del Ruiz Columbia 1985
Tambora Indonesia 1815
Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea Hawaii 1950, 1984
VOLCANIC FEATURES
 - Basic lava
cones
- Acid lava
INTRUSIVE EXTRUSIVE cones
FEATURES FEATURES - Lava plateaus
- Caldera lakes
These are These are the
- Volcanic spine
features created different types of
by magma volcanoes. or plug
cooling inside Magma (called
the crust. The lava on the
magma is surface) is poured
unable to reach out onto the
the surface and surface of the
is forced into earth forming
different shapes. volcanoes and
plateaus.
- Batholith
- Laccolith - Composite
- Sills cones
- Dykes - Ash and cinder
cones
 INTRUSIVE FEATURES
Batholiths are the largest, deepest intrusive features.
They are formed when a large underground reservoir of
magma cools and hardens below the surface. They are
dome shaped and may sometimes be irregular. Batholiths
may sometimes be expose to the surface due to erosion
of the overlying rock eg. Canadian shield in Canada.
 Laccoliths are smaller reservoirs of magma which lie
nearer to the surface. They are arc shaped or dome
shaped in structure. They are connected to the batholith
through the main vent.

Sills are formed by magma flowing horizontally

between two rock layers and roughly parallel to the
surface. Sills change over time where it becomes
exposed to the surface by erosion to form an
escarpment eg. The Great Whin Sill of Northern England
 Dykes are vertical intrusions of magma lying at an angle
or cutting across the structure of the rocks. They are formed
by magma moving upwards towards the surface. They are
hard rocks which resist erosion therefore forming ridges or
high ground eg. The Great Dyke of Rhodesia 485 km long.
 EXTRUSIVE FEATURES
Composite cones are volcanoes formed when alternating layers of lava
and ash build up over a long period. Many Caribbean volcanoes are of
this type eg. Soufriere in St. Vincent. In a composite cone the main vent
may sometimes be blocked and magma has to find alternative path to
the surface , a parasitic cone may form on the slope of the main volcano.
 Ash and Cinder cones During violent eruptions lava is thrown high
into the air. It breaks up, cools and solidifies and falls back to the
earth as volcanic ash. A series of ash eruptions builds up into layers
to form a volcano with steep sides eg. Paricutin in Mexico.
 Acid lava cones referred to as acid as they comprise acid lava ( found
at convergent boundaries, high in silica, viscous or sticky or resistant to
flow, contains gas, eruptions are explosive). Eruptions create steep
sided volcanoes. Sometimes the volcanoes are so explosive they blow
away the whole crater. Most Caribbean volcanoes produce vicious lava.
Basic lava cones contain basic lava ( found at divergent
boundaries, low in silica, flows easily). These volcanoes erupt
continuously without explosion. One type of volcano which contains
basic lava is shield volcanoes. Their sides are broad and gentle and
their craters wide eg. Mauna Loa in Hawaii.
 Lava plateaus Basic lava sometimes flows out from a
long vent to form a broad lava plateau. It is an
undulating landscape thinning out towards the edge.
The worlds largest plateaus are in India, South
America and Africa eg. Deccan Plateau in India.
 VOLCANIC PLUG viscous lava sometimes solidifies in
the vent of volcanoes. When a composite or caldera
cone becomes dormant, erosion begins to destroy the
cone. The great cone is stripped away or reduced to a
lower level leaving a plug or neck standing as a steep
sided, semi-circular pinnacle in the vent or pipe. This
plug is resistant to erosion eg. Mt. Pelee in Martinique.
 Crater Lake Acid lava cones that erupt explosively
have their craters sometimes blown off. The top of the
volcano sinks into a depression called a caldera. If
water fills in this depression it forms a caldera or crater
lake eg. Gran Etang in Grenada.