CHAPTER 1: EARTH’S CRUST

1.1 Volcanoes

● Earth’s crust is made up of 3 main layers:

1. Crust - the outermost layer made up of solid materials & minerals. It is where
landforms such as volcanoes, valleys, and mountain ranges.
2. Mantle - the 2nd main layer that consists of semi liquid rock. The combination of
high pressure and heat causes the layer to be in a viscous liquid state. Tectonic
plates are in constant motion on the mantle. The action, though extremely slow,
had produced many visible changes on Earth’s crust.
3. Core - the 3rd main layer which is extremely hot and dense due to high pressure
and temperature. The INNER CORE is SOLID while the OUTER CORE is
LIQUID.

● The mechanical layers of the Earth:

1. Lithosphere - the rigid, outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper
mantle.
2. Asthenosphere - the highly viscous, mechanically weak and ductile region of the
upper mantle of the Earth.

● There are boundaries between each layer of the Earth:

1. Mohorovicic discontinuity - located between the crust & upper mantle.
2. Repitti discontinuity - located between the upper & lower mantle.
3. Gutenberg discontinuity - located between lower mantle & outer core.
4. Lehmann discontinuity - located between outer & inner core.

● The most active volcanoes are located in two volcanic belts:

1. Alpine-Himalayan Belt - reveals the collision of the African plate and the Indo-
Australian Plate with the southern margin of the Eurasian plate.
2. Circum-Pacific Belt - more commonly known as the Ring of Fire; consists of
many of the world’s active volcanoes. The Ring of Fire outlines the major
trenches in the Pacific Ocean.

● There are 7 major plates of the Earth:

1. African
2. Antarctic
3. Eurasian
4. Indo-Australian
5. North American
6. Pacific
7. South American
 ● Volcano - landform built up by molten rocks that rise to Earth’s surface through a vent.
They are mainly found in areas on Earth where plates collide.

● There are 3 kinds of volcanoes:

1. Active volcanoes - usually associated with seismic activity, presence of hot water
spring, and changes in the elevation of the volcano’s crater. Active volcanoes may
erupt at any time.
2. Dormant volcanoes - has not erupted but may erupt based on seismic indications
of tectonic activity beneath the volcano.
3. Extinct volcanoes - is not active or has erupted for a long time.

Table 1-1: List of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines

Name of Volcano Location Latest Eruption

Bulusan Sorsogon March 2, 2017

Kanlaon Negros Oriental December 9, 2017

Mayon Bicol January 24, 2018

Pinatubo Zambales August 16, 1992

Taal Batangas January 14, 2020

➢ Due to the Philippine’s location in Ring of Fire, volcanoes here are known to be deadly
and destructive.
➢ There are about 23 active volcanoes in the Philippines.