VOLCANOES

WHAT IS A VOCANO?

A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of

molten rock below the surface of the earth. When
pressure builds up, eruptions occur. Gases and rock shoot
up through the opening and spill over or fill the air with
lava fragments. Eruptions can cause lateral blasts, lava
flows, hot ash flows, mudslides, avalanches, falling ash
and floods. Volcano eruptions have been known to knock
down entire forests. An erupting volcano can trigger
tsunamis, flash floods, earthquakes, mudflows and
rockfalls.
HOW ARE VOLCANOES FORMED?

Volcanoes are formed when magma from

within the Earth's upper mantle works its
way to the surface. At the surface, it
erupts to form lava flows and ash
deposits. Over time as the volcano
continues to erupt, it will get bigger and
bigger.
 WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF
VOLCANOES?
Scientists have categorized volcanoes into three main
categories:
1.ACTIVE VOLCANO is one which has recently erupted
and there is a possibility that it may erupt soon.
2.DORMANT VOLCANO is one which has not erupted in
a long time but there is a possibility it can erupt in the
future.
3.EXITINCT VOLCANO is one which has erupted
thousands of years ago and there’s no possibility of
eruption.
WHY DO VOLCANOES ERUPT?

• The Earth's crust is made up of huge slabs called

plates, which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
These plates sometimes move. The friction causes
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions near the
edges of the plates. The theory that explains this
process is called plate tectonics.
WHAT ARE PLATE TECTONICS?

The theory of plate tectonics is a interesting story of

continents drifting from place to place breaking apart,
colliding and grinding against each other. The plate
tectonic theory is supported by a wide range of evidence
that considers the earth's crust and upper mantle to be
composed of several large, thin, relatively rigid plates
that move relative to one another. The plates are all
moving in different directions and at different speeds.
Sometimes the plates crash together, pull apart or
sideswipe each other. When this happens, it commonly
results in earthquakes.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES
OF VOLCANOES?

• Volcanoes are grouped into four types:

1. CINDER CONES
2. COMPOSITE VOLCANOES
3. SHIELD VOLCANOES
4. LAVA VOLCANOES
CINDER CONES

Cinder cones are circular or oval cones

made up of small fragments of lava
from a single vent that have been
blown into the air, cooled and fallen
around the vent.
 CERRO NEGRO

The Earth's most historically

active cinder cone is Cerro
Negro in Nicaragua. It is a
very new volcano, the
youngest in Central America.
Since its birth in 1850, it has
erupted approximately 20
times.
COMPOSITE VOLCANOES

Composite volcanoes are steep-sided volcanoes

composed of many layers of volcanic rocks, usually
made from high-viscosity lava, ash and rock debris.
They are also called Stratovolcanoes. Mt. Rainier
and Mount St. Helens are examples of this type of
volcano.
 MOUNT ST. HELENS

Mount St. Helens is an

active stratovolcano
located in Washington.
Mount St. Helens is
most notorious for its
major 1980 eruption,
the deadliest and most
economically
destructive volcanic
event in the history of
the United States.
SHIELD VOLCANOES

Shield volcanoes are volcanoes shaped like a bowl or

shield in the middle with long gentle slopes made by
basaltic lava flows. Basalt lava flows from these volcanoes
are called flood basalts. The volcanoes that formed the
basalt of the Columbia Plateau were shield volcanoes.
Perhaps the best known shield volcanoes are the ones that
make up the Hawaiian Islands, especially Mauna Loa and
Mauna Kea.
 MAUNA LOA

• The world’s largest active

volcano Mauna Loa is located
in Hawaii. From its base below
sea level to its summit, Mauna
Loa is taller than Mount
Everest. It was one of the most
active: Mauna Loa erupted 33
times between 1843 and 1984.
It has been silent for more
than 30 years now.
LAVA DOMES

Lava domes are formed when erupting lava is too thick to flow and
makes a steep-sided mound as the lava piles up near the volcanic
vent. A volcanic dome often forms inside a crater following an
explosive eruption. The eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 was
caused in part by a lava dome shifting to allow explosive gas and
steam to escape from inside the mountain. .
MOUNT ST. HELENS LAVA DOME

This lava dome

started developing
shortly after the
iconic May, 18th 1980
eruption and dome
growth continued
until 1986
WHAT ARE DIFFERENT PARTS OF VOLCANO.

• MAGMA CHAMBER
• VENT
• CRATER
• CALDERA
 MAGMA CHAMBER

A magma chamber is the area

beneath a volcano where magma
collects before an eruption. Magma
chambers are under such great
pressure that, over time, they can
eventually break the rock
surrounding because they are less
dense, creating a way for the
magma to move upward.
VENT

Magma emerges from the magma

chamber of a volcano through
openings called vents. Volcanoes
often have one large vent called the
main vent, from which most of the
magma erupts.
CRATER

A volcanic crater is a roughly circular

depression in the ground caused by
volcanic activity. It is typically a bowl-
shaped feature within which occurs a vent
or vents. This is where the lava, ash and
rock erupt out of a volcano.
 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. The
resultant landform is a vast circular pit
that usually fills partly with water to
form a deep lake, called Caldera Lake.
These are calderas and can be tens of
miles across. An example of a caldera is
Yellowstone in North America.
PARTS OF A VOLCANO
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAVA AND
MAGMA?

MAGMA is the hot molten material occurring

naturally below the surface of the earth.

LAVA is the hot molten material on the surface of

earth erupted through volcanoes. Fresh lava glows red
hot to white hot as it flows.
LOCATION OF ACTIVE VOLCANOES

• Pacific Ring of Fire

• Mediterranean Belt
PACIFIC RING OF FIRE

The Pacific Ring of Fire is an arc around the Pacific Ocean where
many volcanoes and earthquakes are formed. Its edges mark a circle
of high volcanic and seismic activity (earthquakes). 452 dormant
and active volcanoes of the world are located in the region,
which is 75% of the total number of volcanoes in the world. Some
of the world’s most active volcanoes are found here. About 90% of
the world's earthquakes and 81% of the world's largest earthquakes
occur along the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire is sometimes called
the Circum-Pacific belt. The Pacific Ring of Fire wraps around the
Pacific Ocean, including the western coasts of the Americas, the
islands of Japan, the Philippines, Canada, New Zealand and
Indonesia.
PACIFIC RING OF FIRE
MEDITERRANEAN BELT

Mediterranean Belt is the second major volcano belt. This region is

not as large as the Pacific Ring of Fire. About 20% of all active
volcanoes are in the Mediterranean belt, 20% are at or near mid-
oceanic ridges. The Mediterranean Belt includes volcanoes in Italy,
such as Mount Etna and Mount Vesuvius. Its general outlines
correspond to the boundaries between the Eurasian, African, and
Arabian plates.
The top map shows earthquakes
that have occurred in the past
2500 years in the Mediterranean
region. The lower map shows
volcano sites in the same region.