Volcanoes : Volcanoes And Volcanoes

There are different types of volcanoes, such as shield volcanoes, composite volcanoes, and cinder cone volcanoes that are mentioned in Chapter 9, page 312 of Earth Science. (Refer to figure 2 for volcano type examples.)

Volcanos are deadly, can form on islands or mainland, and can destroy mountains and cities. Volcanos commonly form from holes in the earth containing magma. When pressure builds up in these magma chambers, they explode resulting in magma and rock catapulting out into the air. As these volcanoes repeatedly explode, they leak magma, which runs down the side of the volcano. Eventually, the lava cools and transforms into solid rock, building up the volcano to mountain size. An example of giant volcanic eruptions is the Pompeii disaster in 79AD, when Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed all of Pompeii. Another example includes, the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state, which destroyed the whole mountain. Volcanos

Anpother factor that can have an impact on the level of hazard posed by a volcano is the type of plate margin on which it occurs. Volcanoes occuring at constructive plate boundaries are usually much less violent than those occuring at destructive plate boundaries. This is because the magma produced by plates moving apart is Basic, and therefoe has a low viscosity, allowing it to flow easily. The lava is produced from a central vent or fissure and erupts regularly but not usually violently. Also,constructive plate boundaries are often found under the sea and create submarine volcanoes, such as along the Mid-Atalntic ridge, so pose few threats to humans. As a result, the hazards posed by volcanoes at constructive plat eboundaries is relatively low. However, the subduction of one plate under another at destrctive plat eboundaries can form an acidic magma chamber, due to the build up of intense heat. Acidic magma is very viscous and resisitant to flow, meaning that there is often a huge build up of pressure, which can result in very violent and dangerous eruptions involving ash and pyroclastic flow. This can pose a a serious hazard. Pyroclastic flowsa are extremely dense, containing toxic gases at very high temperatures, and can move at speeds over 100km/h. The consequences of such an unpredictable hazard can be extremely seruous

Volcanoes can be found throughout the entire world and are formed when there is a rupture in the mantle of the Earth's crust. This effect allows the output of volcanic lava, ash, and various types of gases. These tectonic plate breaks are normal, the planet Earth is divided into 17 tectonic plates and consistently move against each other forming shifts from low to high intensity. It can cause displacement of earth or water.

Volcanoes are one of the most destructive, yet, most beautiful things on Earth. They can make a famous city choke in its own ashes in one day, like Pompeii. Or they can turn a once damaging mountain into a graceful and peaceful home for new life, like Mount St. Helen’s. All volcanoes are unique, and no two are the same. Some erupt differently than others, some look different than others, and all are located in different spots all over the world. I learned this while completing the project and the five volcanoes I researched are examples of my discoveries. The five volcanoes I researched were Mount Hood, Mount Mageik, Long Island, Mount Muria, and Las Pilas.

The location of the volcano is also important. If it is situated on a constructive plate boundary then it is generally less explosive, and therefore poses different threats to volcanoes situated on a destructive plate boundary. The volcano may also be situated on a hotspot like in Hawaii, where the eruptions aren’t very explosive. Volcanos which aren’t explosive can pose other threats to lava flows though, such as dangerous gases being released. Like in Lake Nyos, Cameroon where 1700 people died.

Feel free to stretch, it's been a long ride. We will be stopping by a restaurant later to get some lunch. In front of you, you can see Humphreys Peak, the tallest mountain in the San Francisco Peaks. The San Francisco Peaks is actually a volcanic mountain range and is part of the San Francisco volcanic field. The peaks were once a stratovolcano but is now eroded and are the remains of the volcano. It is the only stratovolcano in the San Francisco Volcanic Field. The tallest mountain, Humphreys Peak, is about twelve thousand, six hundred and thirty-three feet in elevation, which is also three thousand, eight hundred and fifty-one meters tall. In fact, Humphreys Peak is the tallest point in all of Arizona. Also in this area, are more than six hundred volcanoes. Most of the volcanoes found here are basalt cinder cones. These volcanoes are relatively small. They are also usually less than one thousand feet in elevation. Another fact about these basalt cinder cones is that they are formed within a range of a couple of months to a couple of years. The San Francisco Volcanic Field also has several lava domes. Lava domes are formed by dacite and rhyolite magmas. Both of those types of magma are very rich and high in silica. So, as a result, the dacite and rhyolite magmas are very viscous and thick. As a matter of fact, the magmas are so viscous is thick that when volcanoes erupt, the magma tends to pile up and form very steep sided masses, which are the domes.

The Earth’s outer crust is made up many tectonic plates that move over the surface of the planet. When the plates come collide, volcanoes will form sometime (National Ocean Service). Volcanoes can also form in the middle of a plate, where magma rises upward until it erupts on the sea floor, at what is called a “hot spot” (National Ocean Service). A hot spot is a plume of magma or molten rock that rises from within the Earth then reaches the surface forming underwater volcanoes which may grow tall enough to

A volcano is defined as a mountain or hill that usually has a cup like crater at the summit. A volcano can be compared to a vent in the earths crust through which lava, ashes and steam are expelled (Volcano, n.d.). There are three main types of volcanoes that scientist have discovered active, dormant, and extinct (howstuffworks.com). Active volcanoes are the ones which have erupted recently, or are expected to blow soon (howstuffworks.com). For example Kilauea volcano on Hawaii is the world’s most active volcano (volcanodiscovery.com). A dormant volcano is one that hasn’t erupted in a long while but has a chance erupt again in the future (howstuffworks.com). Best example there is of a dormant volcano is Mauna Kea which is one of the five mountains that make up the big island of Hawaii (Crain, 2009). And extinct volcanoes are the ones that erupted thousands of years ago and has no possibility of erupting again (howstuffworks.com). An extinct volcano is mount Buninyong which is located in Austria the last time this volcano erupted was a little over ten centuries ago and is now somewhat a tourist attraction.

Wizard Island's shape and characteristics makes it classified as a cinder cone, a type of volcano that has a

What is a volcano: A volcano is a mountain created by the earth. It also creates a hole where molten rock (lava) erupts. A volcano is filled of magma but when the magma erupts and is out of the volcano it is now called lava. When a volcano erupts it fills the air with lava fragments. A volcano can cause a lot of destruction like tsunamis, flash floods, mudflows, rockfalls, and earthquakes. Most volcanoes are located where the tectonic plates meet. Most

The active volcano that I chose to research is Popocatepetl volcano. Popocatepetl volcano is an active volcano located in Mexico. The volcano is oftentimes referred to as “El Popo” by many Mexicans. El Popo is a composite cone volcano. Being a composite cone volcano, El Popo is characterized by a steep cone shape, which was created by many composite layers of material pouring out over numerous eruptions. The lava that comes out of El Popo is extremely viscous. The highly viscous lava does not travel very far, and typically cools down rapidly. Scientists believe that El Popo is about 730,000 years old. It has erupted more than 15 times since 1519. In 1994 El Popo produced gas and ash, which caused nearby towns to evacuate. The toxic

There are many different types of volcanoes in the United States. Composite, Ciner and Shield are the three types of volcanoes. Over the history of Hawaii, covering about 85 million years, there have been 129 volcanoes formed due to the hot spot and of that 129, 123 of them are extinct or seamounts. In Hawaii today, there are currently five active volcanoes, Lo'ihi, Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai and Haleakala. Lo'ihi is the only underwater volcano in Hawaii; the other four volcanoes are above sea level. Kilauea is a hyperactive shield type volcano. Volcanoes are mainly found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. The Mid Ocean Ridge is an example of divergent tectonic plates pulling apart, where the Ring of Fire is an example of convergent tectonic plates pushing together. Hawaii today is comprised of many different volcanoes with several different volcano types.

Some of these landforms are shield volcanoes, cinder cone volcanoes, composite volcanoes, and lava plateaus. Another landform that can also be created is a caldera, which results from the collapse of a volcanic mountain. When thin layers of lava harden on a wide, gently sloping mountain, a shield volcano is formed. Volcanoes that are high in lava may produce ash, cinders, and bombs. These materials form a cone-shaped hill around the vent. This is called a cinder cone. When volcanoes alternate between lava and ash, cinder, and bombs, a composite volcano is formed. According to the California Earth Science Textbook, “Composite volcanoes are tall, cone-shaped mountains in which layers of lava alternate with layers of ash.” The volcano gets a pattern of different colors because of

This is only a general overview of the inner workings of volcanoes and their eruptions. For more infomation, visit Volcano World -- The Premier Source of Volcano Info on the Web.