VOLCANOES
Lesson 1:
Introduction to Volcanoes
and Their Types
VOLCANO
LAVA
CRUST
SUMMIT
RING OF FIRE
■ Geomorphology – is the study of
landforms and the processes that shape
them. There are three primary geologic
forces that continually alter the planet’s
surface: diastrophism, erosion,
volcanism
■ Diastrophism – vertical and horizontal
movement of the crust that produces the
mountains.
■ Erosion – physical
removal of rock or
wearing down of
landmasses by
geomorphic agent.
■ Volcanism (volcanicity) –
phenomenon related to various processes
associated with the surface discharge of
magma or hot water and steams.
Examples of Volcanism
■ Geyser – a rare kind of hot
spring that is under pressure
and erupts, sending jets of
water and steam into the air.
They are made from a tube-
like hole filled with water in
the Earth's surface that runs
deep into the crust.
Examples of Volcanism
■ Fumaroles – openings in the
earth's surface that emit steam
and volcanic gases, such as
sulfur dioxide and carbon
dioxide. They can occur as
holes, cracks, or fissures near
active volcanoes or in areas
where magma has risen into the
earth's crust without erupting.
Examples of Volcanism
■ Hot Springs – a hydrothermal
spring, or geothermal spring is a
spring produced by the emergence
of geothermally heated
groundwater onto the surface of
the Earth. The groundwater is
heated either by shallow bodies of
magma or by circulation through
faults to hot rock deep in the
Earth's crust.
Examples of Volcanism
■ Volcano – a landform
that is typically conical
and has a crater and vent
through which lava, hot
gases, steam, and rock
fragments are or have
been erupted through
the Earth’s crust.
Ring of Fire
■ also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt
■ a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active
volcanoes and frequent earthquakes
■ has length of approximately 40,000 kilometers (24,900 miles)
■ traces the boundaries between several tectonic plates
■ more than 75% of Earth’s volcanoes are located along the Ring of
Fire
■ 90% of earthquakes occur in this zone
■ spans across North America, South America, Australia, and Asia
Features of a Volcano
■ Cone – most striking part of the volcano
■ Vent – an opening in the surface of the Earth through which
volcanic materials can escape
■ Magma chamber – a large underground pool of liquid rock
found beneath the surface of the Earth
■ Crater – the mouth of a volcano, which surrounds the vent
■ Caldera – a volcanic depression much larger than the
original crater
■ Lava – liquid rock that flows out from a volcano
Features of a Volcano
■ Magma – a runny or viscous liquid rock inside a volcano
■ Dikes – the barrier or obstacles in a volcano
■ Sills – solidified lava flows that originally forced their way
between and parallel to older layer of rocks
■ Conduit – an underground passage which magma travels
through
■ Flank – the side of a volcano
■ Summit – it is the highest or topmost part of the volcano
Features of a Volcano
■ Throat – entrance to the volcano from where lava and
volcanic ash are ejected
■ Ash cloud – a cloud of ash formed by volcanic explosions
■ Volcanic bombs – the chunks of lava blasted into the air
which solidify before reaching the ground
■ Pyroclastic flow – fast moving currents of hot gases and
rock travelling downhill from a volcano
■ Tephra fall – fragmented material that consists of pumice,
scoria, lithic materials, or crystals
■ Lahar – flowing mixture of volcanic debris and water
Types of Volcanoes
▪ CINDER CONES (scoria
cone)
Cinder cones are simple
volcanoes which have a bowl-
Taal Volcano (Batangas, Philippines)
shaped crater at the summit
and steep sides. They only
grow to about a thousand feet,
the size of a hill and usually
are created of eruptions from a
single opening.
Mauna Kea (American island of Hawaii)
Types of Volcanoes
▪ COMPOSITE VOLCANO
(stratovolcano)
Composite volcanoes are tall,
Mayon Volcano (Bicol, Philippines)
symmetrically shaped, with
steep sides, sometimes rising
10,000 feet high. They are
built of alternating layers of
lava flows, volcanic ash, and
cinders.
Mt. Fuji (Japan)
Types of Volcanoes
▪ SHIELD VOLCANO
Shield volcanoes are usually
constructed almost entirely of
basaltic or andesitic lava flows Mt. Kanlaon (Negros Occidental)
which were very fluid when
erupted. They are built by
repeated eruptions that
occurred over vast periods of
time. Shield volcanoes are
much wider than they are tall. Mt. Karthala (Africa)
Types of Volcanoes
▪ VOLCANIC DOMES (lava
dome)
Domes form from the slow extrusion
of highly-viscous silicic lava. These
lavas are too thick to spread out into
a lava flow. Most domes are small,
and many do not have a crater. Some
dome-forming eruptions start with
Mount St. Helens Lava Dome (Washington)
highly explosive eruptions that wane
into dome-building ones as the gas
content in the magma decreases.
Types of Volcanoes
▪ SUPERVOLCANOES
A supervolcano is a volcano
that has had an eruption with
a Volcanic Explosivity Index of
8, the largest recorded value
on the index. This means the
volume of deposits for such an
Toba (Indonesia)
eruption is greater than 1,000
cubic kilometers.
Types of Volcanoes
▪ SUBMARINE VOLCANO
(underwater mountain)
Submarine volcanoes are
exactly what they sound like—
volcanoes located beneath the
ocean's surface. Because they
erupt into water instead of air,
Banua Wuhu (Indonesia)
submarine volcanoes behave
quite differently than terrestrial
volcanoes.
Types of Volcanoes
▪ SUBGLACIAL VOLCANO
(glaciovolcano)
A volcanic form produced by
subglacial eruptions or
eruptions beneath the surface
of a glacier or ice sheet which is
then melted into a lake by the
rising lava.
1 VOLCANIC 6
ASH CLOUD BOMBS
2 VENT CRATER 7
3 THROAT CONE 8
4 PYROCLASTIC SILLS 9
FLOW
5 MAGMA MAGMA CHAMBER 10
LAVA DOME
CINDER CONE
SHIELD
VOLCANO
SUBGLACIAL
VOLCANO
COMPOSITE
VOLCANO
SUBMARINE
VOLCANO
Lesson 2:
Volcanic Eruption
Classifications of Volcanic Eruption
Magmatic Eruption
▪ HAWAIIAN
A type of volcanic eruption
where lava flows from the vent
in a relatively gentle, low level
eruption; it is so named
because it is characteristic of
Hawaiian volcanoes.
Magmatic Eruption
▪ STROMBOLIAN
are moderately explosive
eruptions of basaltic magma
with moderate gas content.
Strombolian eruptions consist
of intermittent, discrete
explosive bursts which eject
pyroclasts as high as hundreds
of feet into the air in firework-
like incandescent rooster-tails.
Magmatic Eruption
▪ VULCANIAN
are moderately explosive but
intermittent, producing
moderate ash columns.
Vulcanian eruptions are
propelled by exsolution of
volatiles in magmas beneath a
solidified plug of lava.
Magmatic Eruption
▪ PELEAN
A Pelean eruption is
associated with explosive
outbursts that generate
pyroclastic flows, dense
mixtures of hot
volcanic fragments and gas
described in the section
Lava, gas, and other hazards.
Magmatic Eruption
▪ PLINIAN
are extremely explosive
eruptions, producing ash
columns that extend many tens
of miles into the stratosphere
and that spread out into an
umbrella shape. These large
eruptions produce widespread
deposits of fallout ash.
Phreatomagmatic Eruption
▪ SURTSEYAN
is an explosive style of volcanic
eruption that takes place in
shallow seas or lakes when
rapidly rising and fragmenting
hot magma interacts explosively
with water and with water-
steam-tephra slurries.
Phreatomagmatic Eruption
▪ SUBMARINE
are those volcanic eruptions
which take place beneath the
surface of water. These occur at
constructive margins,
subduction zones and within
tectonic plates due to hotspots.
This eruption style is far more
prevalent than subaerial activity.
Phreatomagmatic Eruption
▪ SUBGLACIAL
ice-covered volcanoes, result in
the interaction of magma with
ice and snow, leading to
meltwater formation and lahars.
Flooding associated with
meltwater is a significant hazard
in some volcanic areas.
Phreatic Eruption
The phreatic eruption is one type
of volcanic eruption when
magma heats up groundwater or
surface water or both and vapor
is released with intense pressure
along with ash, and rock. It may
reach up to 7 kilometers high. In
phreatic eruption, no new lava
erupts.
Devices use to monitor and record the
behavior of a mountain
▪ Tilt meter – to measure the expansion of a
volcano
▪ Seismometers – to record the motion of
ground
▪ Thermometers – to check the temperature of
the surrounding area
▪ Gas detectors – to measure the amount of
volcanic gas
Commonly observed signs that a volcano is
about to erupt
▪ Increase of frequency of volcanic quakes with
rumbling sounds, occurrence of volcanic tremors,
and steaming activity with a change in color of
steam emission from white to gray due to
entrained ash.
▪ Occurrence of crater glow due to the presence of
magma at/or near the crater, while the ground
swells, tilts, and fissures due to magma intrusion.
Commonly observed signs that a volcano is
about to erupt
▪ Localized landslides, rock falls, and landslides
from the summit area not attributable to heavy
rains.
▪ Noticeable increase in the extent of drying up
vegetation around the volcano’s upper slopes and
variation in the chemical content of springs and
crater lakes within the vicinity of the volcano.
Commonly observed signs that a volcano is
about to erupt
▪ Increase in the temperature of hot springs, wells,
and crater lakes near the volcano; drying up of
springs or wells around the volcano.
▪ Development of new thermal areas and/or
reactivation of old ones’ appearance of solfataras.
Preparing for Volcanic Eruptions
BEFORE A VOLCANIC ERUPTION
▪ Review your family preparedness plan.
▪ Establish a family communications plan.
▪ Assemble a disaster supply kit.
▪ Have a family evacuation plan in place.
Preparing for Volcanic Eruptions
DURING A VOLCANIC ERUPTION
If you are indoors:
▪ Listen to weather radio or TV for updated information.
▪ Be prepared to evacuate and do so immediately if necessary.
▪ Avoid areas downwind and river valleys downstream from the volcano.
▪ Close all windows and doors (bring any pets or livestock into closed
shelters).
If you are outdoors:
▪ Seek shelter indoors immediately.
▪ Avoid low-lying areas and streams.
▪ If caught in a rock fall, roll into a ball to protect your head.
▪ Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants and if necessary, along with
goggles and a mask.
Preparing for Volcanic Eruptions
AFTER A VOLCANIC ERUPTION
▪ Continue listening to a weather radio or TV for the latest
information.
▪ Remain inside your home until officials declare it is safe to leave.
Inspect your home:
▪ Check for damage to walls, the roof, the foundation, the electrical
system and water lines.
▪ Notify your insurance company if your home is damaged.
▪ When outside, avoid volcanic ash fall. Cover your skin, nose, eyes
and mouth.
▪ Clear roofs of ash fall. Ash can be very heavy and cause roofs to
collapse.
▪ Avoid making phone calls except in serious emergencies.
