L8: Volcanoes Flashcards
What are the different manifestations of volcanic matter?
- Central eruptions
- Pyroclastic flows
- Phreatic explosions
- Fissure eruptions
- Diatremes
List the types of central eruptions
- Shield volcanoes
- Volcanic domes
- Cinder cone volcanoes
- Composite volcanoes
- Craters/calderas
Shield volcanoes
- Basaltic lavas are relatively silica-poor (45-50% silica) therefore its less viscous compared to more silica-rich andesitic and rhyolitic lavas
- Build relatively broad, shield-shaped volcanoes (large circumference, low diameter)
- Individual lava flow = thin; build up and can make it thick
Volcanic dome
- Viscous, silica rich (70%) lava – usually rhyolite and or andesitic, otherwise generally cooler lava
- Flows less readily, these lavas pile up close to the vent and can contribute to the building of compact, high peaks
Cinder-cone volcano
- Formed entirely of pyroclastic materials that accumulate around the volcanic vent
- Silica magmas = more viscous
- Materials fall symmetrically to form a cone shape; steep sides w/ larger fragments falling towards the middle finer fragments carried further to form gentle slopes near the base of the cone
- Its short so that’s indicative of short duration of activity
Stratovolcano
- Aka composite volcanoes
- Comprise alternating pyroclastic layers and lava flows
- Grow larger than both dome and cinder cones – have slopes of intermediate steepness
- Characterized by intermittent eruptions over a long-time span, making them among the most dangerous
- Gas-laden and andesitic in composition, the magma can accumulate in significant reservoirs in subduction zones
Caldera
- “Craters”
- Form in depressions of volcanoes after an eruption by the recession of lava down the vent
- Erosion contributes significantly to the crater size
- The magma chamber below may not survive an eruption so the roof collapses to form a caldera
What are resurgent calderas?
- May see resumed activity, being one of the most destructive natural phenomena known
- Ex. under Yellowstone
What are the stages in a caldera?
1: Fresh magma fills a magma chamber and triggers a volcanic eruption
2: The eruption continues and the magma chamber becomes partly depleted
3: Mountain summit collapses into the empty chamber, forming a caldera. Large pyroclastic flows accompany the collapse, blanketing the caldera and a surrounding area of hundreds of square kms
4. A lake forms in the caldera. As the residual magma in the chamber cools, minor eruptive activity continues in the form of hot springs and gas emissions. A small volcanic cone forms in the caldera
What are pyroclastic flows?
- AKA Nuee Ardente
- Mixtures of hot springs, gas, and rocks (pyroclasts) can form a super-heated and dense current capable of moving 200 km/hr
What is pyroclastic flow?
Because solids are buoyed up on a layer of hot gas so that there’s little frictional resistance. These flows are generated during some violent eruptions, during which molten material often cools before falling to Earth
What occurs when water meets magma?
Turns to superheated steam
Phreatic Eruptions
- The result of excessive subsurface pressure due to steam build-up, akin to an exploding boiler
- Ex. 1883 island of Krakatoa
What are fissure eruptions?
- Highly fluid basaltic lava may flow out of fissures, rather than a single pipe or vent, constituting a “fissure eruption”
- Provides majority of volcanic rock
- Most important occur at the spreading centres of mid-ocean ridges
What are large igneous provinces?
Large fissure eruptions on land