TYPES OF VOLCANO ERUPTIONS Flashcards
DESCRIPTION:
Volcanic eruptions produce runny lava that floods the Earth’s surface through long cracks called fissures, which can be up to 15 miles long.
EXAMPLES:
The Deccan Plateau in India and the Columbia Plateau in the western United States are both large. Lava plateaus. The Deccan Plateau covers 100,0.00 square mites while the Columbia Plateau is the largest lava plateau in the world.
ICELANDIC ERUPTION
DESCRIPTION:
Volcanic eruptions characterized by numerous fissures result in large quantities of hot, thin, and runny lava that flows rapidly out of the main vent.
EXAMPLE:
Kilauea, located on the Big Island of Hawaii
HAWAIIAN ERUPTION
DESCRIPTION:
Short, explosive eruptions shoot thick and pasty lava, steam, and gas into the air, producing little to no lava. The resulting steep-sided cone is called a cinder cone.
EXAMPLES:
Named after the volcanic island of Stromboli near Italy, eruptions have been occurring almost continuously for centuries. Due to its frequent eruptions, Stromboli is often referred to as the “Lighthouse of the Mediterranean,” as it erupts approximately every 20 minutes.
STROMBOLIAN ERUPTION
DESCRIPTION:
Produce high dark clouds of steam, ash, and gas, which build a cauliflower-shaped head and a thinner, tree trunk-like base. After this, thick pasty lava is ejected. These eruptions usually build a steep-sided cone that is more symmetrical than a cinder cone.
EXAMPLES:
Krakatoa (Krakatau) in Indonesia, and Katla in Iceland
VULCANIAN ERUPTION
DESCRIPTION:
Violent explosion resulting in the collapse of the volcano’s summit and the release of a destructive pyroclastic flow. This flow is a rapid and destructive mixture of hot ash, gas, and rocks that annihilates everything in its path.
EXAMPLES:
Mount Pelée in Martinique, and Soufrière Hills in Montserrat
PELEAN ERUPTION
DESCRIPTION:
The most powerful eruption type, with a towering ash cloud reaching up to 50,000 feet (about 10 miles) in height, and extremely dangerous pyroclastic flows.
EXAMPLES:
Mt. Vesuvius in Pompei, and Mount
St.Helens in United States
PLINIAN ERUPTION
Description:
The most common type of volcanic cone, first the volcano will have an explosive eruption that ejects huge amounts of steam, gas, and
ash followed by the ejection of lava. They are created from a combination of eruptions forming layers of ash and lava.
EXAMPLES:
• Mt. Fuji in Japan
• Mt. Etna in Sicily
STRATOVOLCANOES ERUPTION
