Types of volcanoes Flashcards
What is the shape like of a composite volcano?
steep sided
What are eruptions like from a composite volcano?
- pyroclastic flows
- explosive
- high viscosity lava
Where are composite volcanoes found?
destructive plate margins
What is the shape like of a shield volcano?
low & gentle sloping sides
What are the eruptions like at a shield volcano?
- non explosive
- fast flowing lava
- frequent but gentle
Where are shield volcanoes usually found?
constructive plate boundaries
How was Hawaii formed?
from a hotspot
What is a hotspot?
a fixed area of volcanic activity where magma rises from a mantle plume
What plate moves west over the plume and what does it cause?
the pacific plate moves west, and huge amounts of basaltic lava have accumulated forming the chain islands
What happens as the plate moves further away from the hotspot?
the volcanoes become less active as they loose their source of magma
What is lava like at Hawaiian hotspots?
-basaltic with low gas/silica content
