Volcanoes Key words Flashcards
Volcano
An opening in the ground/crack in the crust from which magma, ash, gas & smoke erupts. Often looks like a mountain.
Volcanic bomb
A large piece of molten rock erupted from a volcano.
Main vent
The main underground crack in the rock through which the magma erupts.
Crater
The opening at the top of a volcano.
Magma chamber
The area deep under a volcano where the mega builds up.
Active
A volcano which is erupting or has erupted in the recent past.
Dormant volcano
A volcano that is sleeping or may erupt soon.
Extinct
A volcano which will never erupt again.
Cone shaped volcano
A tall steep sided volcano built up of layers of rock & ash from past eruptions.
Shield volcano
A wide low lying volcano formed when the lava is very runny.
Lava/lava flow
Magma which has been erupted, so on the surface of the earth.
Magma
Molten (liquid) rock found under the crust of the earth.
Mantle
The layer of molten rock found between the crust & the core.
Pyroclastic flow
A super-heated cloud of gas, smoke & rocks erupted from a volcano.
Lahar
A volcanic mud flow.
Tectonic plate
A large chunk or slab of the earth’s crust.
Plate boundary
The crack/gap between two tectonic plates where they meet.
Crust
The solid outer layer of the earth.
Core
The inner, hottest part of the Earth
Destructive plate boundary
When two tectonic plates crash into each other. One plate if forced down under the other plate. Causes violent earthquakes & volcanoes.
Constructive plate boundary
Formed when two tectonic plates move apart & a volcano erupts between the plates. Causes volcanoes.
Fold mountain
Mountains created when two tectonic plates crash into each other
Ocean trench
A deep part of the ocean found along a destructive plate boundary.
Pacific Ring of fire
A destructive plate boundary found all the way around the Pacific Ocean containing lots of active volcanoes.
