BY:

ROMIT
SHASHANK CHAUHAN
KAVIRAJ
 What is a volcano?
 A volcano is a place on the
vent Earth’s surface where hot,
molten rock (called magma)
breaks through.
 It is a vent or 'chimney'
cone that connects molten rock
(magma) from within the
Earth’s crust to the Earth's
surface.
conduit  The volcano includes the
surrounding cone of
erupted material.

magma
chamber
How and why do volcanoes erupt?
 Hot, molten rock (magma) is buoyant (has a lower density
than the surrounding rocks) and will rise up through the crust
to erupt on the surface.
◦ Same principle as hot air rising, e.g. how a hot air balloon works
◦ At depths > 20 km the temperature = 800-1,600 degrees Celsius

 When magma reaches the surface it depends on how easily it

flows (viscosity) and the amount of gas (H2O, CO2, S) it has in
it as to how it erupts.
 Large amounts of gas and a high viscosity (sticky) magma will
form an explosive eruption!
◦ Think about shaking a carbonated drink and then releasing the cap.
 Small amounts of gas and (or) low viscosity (runny) magma
will form an effusive eruption
◦ Where the magma just trickles out of the volcano (lava flow).
How do volcanoes work?
 Heat and pressure cause rocks to melt and form magma.
 Magma needs to get out, too much pressure!!!!!!
 Rise in temperature or drop in pressure causes magma to form
faster.
How do volcanoes work? (cont.)
 Magma is forced onto
Earth’s surface.
 It dries and hardens,
this happens many
times over thousands
of years.
 Eventually a
mountain called a
volcano is formed.
 Areas of volcanism
Sub-ducting Boundaries
 Plate Sub-ducts below surface into mantle

Oceanic-Oceanic
 Volcanoes form near boundary

Mid Ocean Ridges

 Eruptions occur where plates are diverging

Hot spots
Where do most volcanoes
occur?(cont.)
 Volcanoes occur at
both divergent and
convergent
boundaries and also
at hot spots.
 Oceanic-Oceanic/Suducting

Graphic taken from:

http://147.205.15.81/geology/work/VFT-so -far/orogeny/pl.tect.html
Mid Ocean Ridges
Hot Spots

Graphic taken from:

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vw/lessons/atg.htm
 Parts of a Volcano
 Most volcanoes share a
specific set of features.

 The magma that feeds the

eruptions pools deep
underground in a structure
called a magma chamber.

 At Earth’s surface, lava is

released through openings
called vents.
 Flowing lava in the interior
travels through long, pipelike
structures known as lava
tubes.
 Magma: Molten rock beneath the surface of the
earth.
 Magma chamber: The subterranean cavity
containing the gas-rich liquid magma which feeds
a volcano.
 Conduit: A passage followed by magma in a
volcano.
 Vent: The opening at the earth's surface through
which volcanic materials issue forth.
 Cone: A volcanic cone built entirely of loose
fragmented material (pyroclastics) and (or) lava
flows erupted from the vent. Erupted material
builds up with each eruption forming the cone.
Types of volcanos:
 On the basis of Activity:

 i)Active ; ii) Dormant; ii) Extinct

 a volcano is classed as “active” if it erupts

lava, rock, gas or ash, or if it shows seismic
(earthquake) activity.
 A volcano is dormant if it hasn't erupted for
a long time (less than 1 million years) but
could again one day.
 An extinct volcano will never erupt again.
Types of Volcanoes:

 On the basis of type of erruption:

i)Explosive erruption
ii)Effussive erruption
 Explosive Eruptions
 Explosive volcanic
eruptions can be
catastrophic
 Erupt 10’s-1000’s km3 of
magma
 Send ash clouds >25 km
into the stratosphere
 Have severe Mt. Redoubt
environmental and climatic Above: Large eruption column and
effects ash cloud from an explosive
 Hazardous!!! eruption at Mt Redoubt, Alaska
Direct
measurements of
pyroclastic flows
are extremely
dangerous!!!
Effusive Eruptions

 Effusive eruptions are

characterised by
outpourings of lava on to the
ground.

Hawaii
Courtesy of www.swisseduc.ch
On the basis of External
structure:
 Shield volcano: usually form at hot
spots, from non explosive eruptions
 Cinder cone volcano: form from
explosive eruptions, very steep.
 Composite volcano: form from both
explosive and non explosive
eruptions.
 Shield volcano

 Form from many layers of “runny” lava.

 Very wide, not to steep.
 Biggest type of volcanoes
 Tallest mountain in the world is Mauna Kea
(measures from sea floor to top)
 non explosive eruptions
Mauna Kea, Hawaii
 Cinder cone volcano
 Smallest type of volcano
 Most common
 Made from pyroclastic material (material
shot out of a volcano)
 Form a large crater
 Explosive!
Paricutin, Mexico
Composite volcano:
 Eruptions alternate between explosive
and non-explosive.
 Sometimes they have runny lava
layers, other times the have
pyroclastic materials form layers.
 Have a wide base and steep sides.
 Have a crater
 Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
Some other types of volcanos
Stages of eruption:
Pyroclastic Flow

 For example,
eruption of
Vesuvius in 79
AD destroyed
the city of
Pompeii
Pyroclastic materials
 Material that is thrown into the air
during an explosion.
 Volcanic bombs: large blobs of
magma that harden in the air.
 Lapilli: pebble size rocks
 Volcanic ash: tiny powder like material
Effects of volcanic eruption

 Negative effects(destruction of
lifeforms)

 Positive effects
Volcanic Hazards

 Pyroclastic flow
 Mud flows
 Pyroclastic fall
 Lava flow
 Noxious Gas
 Earthquakes

Courtesy of www.swisseduc.ch
Pyroclastic Flow - direct impact

Courtesy of www.swisseduc.ch
Pyroclastic Flow - burial
Pyroclastic Flow - burns
Pyroclastic Flow – mudflow
 Hot volcanic activity can melt
snow and ice
 Melt water picks up rock and
debris
 Forms fast flowing, high
energy torrents
 Destroys all in its path
Pyroclastic Fall
• Ash load
– Collapses roofs
– Brings down power
lines
– Kills plants
– Contaminates water
supplies
– Respiratory hazard for
humans and animals
 Lava Flow

 It is not just explosive volcanic activity that

can be hazardous. Effusive (lava) activity
is also dangerous.
Positive effects
 provide nutrients to the surrounding
soil. Volcanic ash often contains
minerals that are beneficial to plants
 volcanic gases are the source of all
the water (and most of the
atmosphere) that we have today
Pompeii (79AD)

On August 24, 79AD Mount Vesuvius literally

blew its top, erupting tonnes of molten ash,
pumice and sulfuric gas miles into the
atmosphere. Pyroclastic flows flowed over the
city of Pompeii and surrounding areas.
 Pompeii (79AD)
Pyroclastic flows of poisonous gas and hot
volcanic debris engulfed the cities of Pompeii,
Herculaneum and Stabiae suffocating the
inhabitants and burying the buildings.
Pompeii (79AD)
The cities remained buried
and undiscovered for almost
1700 years until excavation
began in 1748. These
excavations continue today
and provide insight into life
during the Roman Empire.
 Vesuvius today

 Vesuvius remains a
hazardous volcano
with heavily populated
Naples
flanks:
◦ around 1.5 million
people live in the city
Vesuvius of Naples alone
◦ Naples is situated
approx. 30 km from
Bay of Vesuvius
Naples ◦ Pyroclastic flows can
flow up to 100 km
Courtesy of www.swisseduc.ch
from source!
Volcanic explosivity index

 The volcanic explosivity index (VEI)

was devised by Chris Newhall of
the US Geological
Survey and Stephen Self at
the University of Hawaii in 1982 to
provide a relative measure of the
explosiveness of volcanic eruptions.
 Volume of products, eruption cloud
height, and qualitative observations
are used to determine the explosivity
value.
 SUPERVOLCANO
 A supervolcano is any volcano capable of
producing a volcanic eruption with
an ejecta volume greater than
1,000 km3 (240 cu mi).
 This is thousands of times larger than normal
volcanic eruptions.
 Supervolcanoes can occur when magma in
the mantle rises into the crust from a hotspot but
is unable to break through the crust, and
pressure builds in a large and growing magma
pool until the crust is unable to contain
the pressure (this is the case for
the Yellowstone Caldera
YELLOWSTONE RIVER IN HAYDEN VALLEY
 1883 eruption of Krakatoa
The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in
the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia)
began on August 26, 1883 (with origins as
early as May of that year) and culminated
with several destructive eruptions of the
remaining caldera
 It was one of the deadliest and most
destructive volcanic events in recorded
history, with at least 36,417 deaths being
attributed to the eruption itself and
the tsunamis it created
 1883 eruption of Krakatoa(cont.)
 average Northern Hemisphere summer
temperatures fell by as much as 1.2 °C
 The eruption darkened the sky worldwide for
years
 Ships as far away as South Africa rocked as
tsunamis hit them, and the bodies of victims
were found floating in the ocean for months
after the event.
 The explosion is considered to be the loudest
sound ever heard in modern history, with
reports of it being heard up to 4,800 km from
its point of origin.
Famous volcanos around the world
Mt. Etna(active)
Mt Kilimanjaro (dormant)
 Did you know?

Mount Kilauea, in Hawaii, is the

most active volcano on Earth
because it has been erupting
since 1983!

Pumice stone, which comes from volcanoes, is very light

because it contains lot of tiny bubbles. If there are enough
bubbles, then pumice stone can float on water!

The word, ‘volcano’ comes from the name Vulcan, who was
the Roman god of fire.