Q.

Give a geographical account of volcanism and

associated landforms.
OR
Q. Examine the origin and characterstics of various types
of volcanic landforms.
The terms volcanoes, mechanism of volca- noes and vulcanicity are
more or less synonym to common man but these have different
connotations in geology and geography.Some scientists have also used
the term of vulcanism as synonym to the term of vulcanicity. For
example, P.G. Worcester (1948) has maintained that 'vulcanism
includes all phenomena connected with the move- ment of heated
material from the interior to or towards the surface of the earth.'

It is evident that the vulcanicity has two components which operate

below the crustal surface and above the crust. The endogenetic
mechanism of vulcanicity includes the creation of hot and liquid
megmas and gases in the mantle and the crust their expansion and
upward ascent, their intrusion, cooling and solidification in various
forms below Crustal surface (e.g. batholiths, laccoliths, sills, dykes,
lopoliths, etc.) while the exogenous mechanism includes the process of
appearance of lava, volcanic dusts and ashes, fragmental material,
mud, smoke etc. in different forms e.g. fissure flow or lava flood,
violent explosion, hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, solfatara, mud
volcanoes etc.

There is a wide range of variations in the mode of volcanic eruptions

and their periodicity Thus, volcanoes are classified on the basis of (i) the
mode of eruption and (ii) the period of eruption and the nature of their
activities.
Volcanic Landforms - Numerous types of landforms are created
due to cooling and solidification of magmas below the earth's surface
and lavas at the earth's surface and due to accumulation of fragmental
materials, dusts and ashes with lavas such as different types of volcanic
cones. The topo graphic features produced by the entire process of
vulcanicity are grouped into two broad categories viz. (1) extrusive
landform and
(ii) intrusive landform.
(1)-Extrusive landforms - Magmas that reach the surface and
solidify, form extrusive landforms.Rocks formed by either plutonic or
volcanic activity are called igneous rocks.
(i) From explosive type of eruptions
(a) Elevated forms, e.g. volcanic cones(b) Depressed forms, e.g. craters
and calderas
(ii) From fissure eruptions
(a) Lava plateaus and domes(b) Lava plains

(2)Intrusive landform- The lava that is discharged during volcanic

eruptions on cooling develops into igneous rocks.The cooling may take
place either on arriving on the surface or also while the lava is still in
the crustal portion.

According to the location of the cooling of the lava, igneous rocks are
categorized as plutonic rocks and volcanic rocks.

The lava that cools inside the crustal portions takes diverse forms.
These forms are called intrusive forms.
Batholiths- Batholiths are the cooled portion of magma chambers.It is a
large body of magmatic material that cools in the deeper depth of the
crust molds in the form of large domes.They appear on the surface only
after the denudation processes eliminate the overlying materials.

Laccoliths- These are large dome-shaped intrusive bodies with a level

base and linked by a pipe-like channel from below.The Karnataka
plateau is patterned with dome hills of granite rocks.

Lopolith- When the lava moves upwards, a part of the same tends to
move in a horizontal direction wherever it finds a weak plane.It can get
rested in various forms. If it develops into a saucer shape, concave to
the sky body, it is called lopolith.

Phacolith- It is a wavy mass of intrusive rocks found at the base of

synclines or the top of the anticline in the folded igneous country.These
wavy materials have a definite outlet to source beneath in the form of
magma cavities.

Sills- The near horizontal bodies of the intrusive igneous rocks are called
sillThe thick horizontal deposits are called sills whereas the thinner
ones are called sheets.

Dykes- Dykes are the most commonly found intrusive forms in the
western Maharashtra area.When the lava makes its channel through
cracks and the fissures, it solidifies almost perpendicular to the ground.