VOLCANISM

•80% of the earths crust is composed of volcanic rocks

•Volcanism: the process by which magma from the
interior of the earth rises through the crust, emerges onto
the surface as lava, and cools into volcanic rock
Anatomy of a volcano
 Types of lava (based on silica content)
•felsic, andesitic, mafic
Types of Volcanic Deposits
•Basaltic: Flood Basalts

Different Layers
of Basalt
Types of Volcanic Deposits (cont)

•Basaltic: Pahoehoe,
Aa,
Pillow lava

•Rhyolitic
•Andesitic
Textures
glassy, vesicular (related to cooling rates and gas content)
Explosive vs. Gentle Eruptions
 Explosive vs. Gentle Eruptions
Pyroclastic Deposits
•Air fall or tephra
•Ejecta: ash, tuffs and breccias, bombs
•Pyroclastic Flows
•Surge – directed blast of hot material
•nuée ardante (glowing cloud)
•Mudflow
•lahar
Landforms and Eruptive Styles
1. Shield Volcanoes
i. gentle eruptions consisting of basaltic lavas
ii. low silica and low viscosity
iii. fissure eruptions and flood basalts
iv. example: Mauna Loa
Volcanic Domes
i. explosive eruptions consisting of felsic volcanism
ii. high silica and high viscosity
iii. ash flows
iv. example: Mount St. Helens (1980)
Cinder-Cones Volcanoes
i. pyroclastic eruptions
Composite Volcanoes (stratovolcano)
i. alternating lava and pyroclastic eruptions
Craters
i. central depression at the summit of most volcanoes
Calderas (collapsed craters)
Other Volcanic Features
1. diatremes
2. fumaroles, hot springs, geysers
Plate Tectonics and Volcanism
Plate Tectonics and Volcanism (cont)
1. Spreading zone volcanism: basalts
2. Convergence zone volcanism: Ring of Fire
i. OC-OC convergence: basalts
and occasional andesites
ii. OC-CC convergence: ash and rhyolite
3. Interplate volcanism
4. Hot Spot Activity
Benefits of Volcanism
• atmosphere, oceans, land masses, soil, geothermal
uses