How Mountains and

Volcanoes form
G R O U P 2  
How Volcanoes form
 Island Arc
A N I S L A N D A R C V O L C A N O I S A
T Y P E O F S U B D U C T I O N Z O N E
V O L C A N O .
• Island arc volcanoes occur when one plate descends, or
subducts, under another plate.
• Subduction allows water from the subducting plate to be driven
upward, off the subducting plate and into the mantle wedge.
• This lowers the melting point of the mantle, and it melts to
form magma.
• This magma will rise and leak into the crust forming a volcano.
• This process can create a chain of volcanic islands.

Examples of island arcs are the Japanese islands and the Aleutian
islands of Alaska.
 Example

C L E V E L A N D V O L C A N O ,
A L E U T I A N I S L A N D S .
Island Arc
 Hot Spots
A B O U T F I V E P E R C E N T O F A L L K N O W N
V O L C A N O E S F O R M I N T H E M I D D L E O F
P L AT E S , N O T AT T H E I R E D G E S . T H E S E
I N T R A P L AT E V O L C A N O E S A R E C A U S E D
B Y H O T S P O T S , U N U S U A L LY H O T A R E A S
D E E P W I T H I N T H E E A R T H .

M A G M A R I S E S F R O M T H E H O T S P O T S
A N D E R U P T S A S L AVA T H R O U G H C R A C K S
I N T H E E A R T H ' S S U R F A C E F O R M I N G
V O L C A N O E S .

A S A P L AT E M O V E S S L O W LY A C R O S S A
H O T S P O T , A C H A I N O F V O L C A N O E S O R
V O L C A N I C I S L A N D S C A N F O R M
Example

H AWA I I
Hot Spots
Spreading Centers
V O L C A N O E S C A L L E D R I F T V O L C A N O E S A R E
F O R M E D I N S P R E A D I N G C E N T E R S . I N T H E S E
Z O N E S , P L AT E S M O V E A WA Y F R O M E A C H
O T H E R , D E C R E A S I N G T H E P R E S S U R E O N T H E
U N D E R L Y I N G M A N T L E , A L L O W I N G I T T O R I S E
A N D M E L T , F O R M I N G M A G M A . S P R E A D I N G
C E N T E R S C A N B E F O U N D U N D E R T H E S E A O R
O N L A N D .

O N L A N D
W H E N S P R E A D I N G C E N T E R S D E V E L O P W I T H I N
C O N T I N E N T S , T H E Y F O R M N E W P L A T E
B O U N D A R I E S A N D T R I G G E R V O L C A N I C
A C T I V I T Y . S P R E A D I N G M A Y H AV E C R E A T E D
E A S T A F R I C A ' S V O L C A N I C G R E A T R I F T
VA L L E Y .
Spreading
Centers
 Continental Arc
W H E N T W O P L A T E S C O M E T O G E T H E R , O N E O F T H E
P L A T E S M A Y S L I D E U N D E R A N O T H E R I N A
P R O C E S S C A L L E D S U B D U C T I O N .

• H E A T F R O M D E E P I N T H E E A R T H M E L T S R O C K
I N T H E D E S C E N D I N G P L A T E . A T T H E S A M E
T I M E , W A T E R I S D R I V E N F R O M T H E
S U B D U C T I N G S L A B I N T O T H E O V E R L Y I N G
M A N T L E W E D G E , L O W E R I N G T H E M E L T I N G
P O I N T O F T H E M A N T L E , A N D M E L T I N G I T T O
F O R M M A G M A .

• T H E M O L T E N R O C K R I S E S T H R O U G H T H E P L A T E
A B O V E I T A N D C A N B U R S T O U T O F T H E
S U R F A C E O F T H E E A R T H A S L A V A , G R A D U A L L Y
F O R M I N G A V O L C A N O .

• S U B D U C T I O N V O L C A N O E S T E N D T O B E
E X P L O S I V E S T R A T O V O L C A N O E S . H U N D R E D S O F
V O L C A N O E S R I S E F R O M S U B D U C T I O N Z O N E S
E N C I R C L I N G T H E P A C I F I C O C E A N . T H I S
F A M O U S B E L T I S K N O W N A S T H E R I N G O F F I R E
 Example

V O L C A N O E S O F B R O M O N A T I O N A L
P A R K , J A V A , I N D O N E S I A .
Continental Arc
How Mountains are formed
 How mountains are formed

M O U N TA I N S F O R M W H E R E
T W O C O N T I N E N TA L P L AT E S
C O L L I D E . S I N C E B O T H
P L AT E S H AV E A S I M I L A R
T H I C K N E S S A N D W E I G H T,
N E I T H E R O N E W I L L S I N K
U N D E R T H E O T H E R .
I N S T E A D , T H E Y C R U M P L E
A N D F O L D U N T I L T H E R O C K S
A R E F O R C E D U P T O F O R M A
M O U N TA I N R A N G E