VOLCANOES

WHAT IS VOLCANOES?

• A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass

object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and
gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic
plates are diverging or converging, and most are found
underwater.
I.INTRODUCTION

• The Philippines is located along the Ring of Fire. As a

result, it is a home to many volcanoes. The most famous
among our volcanoes is the Mayon Volcano that has erupted
last May 7, 2013 while a group of hikers were exploring its
beauty
Did you know that mayon volcano is one of the worlds
most active volcanoes and it is very popular because of its
perfect cone.
• Who could forget the terrible eruption of the Pinatubo Volcano in
1992 after 600 years of inactivity? Based on statistics, in the first
five years following the eruption, lahars destroyed the homes of
more than 100,000 people. Lahars also covered about 120,000
hectares with sediment to an average depth of about one meter, and
floods spread rock debris over a larger area. The eruption also
affected other countries as its emissions in the atmosphere lowered
the air temperature.
• According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(PHIVOLCS), our country is an ideal site for any volcanic activity. It
is therefore, important for us to know how this natural phenomenon
happens to reduce the risks and effects it may cause.
IV.READING RESOURCES AND
INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES

• In Grade 8, you have learned about the relationship between

the occurrence of earthquakes and the location of the
Philippines along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Due to its
location, the Philippines is a home to many volcanoes. This
module will guide you through the study of volcanism in the
Philippines.
WHAT IS VOLCANO?

• Since you were in elementary have heard about volcanoes.

But do you know what a volcano is? To find out, let's do the
following activity.
• In Activity 1, you have described what a volcano is. The next
thing to do is to classify them. Do you have an idea how they
are classified? Let's find out in the next activity.
CLASSIFICATION OF VOLCANOES

• There are several ways by which volcanoes can be

classified. PHIVOLCS have adapted a system where the
Philippine volcanoes as active or inactive. Active volcanoes
are those that have a record of eruption within the last 600
years or those that erupted 10,000 years ago based on
analyses of their materials.
• Inactive volcanoes, on the other hand, are those that have not erupted
for the last 10,000 years and their physical form is being changed by
agents of weathering and erosion through formation of deep and long
gullies
• According to PHIVOLCS, our country has more than a hundred
volcanoes as of 2013. Twenty-three are active while the rest are
inactive. Some of these volcanoes will be mentioned in the next
activity.
Perform the next activity to classify the volcanoes according to their record
of eruption.
 Now that you have differentiated an active volcano from an inactive one, the
next question could be:what causes volcanoes to erupt?lets find out in the next.

In the activity, you have seen the effect of temperature on the amount of gas that
can be produced in a liquid. How does this affect the pressure inside the bottle?
What is the role of pressure in the setup?
• Let us relate this concept to what is happening inside the volcano.
Magma inside the volcano has high temperature. As the magma is
continuously heated, it goes up. As it rises, gas bubbles are
developed. The gas bubbles are trapped and expanded causing the
molten material to swell also, resulting in a gradual increase in
pressure within the volcano. When the pressure exceeds the strength
of the overlying rock, fracturing occurs. The resulting breaks lead to a
further drop in confining pressure, which in turn causes even more
gas bubbles to form.
• Lava may appear to be the primary material ejected from a volcano,
but this is not always the case. Aside from lava, broken rocks, lava
bombs, fine ash and dust are also ejected. Does this have any effect on
the volcanic shape? Let's find out how.
 VOLCANIC LANDFORMS AND ERUPTIVE
STYLES

• Volcanoes come in different shapes and sizes, and each

structure has a unique history of eruption. However,
volcanologists have been able to classify them according to
their landforms and eruptive patterns. We have considered
the three general volcanic types according to the shape of
their cones, namely: shield volcanoes,cinder cones, and
composite cones.
Before we go further,lets discuss the external parts of a volcano.
Fig.4. Parts of Volcano
• A volcano usually has a summit, slope , and base. At the summit,there
is an opening which may either be a crater or caldera.A crater is a
funnel-shaped opening at the top of a volcano while a caldera is
formed when a part of the wall collapses following explosive eruption
as shown in the figure 5. A volcano can have one crater, like Mayon
Volcano, or more than one, like Taal Volcano that has 47 craters.
CRATER

Fig 5. A crater and caldera

• Volcanic activity can be very fascinating. After an explosive eruption, a scenic
cone-shaped structure may be produced or changes on its slope can be
observed. The emissions of a volcano provide us with clues on what materials
are found inside the Earth. Some eruptions are very explosive, while many
others are not.
• What determines the nature of eruption? There are primary factors affecting
the volcanoes' eruptive style, namely: the magma's temperature, its chemical
composition, and the amount of dissolved gases it contains. These factors can
affect the magma's viscosity in different ways. Viscosity is the property of the
material's resistance to flow. It is also described as the liquid's thickness and
stickiness. The more viscous and thicker the material is, the greater is its
resistance to flow. For instance, syrup is more viscous than water.
• Let us discuss how each factor affects the viscosity of magma. First, let's
look into how the temperature of magma affects its viscosity. The
viscosity of magma decreases with temperature. The higher the
temperature of magma is, the lower its viscosity is. As lava flows, it cools
and begins to harden, its ability to flow decreases and eventually stops.
• Let us discuss how each factor affects the viscosity of magma. First, let's
look into how the temperature of magma affects its viscosity. The
viscosity of magma decreases with temperature. The higher the
temperature of magma is, the lower its viscosity is. As lava flows, it cools
and begins to harden, its ability to flow decreases and eventually stops.
• Lastly the amount of gases contained in the magma affects its
viscosity. Other factors being equal, gas (mainly water vapor)
dissolved in magma tends to increase its ability to flow. Therefore, in
near-surface environments, the loss of gases makes magma more
viscous, forming a dome or a columnar as shown in Figure 6.
Fig6.Viscosity of Magma in different conditions (source:project
EASE module 12)

To understand more about viscosity, lets do the following activity