Geomorphology

- The study of the relief features of Earth’s crust.

3 Primary geologic forces that continually alter the planet’s surface:
1. Diastrophism – vertical and horizontal movement of the cruwst that
typically produces the mountains. It is characterized by the large
movement on the part of the Earth’s crust.
2. Erosion – physical removal of rock or wearing down of landmassesby
geomorphic agent such as running water, glacial ice, and wind.
3. Volcanism –sometimes called volcanicity, the phenomenon related to
various processes associated with the surface discharge of magma or hot
water and steams including volcanoes, geysers, fumaroles and hot
springs.
• Geyser – a phenomenon on the surface where the ground water
beneath the shallow surface is heated up until it explodes into boiling
water and steam
• Fumaroles – emit mixtures of steam and other gases su8ch as
hydrogen sulfide which forms into sulfuric acid and other native sulfur
upon contact with other elements.
• Hot springs occur in geothermal areas where the surface of Earth
intersects the water table.
• Volcano- an extrusive volcanism that is typically cone-shaped hill or
mountain formed by extrusion of lava or ejection of rock fragments
from a vent.
- Derived its name from Vulcano, an island off Sicily named after
the Roman god if fire, Vulcan
-there are 859 active volcanoes in the world, more than 75% of
then are located in the pacific ring of fire.
Features of Volcano
1. Cone- the most striking part of the volcano. It is usually composed of
mixtures of lava and pyroclastic. Volcano cones vary in size and shape
depending on the type of magma that is ejected by a particular
volcano.
2. Vent- the opening through which an eruption takes place. This main
part of a volcano supplies the magma from the underlying source to
the top of the volcano. They can be straight or convoluted
3. Magma chamber – the large underground pool of liquid rock found
beneath the Earth’s crust. Volcanoes may have deep magma chamber
many kilometers down that supplies a shallower chamber near the
summit.
4. Crater – a basin- like depression over a vent at the summit of the cone.
5. Caldera – a volcanic depression much larger than the original crater.
Calderas can e created whena volcanoe’s summit is blown off by exploding
gases or when a volcano collapses due to vacated magma chamber.
6. Lava – the rock or magma expelled from a volcano during eruption
7. Dikes – the barrier or obstacles in a volcano. Dikes are found in igneous
form that under great pressure, cut fractures .
8. Sills – otherwise known as intrusive sheets, are solidified lava flows that
originally forced their way between and parallel to older layers of rocks.
9. Conduit – a channel or pipe conveying liquid materials such as
magma.
10. Flank – the side of a volcano
11. Summit- the highest point or apex of a volcano.
12. Throat – the entrance of a volcano
13. Ash cloud – expelled in the atmosphere; volcanic ashor ash cloud is
composed of pulverized rock and glass created during eruption.
14. Volcanic bombs – the chunks of lava blasted into the air which solidify
before reaching the ground. Their sizes nay vary and can measure up to
64 mm in diameter.
15. Pyroclastic flow – fast- moving currents of hot gases and rock
travelling downhill from a volcano.
16. Tephra fall – refers to fragmented material that consist of pumice,
scoria, lithic materials, or crystals, or combination of the four.
17. Lahar – also called mudflows, are flowing mixture of volcanic debris
and water. They are classified as primary or hot which are directly
associated with volcanic eruption or as cold lahar when they are caused
bby heavy rainfall.
Conduct a comprehensive research on volcanoes based on
the given characteristics in the table. Discuss your research
work in class.
Name Characteristic Location Additional Information

Youngest volcano

Oldest volcano

Smallest volcano

Most active volcano

Largest volcano
Types of volcanoes
Cinder Cones
• Also called scoria cone, is the simplest type of volcano. It is steep
conical hill formed above vent that is composed mostly of basalt.
• They are built from particles and blobs of gas- charged lava ejected
from a single vent.
• The lifespan of an active cinder cone tends to be short; hence, this
type of volcano is considered a temporary landform along geologic
time scale.
• Mostly found in western North America and along other volcanic
terrains of the planet.
Composite Volcanoes
• Also called stratovolcano, is constructed of alternating layers of
pyroclastic materials and solidified lava flows.