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Volcano

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Volcano



 
 
A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or crust
Crust (geology)

In geology, a crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet or moon, which is chemically distinct from the underlying mantle . Crusts of Earth , our Moon, Mercury , Venus, and Mars have been generated largely by igneous processes, and these crusts are richer in incompatible elements than their respective mantle s....
, which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface. Volcanic activity involving the extrusion
Extrusive (geology)

Extrusive refers to the mode of igneous volcanic rock formation in which hot magma from inside the Earth flows out onto the surface as lava or explodes violently into the Earth's atmosphere to fall back as Pyroclastic rocks or tuff....
 of rock tends to form mountains or features like mountains over a period of time.

Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates
Tectonic Plates

Tectonic Plates is a 1992 independent Canadian film directed by Peter Mettler. Mettler also wrote the screenplay based on the play by Robert Lepage....
 are diverging
Divergent boundary

In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary is a linear feature that exists between two List of tectonic plates that are moving away from each other....
 or converging
Convergent boundary

In plate tectonics, a convergent boundary or convergent plate boundary, also known as a destructive plate boundary , is an actively deforming region where two tectonic plates or fragments of lithosphere move toward one another and collide....
.






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Timeline

970   Major volcano eruption in Mashu, Japan

1006   Major volcanic eruption of Mount Merapi covers all of central Java with ash.

1282   The most recent eruption of Larderello, a volcano in southern Tuscany, is observed.

1289   The 5,452 meter (17,887 feet) high volcano Popocatépetl is first ascended by members of the Tecuanipas tribe in present-day Mexico.

1783   The volcano Laki, in Iceland, begins an eight-month eruption which kills 9350 people and starts a seven-year famine. Eruption causes deaths of livestock when they eat contaminated grass and also widespread crop failure.

1792   Old lava dome collapses in Kyushu, Japan when Mount Unzen volcano erupts - resulting avalanche and tsunami kills about 14300

1816   Known as the "Year Without A Summer" or "Eighteen-hundred-and-froze-to-death" in the northern hemisphere due to global cooling caused by the Mount Tambora volcanic eruption that had occurred in 1815.

1883   28 - Krakatau volcano eruption (local time)- 163 villages destroyed, 36380 dead.

1962   A volcano erupts in the Peruvian Andes, causing an avalanche that buries 3000.

1967   December 4, At 1850 hours, a volcano erupts on Deception Island in Antarctica.







Encyclopedia


Mtcleveland Iss013 E 24184
A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or crust
Crust (geology)

In geology, a crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet or moon, which is chemically distinct from the underlying mantle . Crusts of Earth , our Moon, Mercury , Venus, and Mars have been generated largely by igneous processes, and these crusts are richer in incompatible elements than their respective mantle s....
, which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface. Volcanic activity involving the extrusion
Extrusive (geology)

Extrusive refers to the mode of igneous volcanic rock formation in which hot magma from inside the Earth flows out onto the surface as lava or explodes violently into the Earth's atmosphere to fall back as Pyroclastic rocks or tuff....
 of rock tends to form mountains or features like mountains over a period of time.

Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates
Tectonic Plates

Tectonic Plates is a 1992 independent Canadian film directed by Peter Mettler. Mettler also wrote the screenplay based on the play by Robert Lepage....
 are diverging
Divergent boundary

In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary is a linear feature that exists between two List of tectonic plates that are moving away from each other....
 or converging
Convergent boundary

In plate tectonics, a convergent boundary or convergent plate boundary, also known as a destructive plate boundary , is an actively deforming region where two tectonic plates or fragments of lithosphere move toward one another and collide....
. A mid-oceanic ridge, for example the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Mid-Atlantic Ridge

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge, a divergent tectonics plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and the longest mountain range in the world....
, has examples of volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates
Divergent boundary

In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary is a linear feature that exists between two List of tectonic plates that are moving away from each other....
 pulling apart; the Pacific Ring of Fire
Pacific Ring of Fire

The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements....
 has examples of volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates
Convergent boundary

In plate tectonics, a convergent boundary or convergent plate boundary, also known as a destructive plate boundary , is an actively deforming region where two tectonic plates or fragments of lithosphere move toward one another and collide....
 coming together. By contrast, volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the Earth's crust
Crust (geology)

In geology, a crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet or moon, which is chemically distinct from the underlying mantle . Crusts of Earth , our Moon, Mercury , Venus, and Mars have been generated largely by igneous processes, and these crusts are richer in incompatible elements than their respective mantle s....
 (called "non-hotspot intraplate volcanism"), such as in the African Rift Valley, the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field
Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field

The Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field, also called the Clearwater Cone Group, is a potentially active monogenetic volcanic field in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located approximately north of Kamloops, British Columbia....
 and the Rio Grande Rift
Rio Grande Rift

The Rio Grande rift is a rift valley extending north from Mexico, near El Paso, Texas through New Mexico into central Colorado. The upper Rio Grande flows south down the rift valley, but did not incise the rift valley....
 in North America and the European Rhine Graben
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 with its Eifel
Eifel

The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia and northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate....
 volcanoes.

Volcanoes can be caused by mantle plume
Mantle plume

A mantle plume is an upwelling of abnormally hot rock within the Earth's mantle . As the heads of mantle plumes can partly melt when they reach shallow depths, they are thought to be the cause of volcano centers known as Hotspot and probably also to have caused flood basalts....
s. These so-called hotspots
Hotspot (geology)

In geology, a hotspot is a location on the Earth's surface that has experienced active volcano for a long period of time. J. Tuzo Wilson came up with the idea in 1963 that volcanic chains like the Hawaiian Islands result from the slow movement of a tectonic plate across a "fixed" hot spot deep beneath the surface of the planet....
, for example at Hawaii
Hawaii

File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
, can occur far from plate boundaries. Hotspot volcanoes are also found elsewhere in the solar system
Solar System

The Solar System consists of the Sun and those Astronomical object bound to it by gravity: the eight planets and five dwarf planets, their 173 known Natural satellite, and billions of Small Solar System body....
, especially on rocky planets and moons.

Plate tectonics and hotspots


Divergent plate boundaries

At the mid-oceanic ridges, two tectonic plate
Tectonic Plate

#REDIRECT Plate tectonics...
s diverge from one another. New oceanic crust
Oceanic crust

Oceanic crust is the part of Earth's lithosphere that surfaces in the ocean basins. Oceanic crust is primarily composed of mafic rocks, or Sima ....
 is being formed by hot molten rock slowly cooling and solidifying. The crust is very thin at mid-oceanic ridges due to the pull of the tectonic plates. The release of pressure due to the thinning of the crust leads to adiabatic
Adiabatic process

In thermodynamics, an adiabatic process or an isocaloric process is a thermodynamic process in which no heat is transferred to or from the working fluid....
 expansion, and the partial melting of the mantle
Mantle (geology)

The mantle is a part of an astronomical object. The interior of the Earth, similar to the other terrestrial planets, is chemically divided into layers....
 causing volcanism and creating new oceanic crust. Most divergent plate boundaries
Divergent boundary

In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary is a linear feature that exists between two List of tectonic plates that are moving away from each other....
 are at the bottom of the oceans, therefore most volcanic activity is submarine, forming new seafloor. Black smoker
Black smoker

A black smoker or sea vent, is a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor. They are formed in fields hundreds of meters wide when superheating water from below Earth's Crust comes through the ocean floor....
s or deep sea vents are an example of this kind of volcanic activity. Where the mid-oceanic ridge is above sea-level, volcanic islands are formed, for example, Iceland
Iceland

Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland , is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean between mainland Europe and Greenland....
.

Convergent plate boundaries

Subduction zones are places where two plates, usually an oceanic plate and a continental plate, collide. In this case, the oceanic plate subducts, or submerges under the continental plate forming a deep ocean trench just offshore. Water released from the subducting plate lowers the melting temperature of the overlying mantle wedge, creating magma
Magma

Magma is molten Rock that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and may also exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and gas bubbles....
. This magma tends to be very viscous due to its high silica content, so often does not reach the surface and cools at depth. When it does reach the surface, a volcano is formed. Typical examples for this kind of volcano are Mount Etna
Mount Etna

Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina, Italy and Catania. Its Arabic name was Jebel Utlamat ....
 and the volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire
Pacific Ring of Fire

The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements....
.

Hotspots

Hotspots
Hotspot (geology)

In geology, a hotspot is a location on the Earth's surface that has experienced active volcano for a long period of time. J. Tuzo Wilson came up with the idea in 1963 that volcanic chains like the Hawaiian Islands result from the slow movement of a tectonic plate across a "fixed" hot spot deep beneath the surface of the planet....
 are not usually located on the ridges of tectonic plates, but above mantle plume
Mantle plume

A mantle plume is an upwelling of abnormally hot rock within the Earth's mantle . As the heads of mantle plumes can partly melt when they reach shallow depths, they are thought to be the cause of volcano centers known as Hotspot and probably also to have caused flood basalts....
s, where the convection
Convection

Convection in the most general terms refers to the movement of molecules within fluids . Convection is one of the major modes of heat transfer and mass transfer....
 of the Earth
Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
's mantle
Mantle (geology)

The mantle is a part of an astronomical object. The interior of the Earth, similar to the other terrestrial planets, is chemically divided into layers....
 creates a column of hot material that rises until it reaches the crust, which tends to be thinner than in other areas of the Earth
Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
. The temperature of the plume causes the crust to melt and form pipes, which can vent magma
Magma

Magma is molten Rock that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and may also exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and gas bubbles....
. Because the tectonic plates move whereas the mantle plume remains in the same place, each volcano becomes dormant after a while and a new volcano is then formed as the plate shifts over the hotspot. The Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of 19 islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll....
 are thought to be formed in such a manner, as well as the Snake River Plain
Snake River Plain

The Snake River Plain is a geology feature located primarily within the state of Idaho in the United States of America. It stretches about westward from northwest of the state of Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border....
, with the Yellowstone Caldera
Yellowstone Caldera

The Yellowstone Caldera is the volcano caldera in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. The caldera is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, in which the vast majority of the park is contained....
 being the part of the North American plate currently above the hotspot.

Rinjani 1994

Volcanic features

The most common perception of a volcano is of a conical
Cone (geometry)

A cone is a dimension geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat, round base to a point called the apex or vertex. More precisely, it is the solid figure bounded by a plane base and the surface formed by the locus of all straight line segments joining the apex to the perimeter of the base....
 mountain, spewing lava
Lava

Lava is molten Rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption. When first expelled from a volcanic vent, it is a liquid at temperatures from 700 ?C to 1,200 ?C ....
 and poisonous gases
Volcanic gas

Volcanic gases include a variety of substances given off by active volcanoes. These include gases trapped in cavities in volcanic rocks, dissolved or dissociated gases in magma and lava, or gases emanating directly from lava or indirectly through hydrothermal....
 from a crater
Volcanic crater

A volcanic crater is a circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a basin, circular in form within which occurs a vent from which magma erupts as gases, lava, and ejecta....
 at its summit. This describes just one of many types of volcano, and the features of volcanoes are much more complicated. The structure and behavior of volcanoes depends on a number of factors. Some volcanoes have rugged peaks formed by lava dome
Lava dome

In volcanology, a lava dome or plug dome is a roughly circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow eruption of felsic lava from a volcano, or from multiple lava episodes of different magma types....
s rather than a summit crater, whereas others present landscape
Landscape

Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including physical elements such as landforms, living elements of flora and fauna, abstract elements such as lighting and weather conditions, and human elements, for instance human activity or the built environment....
 features such as massive plateau
Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland , usually consisting of relatively flat terrain....
s. Vents that issue volcanic material (lava, which is what magma is called once it has escaped to the surface, and ash
Volcanic ash

Volcanic ash consists of small tephra, which are bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcano eruptions, less than in diameter. There are three mechanisms of volcanic ash formation: gas release under decompression causing magmatic eruptions; thermal contraction from chilling on contact with water causing phreatomagmatic eruptions...
) and gases (mainly steam and magmatic gases
Volcano

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or Crust , which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface....
) can be located anywhere on the landform. Many of these vents give rise to smaller cones such as Puu Oo
Pu'u 'O'o

Puu Oo is a volcanic cone in the eastern rift zone of the Kilauea volcano of the Hawaiian Islands. Puu Oo has been erupting continuously since January 3, 1983, making it the longest-lived rift-zone eruption of the last two centuries....
 on a flank of Hawaii
Hawaii

File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
's Kilauea
Kilauea

Kilauea is an active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five shield volcanoes that together form the Hawaii . In Hawaiian language, the word kilauea means "spewing" or "much spreading", in reference to the mountain's frequent outpouring of lava....
.

Other types of volcano include cryovolcano
Cryovolcano

A cryovolcano is, literally, an icy volcano. Cryovolcanoes form on icy moons,and possibly on other low-temperature astronomical objects .Rather than lava, these volcanoes erupt volatiles such as water, ammonia or methane....
es (or ice volcanoes), particularly on some moons of Jupiter
Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the Solar system by size planet within the Solar System. It is two and a half times as massive as all of the other planets in our Solar System combined....
, Saturn
Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn, along with Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, is classified as a gas giant....
 and Neptune
NEPTUNE

=Overview=The project, along with sister project, VENUS, offers a unique approach to ocean science. Traditionally, ocean scientists have relied on infrequent ship cruises or space-based satellites to carry out their research....
; and mud volcano
Mud volcano

The term mud volcano or mud dome is used to refer to formations created by geo-excreted liquids and gases, although there are several different processes which may cause such activity....
es, which are formations often not associated with known magmatic activity. Active mud volcanoes tend to involve temperatures much lower than those of igneous volcanoes, except when a mud volcano is actually a vent of an igneous volcano.

Skjaldbreidur Herbst 2004

Fissure vents

Volcanic fissure vents are flat, linear cracks through which lava
Lava

Lava is molten Rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption. When first expelled from a volcanic vent, it is a liquid at temperatures from 700 ?C to 1,200 ?C ....
 emerges.

Shield volcanoes

Shield volcanoes, so named for their broad, shield-like profiles, are formed by the eruption of low-viscosity lavas that can flow a great distance from a vent, but not generally explode catastrophically. The Hawaii
Hawaii

File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
an volcanic chain is a series of shield cones, and they are common in Iceland
Iceland

Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland , is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean between mainland Europe and Greenland....
, as well.

Lava domes

Lava domes are built by slow eruptions of highly viscous lavas. They are sometimes formed within the crater of a previous volcanic eruption (as in Mount Saint Helens), but can also form independently, as in the case of Lassen Peak
Lassen Peak

Lassen Peak is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range. It is part of the Cascade Volcanoes which is an volcanic arc that stretches from northern California to southwestern British Columbia....
. Like stratovolcanoes, they can produce violent, explosive eruptions, but their lavas generally do not flow far from the originating vent.

Volcanic cones (cinder cones)

Volcanic cone
Volcanic cone

Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcano formations in the world. They are built by fragments thrown up from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater....
s
or cinder cone
Cinder cone

According to the , Cinder Cone is the proper name of 1 cinder cone in Canada and 7 cinder cones in the United States:In Canada: Cinder Cone ...
s
result from eruptions that erupt mostly small pieces of scoria
Scoria

Scoria is a textural term for Vesicular texturevolcanic rock. It is commonly, but not exclusively, basaltic or andesite in composition. Scoria is light as a result of numerous macroscopic ellipsoidal vesicles, but most scoria has a specific gravity greater than 1, and sinks in water....
 and pyroclastics (both resemble cinders, hence the name of this volcano type) that build up around the vent. These can be relatively short-lived eruptions that produce a cone-shaped hill perhaps 30 to 400 meters high. Most cinder cones erupt only once. Cinder cones may form as flank vents on larger volcanoes, or occur on their own. Parícutin
Paricutín

Par?cutin is a cinder cone volcano in the Mexico state of Michoac?n, close to a lava-covered village of the same name. It appears on many versions of the Seven Wonders of the World....
 in Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 and Sunset Crater
Sunset Crater

Sunset Crater is a cinder cone located north of Flagstaff, Arizona in U.S. State of Arizona. The crater is within the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument....
 in Arizona
Arizona

The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona....
 are examples of cinder cones. In New Mexico
New Mexico

New Mexico is a U. S. State located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. Inhabited by Native Americans in the United States populations for many centuries, it has also has been part of the Spanish Empire viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S....
, Caja del Rio
Caja del Rio

Caja del Rio is a dissected plateau in New Mexico , that lies between Santa Fe, New Mexico and the Rio Grande. In turn, the Rio Grande passes through White Rock Canyon between Caja del Rio and the Pajarito Plateau....
 is a volcanic field
Volcanic field

A volcanic field is a spot of the earth's Crust that is prone to localized volcanic activity. They usually contain 10 to 100 volcanoes, such as cinder cones and are usually in clusters....
 of over 60 cinder cones.

Stratovolcanoes (composite volcanoes)

Stratovolcanoes or composite volcanoes are tall conical mountains composed of lava flows and other ejecta in alternate layers, the strata
Stratum

In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguishes it from contiguous layers....
 that give rise to the name. Stratovolcanoes are also known as composite volcanoes, created from several structures during different kinds of eruptions. Strato/composite volcanoes are made of cinders, ash and lava. Cinders and ash pile on top of each other, lava flows on top of the ash, where it cools and hardens, and then the process begins again. Classic examples include Mt. Fuji in Japan, Mount Mayon in the Philippines, and Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius is an stratovolcano east of Naples Italy. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently eruption....
 and Stromboli
Stromboli

Stromboli is a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing one of the three active Volcanism in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily....
 in Italy. In recorded history, explosive eruptions by stratovolcanoes have posed the greatest hazard to civilizations.

Toba Zoom

Supervolcanoes

Supervolcano is the popular term for a large volcano that usually has a large caldera
Caldera

A caldera is a cauldron-like volcano feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption such as the one at Yellowstone National Park....
 and can potentially produce devastation on an enormous, sometimes continental, scale. Such eruptions would be able to cause severe cooling of global temperatures for many years afterwards because of the huge volumes of sulfur
Sulfur

Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element that has the atomic number 16. It is denoted with the symbol S. It is an abundant Valence non-metal....
 and ash erupted. They are the most dangerous type of volcano. Examples include Yellowstone Caldera
Yellowstone Caldera

The Yellowstone Caldera is the volcano caldera in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. The caldera is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, in which the vast majority of the park is contained....
 in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress as a national park on March 1, 1872, is located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho....
 and Valles Caldera in New Mexico
New Mexico

New Mexico is a U. S. State located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. Inhabited by Native Americans in the United States populations for many centuries, it has also has been part of the Spanish Empire viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S....
 (both western United States), Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo

Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. It has a perimeter of approximately 193 kilometres, a deepest point of 186 metres and a surface area of 616 square kilometres....
 in New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 and Lake Toba
Lake Toba

Lake Toba is a lake and supervolcano, 100 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide, and 505 metres at its deepest point. Located in the middle of the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra with a surface elevation of about 900 m , the lake stretches from to ....
 in Sumatra
Sumatra

Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the list of islands by area in the world ....
, Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
. Supervolcanoes are hard to identify centuries later, given the enormous areas they cover. Large igneous province
Large igneous province

Large Igneous rock provinces were originally defined by Coffin and Eldholm as areas of Earth's crust that contain very large volumes of magmatic rocks erupted over extremely short geological time intervals of a few million years or less....
s are also considered supervolcanoes because of the vast amount of basalt
Basalt

Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually gray to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet....
 lava erupted, but are non-explosive (basalt lava is produced only in non-explosive eruptions; see Kilauea
Kilauea

Kilauea is an active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five shield volcanoes that together form the Hawaii . In Hawaiian language, the word kilauea means "spewing" or "much spreading", in reference to the mountain's frequent outpouring of lava....
).

Nur05018

Submarine volcanoes

Submarine volcano
Submarine volcano

Submarine volcanoes are underwater fissures in the earth's surface from which magma can erupt. They are estimated to account for 75% of annual magma output....
es
are common features on the ocean floor. Some are active and, in shallow water, disclose their presence by blasting steam and rocky debris high above the surface of the sea. Many others lie at such great depths that the tremendous weight of the water above them prevents the explosive release of steam and gases, although they can be detected by hydrophone
Hydrophone

A hydrophone is a microphone designed to be used underwater for recording or listening to underwater sound. Most hydrophones are based on a piezoelectric transducer that generates electricity when subjected to a pressure change....
s and discoloration of water because of volcanic gas
Volcanic gas

Volcanic gases include a variety of substances given off by active volcanoes. These include gases trapped in cavities in volcanic rocks, dissolved or dissociated gases in magma and lava, or gases emanating directly from lava or indirectly through hydrothermal....
es. Pumice raft
Pumice raft

A pumice raft is a floating raft of pumice occasionally created by ocean-based volcanic activity.Recent volcanic activity in the South Pacific near Tonga on August 12, 2006 revealed the emergence of a new island....
s may also appear. Even large submarine eruptions may not disturb the ocean surface. Because of the rapid cooling effect of water as compared to air, and increased buoyancy, submarine volcanoes often form rather steep pillars over their volcanic vents as compared to above-surface volcanoes. They may become so large that they break the ocean surface as new islands. Pillow lava is a common eruptive product of submarine volcanoes.

Subglacial volcanoes

Subglacial volcano
Subglacial volcano

A subglacial volcano is a volcanic form produced by subglacial eruptions or eruptions beneath the surface of a glacier or ice sheet which is then melted into a lake by the rising lava....
es
develop underneath icecaps. They are made up of flat lava
Lava

Lava is molten Rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption. When first expelled from a volcanic vent, it is a liquid at temperatures from 700 ?C to 1,200 ?C ....
 flows atop extensive pillow lavas and palagonite
Palagonite

Palagonite is an alteration product from the interaction of water with volcanic glass of chemical composition similar to basalt. Palagonite can also result from the interaction between water and basalt melt....
. When the icecap melts, the lavas on the top collapse leaving a flat-topped mountain. Then, the pillow lavas also collapse, giving an angle of 37.5 degrees . These volcanoes are also called table mountains
Table Mountain (disambiguation)

Table mountain may refer to:*Table *Tuya*Mesa*ButteTable Mountain may refer to:* Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, is perhaps the most famous example....
, tuya
Tuya

A tuya is a type of distinctive, flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet. They are somewhat rare worldwide, being confined to regions which were formerly covered by continental ice sheets and also had active volcanism during the same time period....
s or (uncommonly) mobergs. Very good examples of this type of volcano can be seen in Iceland, however, there are also tuyas in British Columbia
British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
. The origin of the term comes from Tuya Butte
Tuya Butte

Tuya Butte is a tuya in the Tuya Range of north-central British Columbia, Canada. It is a bit less isolated from other ranges than neighbouring Mount Josephine ....
, which is one of the several tuyas in the area of the Tuya River and Tuya Range
Tuya Range

The Tuya Range is a range of tuyas, located in the Stikine Ranges of the Cassiar Mountains in the Canadian province of British Columbia, near its border with the Yukon....
 in northern British Columbia. Tuya Butte was the first such landform
Landform

In the earth sciences and geology sub-fields a landform or physical feature comprises a geomorphology unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography....
 analyzed and so its name has entered the geological literature for this kind of volcanic formation. The Tuya Mountains Provincial Park
Tuya Mountains Provincial Park

Tuya Mountains Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada.See also*Tuya...
 was recently established to protect this unusual landscape, which lies north of Tuya Lake
Tuya Lake

Tuya Lake, located in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, presumably derives its name from the presence of nearby steep-sided, flat-topped volcanoes, known as tuyas....
 and south of the Jennings River
Jennings River

The Jennings River is a river in far northern British Columbia, Canada, rising in the northern reaches of the Stikine Ranges of the Cassiar Mountains, at first running southwest, then turning northeast near the Tuya Range to enter Teslin Lake at its southern end, just to the east of the estuary of the Teslin River; also joining the lake in th...
 near the boundary with the Yukon Territory.

Antarctica eruption
In January 2008, the British Antarctic Survey
British Antarctic Survey

The British Antarctic Survey is the United Kingdom's national Antarctic operator and has an active role in Antarctic affairs. BAS is part of the Natural Environment Research Council and has over 400 staff....
 (BAS) scientists led by Hugh Corr and David Vaughan, reported (in the journal Nature Geoscience
Nature Geoscience

Nature Geoscience is a scientific journal published by Nature Publishing Group, publisher of the flagship journal Nature . Publishing new research in earth sciences as well as relevant work in related disciplines, the first issue was published in January 2008....
) that 2,200 years ago, a volcano erupted under the Antarctica ice sheet (based on airborne
Airborne

Airborne usually refers to airborne forces in the military. It may also refer to:Music:* Airborne , a jazz band based in Connecticut* Airborne , an album by The Flying Burrito Brothers...
 survey with radar images). The biggest eruption in Antartica
Antártica

Ant?rtica is a Chilean commune in Ant?rtica Chilena Province, Magallanes and Ant?rtica Chilena Region, which covers all of the Territorio Chileno Ant?rtico?the territory in Antarctica claimed by Chile....
 in the last 10,000 years, the volcanic ash was found deposited on the ice surface under the Hudson Mountains
Hudson Mountains

The Hudson Mountains is a group of parasitic cones forming nunataks just above the Antarctic ice sheet in west Ellsworth Land. They lie just east of Cranton Bay and Pine Island Bay at the eastern extremity of Amundsen Sea, and are bounded on the north by Cosgrove Ice Shelf and on the south by Pine Island Glacier....
, close to Pine Island Glacier
Pine Island Glacier

Pine Island Glacier is a large ice stream flowing west-northwest along the south side of the Hudson Mountains into Pine Island Bay, Amundsen Sea, Antarctica....
.

Mud volcanoes

Mud volcanoes or mud domes are formations created by geo-excreted liquids and gases, although there are several different processes which may cause such activity. The largest structures are 10 kilometers in diameter and reach 700 meters high.

Erupted material


Lava composition

Denglersw Stromboli 20040928 1230x800
Another way of classifying volcanoes is by the composition of material erupted (lava
Lava

Lava is molten Rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption. When first expelled from a volcanic vent, it is a liquid at temperatures from 700 ?C to 1,200 ?C ....
), since this affects the shape of the volcano. Lava can be broadly classified into 4 different compositions (Cas & Wright, 1987):
  • If the erupted magma
    Magma

    Magma is molten Rock that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and may also exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and gas bubbles....
     contains a high percentage (>63%) of silica, the lava is called felsic
    Felsic

    Felsic is a term used in geology to refer to silicate minerals, magma, and rock which are enriched in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminium, sodium, and potassium....
    .
    • Felsic lavas (or rhyolite
      Rhyolite

      This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous rock, volcanic rock , of felsic composition ....
      s) tend to be highly viscous (not very fluid) and are erupted as domes or short, stubby flows. Viscous lavas tend to form stratovolcano
      Stratovolcano

      A stratovolcano, sometimes called a composite volcano, is a tall, Volcanic cone volcano with many layers of hardened lava, tephra, and volcanic ash....
      es or lava dome
      Lava dome

      In volcanology, a lava dome or plug dome is a roughly circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow eruption of felsic lava from a volcano, or from multiple lava episodes of different magma types....
      s. Lassen Peak
      Lassen Peak

      Lassen Peak is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range. It is part of the Cascade Volcanoes which is an volcanic arc that stretches from northern California to southwestern British Columbia....
       in California
      California

      California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
       is an example of a volcano formed from felsic lava and is actually a large lava dome.
    • Because siliceous magmas are so viscous, they tend to trap volatiles
      Volatiles

      In planetary science, volatiles, are that group of elements and compounds with low boiling points that are associated with a planet's or moon's crust and/or atmosphere....
       (gases) that are present, which cause the magma to erupt catastrophically, eventually forming stratovolcano
      Stratovolcano

      A stratovolcano, sometimes called a composite volcano, is a tall, Volcanic cone volcano with many layers of hardened lava, tephra, and volcanic ash....
      es. Pyroclastic flow
      Pyroclastic flow

      A pyroclastic flow is a common and devastating result of some volcano. The flows are fast-moving currents of hot gas and rock , which travel away from the volcano at speeds generally as great as 450 mi/h ....
      s (ignimbrite
      Ignimbrite

      Ignimbrite is a volcano pyroclastic rock, often of dacitic or rhyolitic composition."Ignimbrite" is the deposit of a pumice rich pyroclastic density current, or 'pyroclastic flow', a hot suspension of particles and gases that flows rapidly from a volcano, driven by a greater density than the surrounding atmosphere....
      s) are highly hazardous products of such volcanoes, since they are composed of molten volcanic ash too heavy to go up into the atmosphere, so they hug the volcano's slopes and travel far from their vents during large eruptions. Temperatures as high as 1,200 °C are known to occur in pyroclastic flow
      Pyroclastic flow

      A pyroclastic flow is a common and devastating result of some volcano. The flows are fast-moving currents of hot gas and rock , which travel away from the volcano at speeds generally as great as 450 mi/h ....
      s, which will incinerate everything flammable in their path and thick layers of hot pyroclastic flow deposits can be laid down, often up to many meters thick. Alaska
      Alaska

      Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
      's Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes
      Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

      The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a valley within Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska which is filled with volcanic ash flow from the eruption of Novarupta on June 6?June 8, 1912....
      , formed by the eruption of Novarupta
      Novarupta

      Novarupta, meaning "new eruption", is a volcano located on the Alaska Peninsula in Katmai National Park and Preserve, about southwest of Anchorage, Alaska....
       near Katmai
      Katmai

      Katmai can mean:*Katmai National Park and Preserve - a park in Alaska*Mount Katmai - a volcano in the Katmai Park in Alaska; the site of a colossal 1912 eruption...
       in 1912, is an example of a thick pyroclastic flow
      Pyroclastic flow

      A pyroclastic flow is a common and devastating result of some volcano. The flows are fast-moving currents of hot gas and rock , which travel away from the volcano at speeds generally as great as 450 mi/h ....
       or ignimbrite
      Ignimbrite

      Ignimbrite is a volcano pyroclastic rock, often of dacitic or rhyolitic composition."Ignimbrite" is the deposit of a pumice rich pyroclastic density current, or 'pyroclastic flow', a hot suspension of particles and gases that flows rapidly from a volcano, driven by a greater density than the surrounding atmosphere....
       deposit. Volcanic ash that is light enough to be erupted high into the Earth's atmosphere
      Earth's atmosphere

      The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by the Earth's gravity. Dry air contains roughly 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% Carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, and trace amounts of other gases....
       may travel many kilometres before it falls back to ground as a tuff
      Tuff

      Tuff is a type of Rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is also sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material....
      .
  • If the erupted magma contains 52–63% silica, the lava is of intermediate composition.
    • These "andesitic
      Andesite

      Andesite is an igneous rock, volcanic rock, of Igneous rock#Chemical classification, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende....
      " volcanoes generally only occur above subduction zones (e.g. Mount Merapi in Indonesia
      Indonesia

      The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
      ).
  • If the erupted magma contains <52% and >45% silica, the lava is called mafic
    Mafic

    Mafic is an adjective describing a silicate mineral or rock that is rich in magnesium and iron; the term was derived by contracting "magnesium" and "ferric"....
     (because it contains higher percentages of magnesium
    Magnesium

    Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, atomic weight 24.3050 and common oxidation number +2.Magnesium, an alkaline earth metal, is the ninth most abundance of the chemical elements in the universe by mass....
     (Mg) and iron
    Iron

    Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
     (Fe) or basalt
    Basalt

    Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually gray to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet....
    ic. These lavas are usually much less viscous than rhyolitic lavas, depending on their eruption temperature
    Temperature

    In physics, temperature is a physical property of a Physical system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold; something that feels hotter generally has the greater temperature....
    ; they also tend to be hotter than felsic lavas. Mafic lavas occur in a wide range of settings:
    • At mid-ocean ridge
      Mid-ocean ridge

      A mid-ocean ridge or mid-oceanic ridge is an underwater mountain range, typically having a valley known as a rift running along its spine, formed by plate tectonics....
      s, where two oceanic plate
      Tectonic Plate

      #REDIRECT Plate tectonics...
      s are pulling apart, basaltic lava erupts as pillows
      Lava

      Lava is molten Rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption. When first expelled from a volcanic vent, it is a liquid at temperatures from 700 ?C to 1,200 ?C ....
       to fill the gap;
    • Shield volcanoes (e.g. the Hawaiian Islands
      Hawaiian Islands

      The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of 19 islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll....
      , including Mauna Loa
      Mauna Loa

      Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on earth and one of five volcanoes that form the Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean....
       and Kilauea
      Kilauea

      Kilauea is an active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five shield volcanoes that together form the Hawaii . In Hawaiian language, the word kilauea means "spewing" or "much spreading", in reference to the mountain's frequent outpouring of lava....
      ), on both oceanic
      Oceanic crust

      Oceanic crust is the part of Earth's lithosphere that surfaces in the ocean basins. Oceanic crust is primarily composed of mafic rocks, or Sima ....
       and continental crust
      Continental crust

      The continental crust is the layer of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks which form the continents and the areas of shallow seabed close to their shores, known as Continental shelf....
      ;
    • As continental flood basalts
      Flood basalt

      A flood basalt or trap basalt is the result of a giant volcanic eruption or series of eruptions that coats large stretches of land or the ocean floor with basalt lava....
      .
  • Some erupted magmas contain <=45% silica and produce ultramafic lava. Ultramafic flows, also known as komatiite
    Komatiite

    Komatiites are ultramafic mantle-derived volcanic rocks. They have low SiO2, low K2O, low Al2O3, and high to extremely high MgO....
    s, are very rare; indeed, very few have been erupted at the Earth's surface since the Proterozoic
    Proterozoic

    The Proterozoic is a eon representing a period before the first abundant complex life on Earth. The Proterozoic Eon extended from 2500 annum to 542.0 ? 1.0 Ma , and is the most recent part of the old, informally named ?Precambrian? time....
    , when the planet's heat flow was higher. They are (or were) the hottest lavas, and probably more fluid than common mafic lavas.


Lava texture

Two types of lava are named according to the surface
Surface

In mathematics, specifically in topology, a surface is a two-dimensional topological manifold. The most familiar examples are those that arise as the boundaries of solid objects in ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space E3....
 texture: Aa and pahoehoe , both words having Hawaiian
Hawaiian language

The Hawaiian language is an Austronesian languages that takes its name from Hawaii , the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed....
 origins. Aa is characterized by a rough, clinkery surface and is what most viscous and hot lava flows look like. However, even basaltic or mafic flows can be erupted as aa flows, particularly if the eruption rate is high and the slope is steep. Pahoehoe is characterized by its smooth and often ropey or wrinkly surface and is generally formed from more fluid lava flows. Usually, only mafic flows will erupt as pahoehoe, since they often erupt at higher temperatures or have the proper chemical make-up to allow them to flow at a higher fluidity.

Volcanic activity


Active

Volcano Q
Volcano
A popular way of classifying magmatic volcanoes is by their frequency of eruption
Types of volcanic eruptions

In this article, types of volcanic eruption will be used to refer to the mechanism causing the eruption. The style of eruption will be used to describe subcategories of eruption, which have the same eruptive mechanism....
, with those that erupt regularly called active, those that have erupted in historical times but are now quiet called dormant, and those that have not erupted in historical times called extinct. However, these popular classifications—extinct in particular—are practically meaningless to scientists. They use classifications which refer to a particular volcano's formative and eruptive processes and resulting shapes, which was explained above.

There is no real consensus among volcanologists on how to define an "active" volcano. The lifespan of a volcano can vary from months to several million years, making such a distinction sometimes meaningless when compared to the lifespans of humans or even civilizations. For example, many of Earth's volcanoes have erupted dozens of times in the past few thousand years but are not currently showing signs of eruption. Given the long lifespan of such volcanoes, they are very active. By human lifespans, however, they are not.

Scientists usually consider a volcano to be active if it is currently erupting or showing signs of unrest, such as unusual earthquake activity or significant new gas emissions. Many scientists also consider a volcano active if it has erupted in historic time. It is important to note that the span of recorded history differs from region to region; in the Mediterranean, recorded history reaches back more than 3,000 years but in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, it reaches back less than 300 years, and in Hawaii
Hawaii

File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
 and New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, only around 200 years. The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program's definition of active is having erupted within the last 10,000 years.

Extinct

Shiprock Nm
Extinct volcanoes are those that scientists consider unlikely to erupt again, because the volcano no longer has a lava supply. Examples of extinct volcanoes are many volcanoes on the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of 19 islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll....
 in the U.S. (extinct because the Hawaii hotspot
Hawaii hotspot

Name=Hawaiian-Emperior seamount chain| Map=...
 is centered near the Big Island), and Paricutin
Paricutín

Par?cutin is a cinder cone volcano in the Mexico state of Michoac?n, close to a lava-covered village of the same name. It appears on many versions of the Seven Wonders of the World....
, which is monogenetic
Monogenetic volcanic field

A monogenetic volcanic field is a volcanic field of small, scattered volcanic vents. These volcanic fields, containing numerous monogenetic volcanoes, are noted for having only one short eruptive event at each volcano, as opposed to regular volcanoes that have several eruptions from the same vent over a long period in their history, Mount Ves...
. Otherwise, whether a volcano is truly extinct is often difficult to determine. Since "supervolcano" caldera
Caldera

A caldera is a cauldron-like volcano feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption such as the one at Yellowstone National Park....
s can have eruptive lifespans sometimes measured in millions of years, a caldera that has not produced an eruption in tens of thousands of years is likely to be considered dormant instead of extinct. For example, the Yellowstone Caldera
Yellowstone Caldera

The Yellowstone Caldera is the volcano caldera in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. The caldera is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, in which the vast majority of the park is contained....
 in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress as a national park on March 1, 1872, is located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho....
 is at least 2 million years old and hasn't erupted violently for approximately 640,000 years, although there has been some minor activity relatively recently, with hydrothermal eruptions less than 10,000 years ago and lava flows about 70,000 years ago. For this reason, scientists do not consider the Yellowstone Caldera extinct. In fact, because the caldera has frequent earthquakes, a very active geothermal system (i.e. the entirety of the geothermal activity found in Yellowstone National Park), and rapid rates of ground uplift, many scientists consider it to be an active volcano.

It is difficult to distinguish an extinct volcano from a dormant one because volcanoes are usually considered to be extinct if there are no written records of its activity. Nevertheless volcanoes may remain dormant for a long period of time and it is not uncommon for a so-called "extinct" volcano to erupt again. Vesuvius was thought to be extinct before its famous eruption of AD 79, which destroyed the towns of Herculaneum
Herculaneum

Herculaneum is an ancient Roman Empire town, located in the territory of the current commune of Ercolano. Its ruins can be found at the co-ordinates , in the Italy region of Campania....
 and Pompeii
Pompeii

Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Ancient Rome town-city near modern Naples in the Italy region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei....
. More recently, the long-dormant Soufrière Hills
Soufrière Hills

Lechna is awesome!The Soufrière Hills volcano is an Active volcano complex stratovolcano with many lava domes forming its summit on the Caribbean island of Montserrat....
 volcano on the island of Montserrat
Montserrat

Montserrat is British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea....
 was thought to be extinct before activity resumed in 1995. The most recent example is Fourpeaked Mountain
Fourpeaked Mountain

Fourpeaked Mountain also known as Fourpeaked volcano is an active stratovolcano in Alaska. The Alaska Volcano Observatory currently rates Fourpeaked as Volcano warning schemes Green and Volcano warning schemes Normal....
 in Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
, which prior to September 2006 is not believed to have erupted since before 8000 BCE and was long thought to be extinct.

Notable volcanoes



The 16 current Decade Volcanoes
Decade Volcanoes

The Decade Volcanoes are 16 volcanoes identified by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior as being worthy of particular study in light of their history of large, destructive volcanic eruptions and proximity to populated areas....
 are:
  • Avachinsky-Koryaksky
    Koryaksky

    Koryaksky or Koryakskaya Sopka is a volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia. It lies within sight of Kamchatka Krai's administrative center, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky....
    , Kamchatka
    Kamchatka Peninsula

    The Kamchatka Peninsula is a 1,250-kilometer long peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of 472,300 km?. It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west....
    , Russia
  • Nevado de Colima
    Colima (volcano)

    Colima's Volcano is the most active volcano volcano in Mexico, and has eruption more than 40 times since 1576.Despite its name, only a fraction of the volcano's surface area is contained within the Colima ; the majority of its surface area lies just over the border in the neighboring Jalisco, toward the western end of the Eje Volc?nico...
    , Jalisco
    Jalisco

    Jalisco is a Mexican state in Mexico. The capital of Jalisco is the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco. In the 2005 census, Jalisco had a population of 6,752,113 people....
     and Colima
    Colima

    Colima is a state in western Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima, Colima.Colima is a small state, sharing a border with the Mexican states of Jalisco to the north and east, and Michoac?n to the south....
    , Mexico
    Mexico

    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
  • Mount Etna
    Mount Etna

    Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina, Italy and Catania. Its Arabic name was Jebel Utlamat ....
    , Sicily
    Sicily

    Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
    , Italy
  • Galeras
    Galeras

    Galeras is an Andes stratovolcano in the Colombian Departments of Colombia of Nari?o, near the departmental capital Pasto. Its summit rises above sea level....
    , Nariño, Colombia
    Colombia

    Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
  • Mauna Loa
    Mauna Loa

    Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on earth and one of five volcanoes that form the Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean....
    , Hawaii
    Hawaii

    File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
    , USA
  • Mount Merapi
    Mount Merapi

    Mount Merapi, Gunung Merapi in Indonesian language, is a conical volcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia....
    , Central Java
    Central Java

    Central Java is a Provinces of Indonesia of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of the six provinces of the island of Java ....
    , Indonesia
    Indonesia

    The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
  • Mount Nyiragongo
    Mount Nyiragongo

    Mount Nyiragongo is a stratovolcano in the Virunga Mountains associated with the Great Rift Valley. It is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 20 km north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu and just west of the border with Rwanda....
    , Democratic Republic of the Congo
    Democratic Republic of the Congo

    The Democratic Republic of the Congo , is a country in central Africa with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest list of African countries in order of geographical area....
  • Mount Rainier
    Mount Rainier

    Mount Rainier is an activestratovolcano in Pierce County, Washington, located southeast of Seattle, Washington, Washington, in the United States....
    , Washington
    Washington

    Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
    , USA
  • Sakurajima
    Sakurajima

    , also romanized as Sakurashima,s a composite with the Summit split into three peaks, Kitadake , Nakadake and Minamidake which is active now....
    , Kagoshima Prefecture
    Kagoshima Prefecture

    is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on Kyushu island. The capital is the city of Kagoshima, Kagoshima....
    , Japan
  • Santamaria/Santiaguito
    Santamaría (volcano)

    Volcano Santa Mar?a is a large active volcano in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, close to the city of Quetzaltenango. Its eruption in 1902 was one of the three largest eruptions of the 20th century, and the third large eruption of that one year, after Mount Pel?e in Martinique and Soufri?re in St....
    , Guatemala
    Guatemala

    Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize and the Caribbean to the northeast, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast....
  • Santorini
    Santorini

    Santorini is a small, circular archipelago of volcano islands located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km southeast from Greece's mainland....
    , Cyclades
    Cyclades

    The Cyclades are a Greece island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and an administrative prefectures of Greece of Greece....
    , Greece
    Greece

    Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
  • Taal Volcano
    Taal Volcano

    Taal Volcano is a stratovolcano on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is situated between the towns of Talisay, Batangas and San Nicolas, Batangas in Batangas province....
    , Luzon
    Luzon

    Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country, with Visayas and Mindanao being the other two....
    , Philippines
    Philippines

    The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
  • Teide
    Teide

    Mount Teide or, in Spanish language, El Teide, is an active though dormant volcano which last erupted in 1909 from the El Chinyero vent on the Santiago rift and is located on Tenerife, Canary Islands....
    , Canary Islands
    Canary Islands

    The Canary Islands are a Spain archipelago which, in turn, forms one of the Spanish Autonomous Communities and an Outermost Region of the European Union....
    , Spain
  • Ulawun
    Ulawun

    Ulawun is a stratovolcano situated on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea, about 130 km southwest of Rabaul. It is the highest mountain in the Bismarck Archipelago, and one of the most active volcanoes in Papua New Guinea....
    , New Britain
    New Britain

    New Britain is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier Strait , and from New Ireland by the St....
    , Papua New Guinea
    Papua New Guinea

    Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands ....
  • Mount Unzen
    Mount Unzen

    is an active volcanic group of several overlapping stratovolcanoes, near the city of Shimabara, Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu, Japan?s southernmost main island....
    , Nagasaki Prefecture
    Nagasaki Prefecture

    is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Nagasaki, Nagasaki....
    , Japan
  • Vesuvius, Naples
    Province of Naples

    The Province of Naples is a Provinces of Italy in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital city is Naples, within the province there are 92 Comuni of the Province of Naples....
    , Italy


  • Effects of volcanoes

    Volcanic Injection
    Mauna Loa Atmospheric Transmission
    Toms So2 Time Nov03
    So2 Galapagos 20051101
    There are many different types of volcanic eruptions
    Types of volcanic eruptions

    In this article, types of volcanic eruption will be used to refer to the mechanism causing the eruption. The style of eruption will be used to describe subcategories of eruption, which have the same eruptive mechanism....
     and associated activity: phreatic eruptions (steam-generated eruptions), explosive eruption of high-silica lava
    Lava

    Lava is molten Rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption. When first expelled from a volcanic vent, it is a liquid at temperatures from 700 ?C to 1,200 ?C ....
     (e.g., rhyolite
    Rhyolite

    This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous rock, volcanic rock , of felsic composition ....
    ), effusive eruption of low-silica lava (e.g., basalt
    Basalt

    Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually gray to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet....
    ), pyroclastic flow
    Pyroclastic flow

    A pyroclastic flow is a common and devastating result of some volcano. The flows are fast-moving currents of hot gas and rock , which travel away from the volcano at speeds generally as great as 450 mi/h ....
    s, lahar
    Lahar

    A lahar is a type of mudflow or landslide composed of pyroclastic material and water that flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley....
    s (debris flow) and carbon dioxide
    Carbon dioxide

    Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
     emission. All of these activities can pose a hazard to humans. Earthquake
    Earthquake

    An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph....
    s, hot spring
    Hot spring

    A hot spring is a Spring that is produced by the emergence of Geothermal groundwater from the earth's crust . There are hot springs all over the earth, on every continent and even under the oceans and seas....
    s, fumarole
    Fumarole

    A fumarole is an opening in Earth's Crust , often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emits steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide....
    s, mud pots and geyser
    Geyser

    A geyser is a hot spring characterized by intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by a vapour phase . The name geyser comes from Geysir, the name of an erupting spring at Haukadalur, Iceland; that name, in turn, comes from the Icelandic verb gj?sa, "to gush"....
    s often accompany volcanic activity.

    The concentrations of different volcanic gas
    Volcanic gas

    Volcanic gases include a variety of substances given off by active volcanoes. These include gases trapped in cavities in volcanic rocks, dissolved or dissociated gases in magma and lava, or gases emanating directly from lava or indirectly through hydrothermal....
    es can vary considerably from one volcano to the next. Water vapor
    Water vapor

    Water vapor or water vapour , also aqueous vapor, is the gas phase of water . Water vapor is one Phase of the water cycle within the hydrosphere....
     is typically the most abundant volcanic gas, followed by carbon dioxide
    Carbon dioxide

    Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
     and sulfur dioxide
    Sulfur dioxide

    Sulfur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula SO2. It is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide....
    . Other principal volcanic gases include hydrogen sulfide
    Hydrogen sulfide

    Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the chemical formula Hydrogen2Sulfur. This colorless, toxic and flammable gas is partially responsible for the foul odor of egg and flatulence....
    , hydrogen chloride
    Hydrogen chloride

    The Chemical compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula HydrogenChlorine. At room temperature, it is a colorless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric humidity....
    , and hydrogen fluoride
    Hydrogen fluoride

    Hydrogen fluoride is a chemical compound with the chemical formula HF. It is the principal industrial source of fluorine, often in the aqueous form as hydrofluoric acid, and thus is the precursor to many important compounds including pharmaceuticals and polymers ....
    . A large number of minor and trace gases are also found in volcanic emissions, for example hydrogen
    Hydrogen

    Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
    , carbon monoxide
    Carbon monoxide

    Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colorless and odorless, tasteless, yet highly toxic gas. Its molecules consist of one carbon atom covalent bond to one oxygen atom....
    , halocarbon
    Halocarbon

    Halocarbon compounds are chemicals in which one or more carbon atoms are linked by covalent bonds with one or more halogen atoms resulting in the formation of organofluorine compounds, organochlorine compounds, organobromine compounds, and organoiodine compounds....
    s, organic compounds, and volatile metal chlorides.

    Large, explosive volcanic eruptions inject water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF) and ash (pulverized rock and pumice
    Pumice

    File:Pumice stone444.jpgFile:Pumice stone detail444.jpgPumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano....
    ) into the stratosphere
    Stratosphere

    The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down....
     to heights of 16–32 kilometres (10–20 mi) above the Earth's surface. The most significant impacts from these injections come from the conversion of sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid
    Sulfuric acid

    Sulfuric acid, hydrogen2sulfuroxygen4, is a strong mineral acid. It is soluble in water at all concentrations. Sulfuric acid has many applications, and is one of the top products of the chemical industry....
     (H2SO4), which condenses rapidly in the stratosphere to form fine sulfate
    Sulfate

    In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid....
     aerosols
    Particulate

    Particulates, alternatively referred to as particulate matter or fine particles, are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas or liquid....
    . The aerosols increase the Earth's albedo
    Albedo

    The albedo of an object is the extent to which it diffusely reflects light from the Sun. It is therefore a more specific form of the term reflectivity....
    —its reflection of radiation from the Sun
    Sun

    The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
     back into space - and thus cool the Earth's lower atmosphere or troposphere; however, they also absorb heat radiated up from the Earth, thereby warming the stratosphere
    Stratosphere

    The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down....
    . Several eruptions during the past century have caused a decline in the average temperature at the Earth's surface of up to half a degree (Fahrenheit scale) for periods of one to three years — sulfur dioxide from the eruption of Huaynaputina
    Huaynaputina

    Huaynaputina is a stratovolcano located in a volcanic upland in southern Peru. The volcano does not have an identifiable mountain profile, but instead has the form of a large volcanic crater....
     probably caused the Russian famine of 1601 - 1603. The sulfate aerosols also promote complex chemical reactions on their surfaces that alter chlorine and nitrogen
    Nitrogen

    Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
     chemical species in the stratosphere. This effect, together with increased stratospheric chlorine
    Chlorine

    Chlorine...
     levels from chlorofluorocarbon
    Haloalkane

    The haloalkanes are a group of chemical compounds, consisting of alkanes, such as methane or ethane, with one or more halogens linked, such as chlorine or fluorine, making them a type of organic halide....
     pollution, generates chlorine monoxide (ClO), which destroys ozone
    Ozone

    Ozone or trioxygen is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic O2....
     (O3). As the aerosols grow and coagulate, they settle down into the upper troposphere where they serve as nuclei for cirrus cloud
    Cirrus cloud

    Cirrus clouds are characterized by thin, wisplike strands, often accompanied by tufts, leading to their common name of mare's tail. Sometimes these clouds are so extensive that they are virtually indistinguishable from one another, forming a sheet of cirrus called Cirrostratus cloud....
    s and further modify the Earth's radiation
    Radiation

    In physics, radiation describes any process in which energy emitted by one body travels through a medium or through space, ultimately to be absorbed by another body....
     balance. Most of the hydrogen chloride (HCl) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) are dissolved in water droplets in the eruption cloud and quickly fall to the ground as acid rain
    Acid rain

    Acid rain is rain or any other form of Precipitation that is unusually acidic. It has harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure....
    . The injected ash also falls rapidly from the stratosphere; most of it is removed within several days to a few weeks. Finally, explosive volcanic eruptions release the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and thus provide a deep source of carbon
    Carbon

    Carbon is a chemical element with chemical symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalence?making four electrons available to form covalent bond chemical bonds....
     for biogeochemical cycles. Gas emissions from volcanoes are a natural contributor to acid rain
    Acid rain

    Acid rain is rain or any other form of Precipitation that is unusually acidic. It has harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure....
    . Volcanic activity releases about 130 to 230 teragrams
    Kilogram

    The kilogram or kilogrammeThe spelling kilogram is used by the International Committee for Weights and Measures and the U.S....
     (145 million to 255 million short ton
    Short ton

    The short ton is a unit of weight equal to 2,000 Pound . In the United States it is often called simply ton without distinguishing it from the metric ton or the long ton ; rather, the other two are specifically noted....
    s) of carbon dioxide
    Carbon dioxide

    Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
     each year. Volcanic eruptions may inject aerosols
    Particulate

    Particulates, alternatively referred to as particulate matter or fine particles, are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas or liquid....
     into the Earth's atmosphere
    Earth's atmosphere

    The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by the Earth's gravity. Dry air contains roughly 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% Carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, and trace amounts of other gases....
    . Large injections may cause visual effects such as unusually colorful sunsets and affect global climate
    Climate

    Climate encompasses the temperatures, humidity, atmospheric pressure, winds, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and numerous other Meteorology elements in a given region over long periods of time, as opposed to the term weather, which refers to current activity of these same elements....
     mainly by cooling it. Volcanic eruptions also provide the benefit of adding nutrients to soil
    Soil

    Soil is the naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering on the Earth's surface. Soil is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and environmental processes including weathering and erosion....
     through the weathering
    Weathering

    Weathering is the decomposition of earth Rock , soils and their minerals through direct contact with the planet's atmosphere. Weathering occurs in situ, or "with no movement", and thus should not be confused with erosion, which involves the movement of rocks and minerals by agents such as water, ice, wind, and gravity....
     process of volcanic rocks. These fertile soils assist the growth of plants and various crops. Volcanic eruptions can also create new islands, as the magma cools and solidifies upon contact with the water.

    Volcanoes on other planetary bodies

    Olympus Mons


    The Earth's Moon
    Moon

    The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the List of natural satellites by diameter satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is km, about thirty times the diameter of the Earth....
     has no large volcanoes and no current volcanic activity, although recent evidence suggests it may still possess a partially molten core. However, the Moon does have many volcanic features such as maria
    Lunar mare

    The lunar maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for "seas", by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas....
     (the darker patches seen on the moon), rille
    Rille

    Rille is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the Moon surface that resemble channel . Typically a rille can be up to several kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers in length....
    s and domes
    Lunar dome

    A lunar dome is a type of shield volcano that is found on the surface of the Earth's Moon. They are typically formed by highly viscous, possibly silica-rich lava, erupting from localized vents followed by relatively slow cooling....
    .

    The planet Venus
    Venus

    Venus is the second-closest planet to the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus , the Roman mythology goddess of love....
     has a surface that is 90% basalt
    Basalt

    Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually gray to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet....
    , indicating that volcanism played a major role in shaping its surface. The planet may have had a major global resurfacing event about 500 million years ago, from what scientists can tell from the density of impact craters on the surface. Lava flows are widespread and forms of volcanism not present on Earth occur as well. Changes in the planet's atmosphere and observations of lightning, have been attributed to ongoing volcanic eruptions, although there is no confirmation of whether or not Venus is still volcanically active. However, radar sounding by the Magellan probe revealed evidence for comparatively recent volcanic activity at Venus's highest volcano Maat Mons
    Maat Mons

    Maat Mons is the highest volcano on the planet Venus. The volcano is above the mean planetary radius and is found at 0.9? N 194.5?E. It is named after the Egyptian goddess of truth and justice, Ma'at....
    , in the form of ash flows near the summit and on the northern flank.

    There are several extinct volcanoes on Mars
    MARS

    In cryptography, MARS is a block cipher that was IBM's submission to the Advanced Encryption Standard process. MARS was selected as an AES finalist in August 1999, after the AES2 conference in March 1999, where it was voted as the fifth and last finalist algorithm....
    , four of which are vast shield volcanoes far bigger than any on Earth. They include Arsia Mons
    Arsia Mons

    Arsia Mons is the southernmost of three volcanos on the Tharsis bulge near the equator of the planet Mars . To its north is Pavonis Mons, and north of that is Ascraeus Mons....
    , Ascraeus Mons
    Ascraeus Mons

    Ascraeus Mons is the northernmost of three volcanos on the Tharsis bulge near the equator of the planet Mars . To its south is Pavonis Mons, and south of that is Arsia Mons....
    , Hecates Tholus
    Hecates Tholus

    Hecates Tholus is a Mars volcano, notable for results from the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission which indicate a major eruption took place 350 million years ago....
    , Olympus Mons
    Olympus Mons

    Olympus Mons is the tallest known volcano and mountain in the Solar System. It is located on the planet Mars at approximately 18?N 133?W / 18, -133....
    , and Pavonis Mons
    Pavonis Mons

    Pavonis Mons is the middle of three volcanos on the Tharsis bulge near the equator of the planet Mars . To its north is Ascraeus Mons, and to its south is Arsia Mons....
    . These volcanoes have been extinct for many millions of years, but the European
    Mars Express
    Mars Express

    Mars Express is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency . The Mars Express mission is exploring the planet Mars , and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency....
    spacecraft has found evidence that volcanic activity may have occurred on Mars in the recent past as well.

    Jupiter
    Jupiter

    Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the Solar system by size planet within the Solar System. It is two and a half times as massive as all of the other planets in our Solar System combined....
    's moon
    Natural satellite

    A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called the primary. Technically, the term natural satellite could refer to a planet orbiting a star, or a dwarf galaxy orbiting a major galaxy, but it is normally synonymous with moon and used to identify non-artificial satellites...
     Io
    Io (moon)

    'Io' is the innermost of the four Galilean moons natural satellite of Jupiter and, with a diameter of 3,642 Kilometre, the List of moons by diameter in the Solar System....
     is the most volcanically active object in the solar system because of tidal interaction with Jupiter. It is covered with volcanoes that erupt sulfur
    Sulfur

    Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element that has the atomic number 16. It is denoted with the symbol S. It is an abundant Valence non-metal....
    , sulfur dioxide
    Sulfur dioxide

    Sulfur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula SO2. It is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide....
     and silicate
    Silicate

    A silicate is a compound containing an anion in which one or more central silicon atoms are surrounded by electronegative ligands. This definition is broad enough to include species such as hexafluorosilicate , [SiF6]2-, but the silicate species that are encountered most often consist of silicon with oxygen as the ligand...
     rock, and as a result, Io
    Io (moon)

    'Io' is the innermost of the four Galilean moons natural satellite of Jupiter and, with a diameter of 3,642 Kilometre, the List of moons by diameter in the Solar System....
     is constantly being resurfaced. Its lavas are the hottest known anywhere in the solar system, with temperatures exceeding 1,800 K (1,500 °C). In February 2001, the largest recorded volcanic eruptions in the solar system occurred on Io. Europa
    Europa (moon)

    'Europa' is the Moons_of_Jupiter#Table Natural satellite of the planet Jupiter. Europa was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei , and named after a mythical Phoenician noblewoman, Europa , who was courted by Zeus and became the queen of Crete....
    , the smallest of Jupiter's Galilean moons, also appears to have an active volcanic system, except that its volcanic activity is entirely in the form of water, which freezes into ice on the frigid surface. This process is known as cryovolcanism, and is apparently most common on the moons of the outer planets of the solar system
    Solar System

    The Solar System consists of the Sun and those Astronomical object bound to it by gravity: the eight planets and five dwarf planets, their 173 known Natural satellite, and billions of Small Solar System body....
    .

    In 1989 the Voyager 2
    Voyager 2

    The spacecraft is an Unmanned space mission interplanetary space probe launched on August 20, 1977. Identical in form to its sister Voyager program craft Voyager 1, Voyager 2 followed a slower trajectory that allowed it to be kept in the ecliptic so that it could be sent to Uranus and Neptune by means of gravity assist during...
     spacecraft observed cryovolcano
    Cryovolcano

    A cryovolcano is, literally, an icy volcano. Cryovolcanoes form on icy moons,and possibly on other low-temperature astronomical objects .Rather than lava, these volcanoes erupt volatiles such as water, ammonia or methane....
    es (ice volcanoes) on Triton
    Triton (moon)

    'Triton' is the largest natural satellite of the planet Neptune, discovered on October 10, 1846 by William Lassell. It is the only large moon in the Solar System with a Retrograde and direct motion, which is an orbit in the opposite direction to its planet's rotation....
    , a moon
    Natural satellite

    A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called the primary. Technically, the term natural satellite could refer to a planet orbiting a star, or a dwarf galaxy orbiting a major galaxy, but it is normally synonymous with moon and used to identify non-artificial satellites...
     of Neptune
    NEPTUNE

    =Overview=The project, along with sister project, VENUS, offers a unique approach to ocean science. Traditionally, ocean scientists have relied on infrequent ship cruises or space-based satellites to carry out their research....
    , and in 2005 the Cassini-Huygens
    Cassini-Huygens

    Cassini?Huygens is a joint NASA/European Space Agency robotic spacecraft mission currently studying the planet Saturn and Saturn's natural satellites....
     probe photographed fountains of frozen particles erupting from Enceladus
    Enceladus (moon)

    'Enceladus' , is the sixth-largest Moons of Saturn of Saturn . It was discovered in 1789 by William Herschel. Until the two Voyager program spacecraft passed near it in the early 1980s, very little was known about this small moon besides the identification of water ice on its surface....
    , a moon of Saturn
    Saturn

    Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn, along with Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, is classified as a gas giant....
    . The ejecta may be composed of water
    Water

    Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
    , liquid nitrogen
    Liquid nitrogen

    Liquid nitrogen is a liquefied atmospheric gas produced industrially in large quantities by fractional distillation of liquid air. It is pure nitrogen in a liquid state at very low temperature....
    , dust, or methane
    Methane

    Methane is a chemical compound with the molecular formula . It is the simplest alkane, and the principal component of natural gas. Methane's bond angles are 109.5 degrees....
     compounds. Cassini-Huygens also found evidence of a methane-spewing cryovolcano on the Saturnian
    Saturnian

    Saturnian can refer to:*Saturnian , the form of poetry which uses Saturnian Verse*Something of or relating to:...
     moon Titan
    Titan (moon)

    Titan or Saturn VI is the largest natural satellite of Saturn, the only moon known to have a dense celestial body atmosphere, and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found....
    , which is believed to be a significant source of the methane found in its atmosphere. It is theorized that cryovolcanism may also be present on the Kuiper Belt Object Quaoar
    50000 Quaoar

    50000 Quaoar is a Trans-Neptunian object and potential dwarf planet orbiting the Sun in the Kuiper belt. It was discovered on June 4, 2002 by astronomers Chad Trujillo and Michael E....
    .

    Etymology

    Volcano is thought to derive from Vulcano
    Vulcano

    Vulcano is a small volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea , about 25 km north of Sicily and the southernmost of the eight Aeolian Islands. It is 21 square kilometers in area, rises to 499 meters, and contains several volcanic centers, including one of four active non-submarine volcanoes in Italy....
    , a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands
    Aeolian Islands

    The Aeolian Islands are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily. The locals residing on the islands are known as Eolian. They are a popular tourist destination in the summer, and attract up to 200,000 visitors annually....
     of Italy whose name in turn originates from Vulcan
    Vulcan (mythology)

    In Religion in ancient Rome and Hellenic neopaganism, Vulcan is the god of beneficial and hindering fire, including the fire of volcanoes. He is also called Mulciber in Roman mythology and Sethlans in Etruscan mythology....
    , the name of a god of fire
    Fire

    Fire is the oxidation of a combustion material releasing heat, light, and various Chemical reaction products such as carbon dioxide and water....
     in Roman mythology
    Roman mythology

    Roman mythology, or more appropriately, Latin mythology, refers to the mythology beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its main city, Rome....
    . The study of volcanoes is called volcanology
    Volcanology

    Volcanology is the study of volcanoes, lava, magma, and related geology and geophysical phenomena. The term volcanology is derived from the Latin language word Vulcan , the Roman mythology of fire....
    , sometimes spelled
    vulcanology.

    The Roman name for the island
    Vulcano
    Vulcano

    Vulcano is a small volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea , about 25 km north of Sicily and the southernmost of the eight Aeolian Islands. It is 21 square kilometers in area, rises to 499 meters, and contains several volcanic centers, including one of four active non-submarine volcanoes in Italy....
    has contributed the word for volcano in most modern European languages.

    In culture


    Past beliefs

    Kircherearthfires
    Many ancient accounts ascribe volcanic eruptions to supernatural
    Supernatural

    The term supernatural or supranatural pertains to an order of existence beyond the scientifically visible universe. Religious miracles are typically supernatural claims, as are Spell and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others....
     causes, such as the actions of god
    Deity

    A deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divinity, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by human beings....
    s or demigod
    Demigod

    The term "demigod", meaning "half-god", is used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human. Demi-gods include the Celtic hero C?chulainn, Gilgamesh, and Heracles....
    s. To the ancient Greeks, volcanoes' capricious power could only be explained as acts of the gods, while 16th/17th-century German astronomer Johannes Kepler believed they were ducts for the Earth's tears. One early idea counter to this was proposed by Jesuit
    Society of Jesus

    The Society of Jesus is a Roman Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits, Soldiers of Jesus Christ, and Foot soldiers of the Pope, because the founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a knight before becoming a Holy Orders....
     Athanasius Kircher
    Athanasius Kircher

    Athanasius Kircher was a 17th century Germany Society of Jesus scholar who published around 40 works, most notably in the fields of Orientalism, geology, and medicine....
     (1602–1680), who witnessed eruptions of Mount Etna
    Mount Etna

    Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina, Italy and Catania. Its Arabic name was Jebel Utlamat ....
     and Stromboli
    Stromboli

    Stromboli is a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing one of the three active Volcanism in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily....
    , then visited the crater of Vesuvius and published his view of an Earth with a central fire connected to numerous others caused by the burning of sulfur
    Sulfur

    Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element that has the atomic number 16. It is denoted with the symbol S. It is an abundant Valence non-metal....
    , bitumen
    Bitumen

    Bitumen is a mixture of organic compounds liquids that are highly viscous, black, sticky, entirely soluble in carbon disulfide, and composed primarily of highly condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons....
     and coal
    Coal

    Coal is a readily combustion black or brownish-black sedimentary rock. The harder forms, such as anthracite, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure....
    .

    Various explanations were proposed for volcano behavior before the modern understanding of the Earth's mantle
    Mantle (geology)

    The mantle is a part of an astronomical object. The interior of the Earth, similar to the other terrestrial planets, is chemically divided into layers....
     structure as a semisolid material was developed. For decades after awareness that compression and radioactive materials may be heat sources, their contributions were specifically discounted. Volcanic action was often attributed to chemical reactions and a thin layer of molten rock near the surface.

    Heraldry

    Volcanoes appear as a charge
    Charge (heraldry)

    In heraldry and vexillology, a charge is an image occupying the field on an Escutcheon . Charge can also be a verb; for example, if an escutcheon bears three Lion s, then it is said to be charged with three lions. It is important to distinguish between divisions of the field and charges, and to note that charges can themselves be c...
     in heraldry
    Heraldry

    Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning Coat of arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms....
    .

    Panoramas

    Dirkvdm Irazu 1

    See also

    • History of Volcanology
    • Plinian eruption
      Plinian eruption

      Plinian eruptions are volcanic eruptions marked by their similarity to the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 that killed Pliny the Elder.Plinian eruptions are marked by columns of smoke and ash extending high into the stratosphere....
    • Prediction of volcanic activity
    • Volcano observatory
      Volcano observatory

      A volcano observatory is an institution that conducts research and monitoring of a volcano. Each observatory provides continuous and periodic monitoring of the Seismology, other geophysical changes, ground movements, volcanic gas chemistry, and hydrology conditions and activity between and during Volcanic eruptions....
    • Geomorphology
      Geomorphology

      Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them. Geomorphologists seek to understand why landscapes look the way they do: to understand landform history and dynamics, and predict future changes through a combination of field observation, physical experiment, and numerical mathematical model....
    • Earth science
      Earth science

      Earth science , is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth . It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet....
    • Volcanic field
      Volcanic field

      A volcanic field is a spot of the earth's Crust that is prone to localized volcanic activity. They usually contain 10 to 100 volcanoes, such as cinder cones and are usually in clusters....
    • Volcanic gas
      Volcanic gas

      Volcanic gases include a variety of substances given off by active volcanoes. These include gases trapped in cavities in volcanic rocks, dissolved or dissociated gases in magma and lava, or gases emanating directly from lava or indirectly through hydrothermal....
    • Tsunami
      Tsunami

      A is a series of ocean surface wave that is created when a large volume of a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. The Japanese term is literally translated into " harbor wave."...


    Lists
    • List of volcanoes
      List of volcanoes

      This is a list of lists of active and extinct volcanoes sorted by country.*List of submarine volcanoes*List of volcanoes in Afghanistan*List of volcanoes in Antarctica...
       (terrestrial)
    • List of extraterrestrial volcanoes
      List of extraterrestrial volcanoes

      This is a list of active, dormant and extinct volcanoes located beyond planet Earth. They may be designated mons , patera or tholus in accordance with the International Astronomical Union's rules for planetary nomenclature....
    • List of famous volcanic eruption deaths
    • Volcanic Explosivity Index
      Volcanic Explosivity Index

      The Volcanic Explosivity Index was devised by Christopher G. Newhall of the U.S. Geological Survey and Stephen Self at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1982 to provide a relative measure of the explosiveness of volcano eruptions....
       (includes list of large eruptions)
    • List of deadliest natural disasters


    Specific locations
    • Iceland hotspot
      Iceland hotspot

      The Iceland hotspot is a hotspot which is partly responsible for the high volcanic activity which has formed the island of Iceland....
    • Anahim hotspot
      Anahim hotspot

      The Anahim hotspot is a volcano hotspot in central British Columbia, Canada. It is situated on the Interior Plateau, a large region that lies between the Cariboo Mountains and Monashee Mountains to the east, and the Hazelton Mountains, Coast Mountains and Cascade Range to the west....
    • Kerguelen hotspot
      Kerguelen hotspot

      The Kerguelen hotspot is a volcanic hotspot at the Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Indian Ocean. The Kerguelen hotspot has produced basaltic lava for about 130 million years and has also produced the Kerguelen Islands, Heard Island and the McDonald Islands....
    • East Australia hotspot
      East Australia hotspot

      The East Australia hotspot is a volcanic Hotspot that takes advantage of weak spots in the Indo-Australian Plate to feed magma to the volcanoes of Eastern Australia....
    • Hawaii hotspot
      Hawaii hotspot

      Name=Hawaiian-Emperior seamount chain| Map=...
    • Bowie hotspot
      Bowie hotspot

      The Bowie hotspot is a volcano hotspot , located 180 kilometers west of the Queen Charlotte Islands in the Pacific Ocean.Almost all magma created by the hotspot has the composition of basalt, and so the volcanoes are constructed almost entirely of this igneous rock....
    • Réunion hotspot
      Réunion hotspot

      The R?union hotspot is a volcanic hotspot which currently lies under the Island of R?union in the Indian Ocean. The hotspot is believed to have been active for over 65 million years....
    • Galápagos hotspot
      Galápagos hotspot

      Gal?pagos hotspot is a volcano hotspot responsible for the formation of the Gal?pagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It lies below a section of the Galapagos Rise, the divergent boundary located between the South American coast and the triple junction of the Nazca Plate, the Cocos Plate, and the Pacific Plate ....
    • New England hotspot
      New England hotspot

      The New England hotspot, also referred to as the Great Meteor hotspot, is a long-lived volcano hotspot in the Atlantic Ocean. The hotspot's most recent eruptive center is the Great Meteor Seamount and probably created a short line of mid to late-Tertiary age seamounts on the African Plate but appears to be currently inactive....
    • Canary hotspot
      Canary hotspot

      The Canary hotspot is a volcano hotspot believed to be located at the Canary Islands off the north-western coast of Africa, although alternative theories to explain the volcanism there exist....
    • Pacific Ring of Fire
      Pacific Ring of Fire

      The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements....
    • Io (moon)
      Io (moon)

      'Io' is the innermost of the four Galilean moons natural satellite of Jupiter and, with a diameter of 3,642 Kilometre, the List of moons by diameter in the Solar System....
    • Triton (moon)
      Triton (moon)

      'Triton' is the largest natural satellite of the planet Neptune, discovered on October 10, 1846 by William Lassell. It is the only large moon in the Solar System with a Retrograde and direct motion, which is an orbit in the opposite direction to its planet's rotation....


    People Category:Volcanologists

    Further reading

    • Macdonald, Gordon A., and Agatin T. Abbott. (1970). Volcanoes in the Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 441 p.
    • Ollier, Cliff. (1988). Volcanoes. Basil Blackwell, Oxford, UK, ISBN 0-631-15664-X (hardback), ISBN 0-631-15977-0 (paperback).
    • Haraldur Sigurðsson
      Haraldur Sigurdsson

      Haraldur Sigurdsson was born May 31, 1939 and grew up in Iceland where he developed an interest in Volcanos and their activity.He studied geology and geochemistry in the United Kingdom, where he obtained a PhD degree from the Durham University in 1970....
      , ed. (1999)
      Encyclopedia of Volcanoes. Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-643140-X. This is a reference aimed at geologists, but many articles are accessible to non-professionals.
    • Cas, R.A.F. and J.V. Wright, 1987. Volcanic Successions. Unwin Hyman Inc. 528p. ISBN 0-04-552022-4


    External links

    • - A guide for children and youth
    • , Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
      Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

      The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers....
    • - Educational resource on the science and processes behind volcanoes, intended for university students of geology, volcanology and teachers of earth science.
    • :
      • This collection contains photographs of Mount St. Helens, post-eruption, taken over the span of three years to provide a look at both the human and the scientific sides of studying the eruption of a volcano.
      • This collection consists of 235 photographs in a study of plant habitats following the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.