Volcanic Classifications
MAGMA COMPOSITION AND ERUPTIVE BEHAVIOR
Volcanoes are primarily classified by the composition of their magma, which dictates how they
erupt and what shape they eventually take. The most critical factor in magma composition is its
silica (SiO2) content.
Silica acts as a primary polymerizing agent. Magma with high silica is highly viscous (thick and
sticky), which traps volcanic gases and leads to explosive, catastrophic eruptions. Conversely,
magma with low silica is less viscous (runny), allowing gases to escape easily, resulting in gentle,
effusive lava flows.
The Silica Rule: As silica content increases, magma viscosity and overall eruptive explosivity
increase, while the temperature of the magma typically decreases.
1. Basaltic (Mafic) Composition
Silica Content Low (~45% – 55%)
Viscosity Level Low (Fluid, runny consistency)
Eruption Style Effusive (Quet, non-explosive lava flows)
Because basaltic lava behaves like a fluid, gases escape easily without building up immense
pressure. The lava can travel extensive distances across the landscape before cooling and
solidifying.
• Shield Volcanoes: Broad, low-profile, gently sloping mountains built up by successive
layers of fluid lava flows (e.g., Mauna Loa and Kilauea in Hawaii).
• Cinder Cones: Small, steep-sided conic formations built from blobs of congealed lava
and scoria ejected from a localized single vent.
• Flood Basalts: Massive, expansive accumulations of horizontal lava flows over vast
regions, originating from crustal fissures.
2. Andesitic (Intermediate) Composition
Silica Content Intermediate (~55% – 65%)
Viscosity Level Medium (Intermediate resistance to flow)
Eruption Style Explosive to highly explosive periodic cycles
Andesitic magma is typical of subduction zone environments. The increased thickness of
the magma delays gas release, causing pressure to accumulate until it breaks through the
volcanic conduit in violent bursts of ash, pumice, and catastrophic pyroclastic flows.
• Composite Volcanoes (Stratovolcanoes): Tall, grand, symmetrical structures
characterized by steep profiles. They are constructed from alternating stratified layers
of hardened lava flows, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash (e.g., Mount St. Helens, Mount
Fuji, and Mount Pinatubo).
3. Rhyolitic (Felsic) Composition
Silica Content High (~65% – 75%)
Viscosity Level Very High (Extremely thick, sticky, paste-like)
Eruption Style Highly Explosive / Cataclysmic Paroxysms
Rhyolitic (or dacitic) magmas possess immense internal friction and rarely travel far as
traditional fluid flows. Instead, trapped structural gases generate high internal pressures
that lead to shattering explosive outbursts or slowly squeeze out like heavy paste.
• Lava Domes: Steep-sided, bulbous structural mounds created when highly viscous,
slow-moving felsic lava extrudes onto the surface and piles directly over the active vent.
• Calderas: Large, basin-shaped volcanic depressions formed when highly explosive
rhyolitic super-eruptions rapidly void the underlying storage chamber, causing the
structural roof of the volcano to collapse inward (e.g., Yellowstone National Park, Crater
Lake).