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Volcano

A volcano is an opening or crack in the Earth's surface where hot melted rock called lava,
along with ash, gases, and pieces of rock, come out from deep underground. Volcanism is
the process of these eruptions—when molten rock, volcanic ash, and gases escape to the
surface through that opening.

Volcano and Its Components

 A volcano is a place where gases, ashes, and molten rock material called lava
escape to the Earth's
surface.
 An active volcano is one
that is currently releasing
or has recently released
these materials.
 Beneath the Earth's solid
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crust lies the mantle,
which is denser than the
crust.

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 Within the mantle is a

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weaker zone called the 5-
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asthenosphere, from where molten rock materials originate.
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 The molten material in the upper mantle is known as magma.

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 When magma moves toward the Earth's surface or reaches it, it is called lava.
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 The materials that erupt and reach the ground include:

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o Lava flows
o Pyroclastic debris
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o Volcanic bombs
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o Ash and dust

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o Gases such as nitrogen compounds, sulphur compounds, and small

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amounts of chlorine, hydrogen, and argon.

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Causes of Volcanism

 The Earth’s inner layers are much hotter than the outer layers because of
different amounts of radioactive material inside.
 This temperature difference causes slow-moving currents called convection
currents in the mantle (the layer beneath the crust).
 These convection currents push and pull the Earth’s plates, creating weak zones
called convergent and divergent boundaries.
 At divergent boundaries, where plates move apart, melted and semi-melted
rock, sometimes with gases, rises up through cracks and reaches the surface.
 Earthquakes in these areas can open fault lines, allowing magma to escape
through long cracks—forming fissure-type volcanoes.
 At convergent boundaries, one plate pushes under another (called
subduction). This creates magma under high pressure, which can erupt violently
through the surface.

Distribution of Earthquakes and Volcanoes Around the World

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 Most earthquakes and volcanic activities happen along converging plate

boundaries and mid-oceanic ridges.
 About 70% of earthquakes occur in the Circum-Pacific belt, also called the
Pacific Ring of Fire.
 Another 20% of earthquakes take place in the Mediterranean-Himalayan
belt, covering regions like Asia Minor, the Himalayas, and parts of northwest
China.
 Only 10-20% of volcanic activity is visible above sea level; most volcanic
mountains underwater are much larger than those on land.

Major Volcano Belts

Volcanic Belt / Key Volcanoes / Top Countries

Details
Region Locations with Volcanoes

- Largest number of
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Aleutian Islands,
active volcanoes and
Kamchatka, Japan,
earthquakes- Stretch

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Philippines, Indonesia - United States:

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from Aleutian

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(Java, Sumatra), Solomon 173 (mostly
1. Circum-Pacific Islands to 5-
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Islands, New Hebrides, Alaska)- Russia:
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Belt (Pacific Kamchatka, Japan,

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Tonga, New Zealand 166- Indonesia:

Ring of Fire) Philippines,
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North Island, Andes, 139- Iceland:

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Indonesia, Pacific
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Guatemala, Costa Rica, 130- Japan: 112

islands, Andes to
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Nicaragua, Mexico,
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Central America,
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Alaska
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Mexico, Alaska
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- Covers
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Mediterranean Sea,
Alpine-Himalayan
belt, Asia Minor,
2. Mid- - Not specified
parts of Himalayas-
Continental / Mt. Vesuvius, Stromboli, (volcanoes in
Volcanism due to
Mediterranean- Mt. Ararat, Mt. Elbruz Mediterranean
Eurasian-African
Himalayan Belt and Asia Minor)
plate collision,
breaking
Mediterranean plate
into smaller plates

- Volcanoes along
3. Mid-Oceanic mid-ocean ridges in Active volcanoes in
- Not specified
Ridge Belt Atlantic and Indian Iceland and the Azores
Oceans

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- No volcanoes in
Himalayas or Indian
mainland- Only
active volcano:
Barren Island Barren Island
Volcanism in
(Andaman & Nicobar (active)Narcondam India
India
Islands), active since Island (probably extinct)
1990s, last erupted
2017- Narcondam
Island likely extinct,
crater damaged

Summary of Major Volcanic Zones

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Zone Location Features
Circum-Pacific Around Pacific Ocean Most active volcanoes &
Belt earthquakes; Ring of Fire

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Mid-Continental Mediterranean, Alpine- Volcanism from plate

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Belt Himalayan regions convergence & collision
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Mid-Oceanic Mid-Atlantic and Indian Underwater volcanic activity,
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Ridge Belt Ocean ridges some islands active

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Do You Know ?
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The Ring of Fire is also home to hot spots, areas deep within the Earth’s mantle from which
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heat rises. This heat facilitates the melting of rock in the brittle, upper portion of the mantle.
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The melted rock, known as magma, often pushes through cracks in the crust to form
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volcanoes.
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Hot spots are not generally associated with the interaction or movement of Earth’s tectonic
plates. For this reason, many geologists do not consider hot spot volcanoes part of the Ring
of Fire.
Mount Erebus, the most southern active volcano on Earth, sits over the eruptive zone of
the Erebus hot spot in Antarctica. This glacier-covered volcano has a lava lake at its summit
and has been consistently erupting since it was first discovered in 1841.

Components of Vulcanicity

 Endogenic mechanism
o creation of hot, liquid magma
 Exogenic mechanism
o appearance of hot liquid magma on surface.

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Basic Lava Acidic Lava

Hottest & highly fluid Highly viscous & high melting point
Rich Iron, magnesium Rich in silica
Poor in silica Forms steep sided volcanic domes
Flow quietly, are not Throws out volcanic bombs and pyroclasts with
explosive loud noise
Forms flattened volcanoes

Types of Volcanoes

Volcanoes are classified on the basis of nature of eruption and the form
developed at the surface.

Shield Volcanoes
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 Shield volcanoes are
among the largest
volcanoes on Earth,

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aside from basalt flows.

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 The Hawaiian
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volcanoes are the
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most well-known
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examples.
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 They are primarily

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composed of basalt
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lava, which is very fluid

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when erupted.
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 Due to the fluidity of basalt lava, shield volcanoes have gentle slopes and are not
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steep.
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 These volcanoes usually have low explosivity.

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 However, they can become explosive if water enters the volcanic vent.
 Lava erupts in a fountain-like manner, ejecting material that forms a cinder
cone at the top of the vent.

Composite Volcanoes

 Characterized by eruptions of cooler and more viscous lava compared to

basalt.
 These volcanoes tend to have explosive eruptions.

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 Along with lava, they eject large

amounts of pyroclastic material
and ashes.
 The erupted material accumulates
near the vent openings, forming
layers.
 Due to this layered accumulation,
these volcanoes are called
composite volcanoes.

Caldera Volcanoes

 These are the most explosive volcanoes on Earth.

 Their eruptions are so powerful that the volcano often collapses on itself
instead of forming a tall structure.
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 The resulting collapsed depression is called a caldera.
 The extreme explosiveness indicates that the magma chamber supplying lava
is both large and close to the surface.

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Flood Basalt Provinces 5-
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 These volcanoes erupt highly fluid lava that can flow over long distances.
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 Some regions worldwide are covered by thousands of square kilometers of

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thick basalt lava flows.

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 The lava flows can form a series of layers, with some layers exceeding 50
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meters in thickness.
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 Individual lava flows may extend for hundreds of kilometers.

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 The Deccan Traps in India, covering most of the Maharashtra plateau, are a
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prominent example of a large flood basalt province.

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 It is believed that the original extent of these trap formations was much larger
than what is present today.

Mid-Ocean Ridge Volcanoes

 These volcanoes are located in oceanic areas.

 They occur along a vast system of mid-ocean ridges stretching over 70,000
km across all ocean basins.
 The central portion of these ridges experiences frequent volcanic
eruptions.

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Volcanic Landforms

Intrusive and Extrusive LandForms

 Lava released during

volcanic eruptions cools and
solidifies into igneous
rocks.

 Cooling can occur either:

o At the surface,
forming volcanic
rocks, or
o Within the
Earth's crust,
forming plutonic
rocks.
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 When lava cools inside the crust, it creates distinct geological structures known
as intrusive forms.

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Intrusive Forms
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Batholiths
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 Large bodies of magmatic material that cool deep in the Earth's crust.
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 Form large domes that appear on the surface only after erosion removes
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overlying rock.
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 Can cover very large areas and extend several kilometers in depth.
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 Composed mostly of granitic rock.

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 Represent the cooled remnants of magma chambers.

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Lacoliths

 Large, dome-shaped intrusive bodies with a flat base.

 Connected to deeper magma sources by a pipe-like conduit.
 Resemble surface volcanic domes of composite volcanoes but are located
deep underground.
 Act as localized sources of lava that eventually reach the surface.
 Example: The Karnataka plateau features domal granite hills, which are
exfoliated lacoliths or batholiths.

Lapoliths, Phacoliths, and Sills

 When lava moves upward, it may spread horizontally along weak planes
forming different shapes:
o Lapolith: Saucer-shaped, concave upward intrusive body.
o Phacolith: Wavy masses of intrusive rocks found at the base of synclines
or tops of anticlines, connected to magma chambers below (often
batholiths).

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o Sills (Sheets): Near-horizontal bodies of intrusive rock; thinner ones

are called sheets, thicker ones sills.

Dykes

 Form when lava forces its way through cracks and fissures, cooling
perpendicular to the ground.
 Create wall-like structures.
 Common intrusive form in western Maharashtra.
 Considered feeders for volcanic eruptions such as those forming the Deccan
Traps.
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Volcano Location Type Key Notes

Mauna Loa Hawaii, USA Shield Largest active volcano on Earth,
volcano frequent eruptions, gentle slopes,
last erupted in 1984.
Mount Etna Sicily, Italy Stratovolcano Largest active volcano in Europe,
explosive eruptions, continuous
activity for thousands of years.
Kilauea Hawaii, USA Shield Among the most active and
volcano studied volcanoes, continuous
eruption since 1983.
Mount Democratic Stratovolcano Highly fluid lava, eruptions
Nyiragongo Republic of causing damage and fatalities,
Congo one of the most dangerous
volcanoes.

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Mount California, USA Stratovolcano One of Cascade Range’s largest

Shasta volcanoes, last erupted ~200
years ago, closely monitored.
Sangay Ecuador Stratovolcano Most active in South America,
frequent eruptions with lava
flows and ash plumes.
Mount Java, Indonesia Stratovolcano Highly active and dangerous,
Merapi explosive eruptions with
pyroclastic flows and lahars.
Mount Yasur Vanuatu Stratovolcano Frequent Strombolian eruptions,
popular tourist spot with volcanic
hazards.
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