Section 1: Volcanoes and Plate Tectonics

What Is a Volcano?

Volcano a weak spot in the earths crust

magma

where molten material (

), comes
to the surface
Magma molten mixture of rock-forming
substances, gases, and water from the

mantle

Lava when magma reaches the surface it is

called
Volcanic activity is a

Lava

constructive force that adds

new rock to existing land and forms new
islands

Where Are Volcanoes Located?

There are about 600 active volcanoes

on land and more beneath the sea

Ring of fire one major

volcanic belt where volcanoes rim the

pacific ocean
Three major locations:

Diverging plate boundaries

Converging plate

boundaries

Hot spots

How Do Volcanoes Form at

Diverging Plate Boundaries?

away

The plates move

from each other and

Lava pours out of

cracks in the ocean floor
Ex. mid-ocean ridge
In Iceland and the Azores
Islands the volcanoes of the
mid-ocean ridge rise above
the oceans surface

How Do Volcanoes Form at Hot

Spots?
Hot spot an area where

magma from deep within the mantle

melts through the crust like a blow
torch
These are often in the

middle of a plate
Locations: Hawaii,

Yellowstone national park in

Wyoming

How Do Volcanoes Form at

Convergent Plate Boundaries?

At

subduction zones:
Slabs of oceanic crust sink though a deep ocean
trench into the mantle
The crust melts forming magma
Magma rises back towards surface and erupts as lava

Many volcanoes occur on islands but can occur

on land where a continental plate collides with a
oceanic plate

Island arc string of islands arcing in

the shape of the deep ocean trench
Major island arcs:
Japan
Indonesia

Section 2: Properties of Magma

Where does Magma come from?

Lava begins as liquid magma in

the mantle

Liquid magma is less dense than

the surrounding solid material, this
causes magma to flow upward into
any cracks in the rock above

Magma will continue to travel upward

until it reaches the surface or is
trapped beneath layers of rocks

What is magma made up of?

Elements and Compounds
Each substance has a particular set of physical

and chemical properties that can be used to

identify a substance or to predict how it will
behave
Elements substances that cannot be broken down
in other substances
Compound - a substance made of two or more
elements that have been chemically combined

What are physical and chemical

properties?
Physical Property any characteristic of a

substance that can be observed or measured

without changing the composition of the
substance Ex. Boiling point
Chemical Properties any property that
produces a change in the composition of matter.
Ex. Silver jewelry darkening when exposed to air

What causes some liquids to flow

more easily than others?
Viscosity the

resistance of a liquid to flowing

The greater the viscosity of a liquid, the slower
it flows. Ex. Honey
The lower the viscosity of a liquid, the more
easily a liquid flows. Ex. water

Why do liquids differ in viscosity?

In some liquids, there is a greater degree of

friction among the liquids particles these

liquids have higher viscosity

What factors determine the

viscosity of magma?

Silica content
Silica made up of particles of the elements
oxygen and silicon; most abundant
materials in Earths crust
Silica content of magma ranges from about
50% to 70%
The more silica magma contains the higher
its viscosity; ex. Rhyolite
The less silica magma contains the lower
its viscosity; ex. Basalt

Temperature
Viscosity increases as temperature
decreases; ex. Cold honey versus warm
honey
Pahoehoe fast-moving hot lava that has a
low viscosity
Aa slow-moving cooler lava that has a
higher viscosity

Section 3: Volcanic Eruptions

What happens as a volcano erupts?

As magma rises toward the

surface, the pressure

decreases allowing the

dissolved gases to separate out
forming bubbles

During a volcanic eruption, the

gases dissolved in magma

rush out, carrying the magma with
them

What does the inside of a volcano

look like?
Magma chamber the pocket beneath a volcano where
magma collects
Pipe a long tube through which magma moves from the
magma chamber to the Earths surface

Vent an opening where magma and gas leave the volcano

Lava flow area covered by lava as it pours out of a vent

Crater a bowl-shaped area that may form as the top of a volcano

around the vent

Is all magma the same?

No, some types of magma are thick and
flow very slowly. Other types are
fluid and flow almost as easily as
water.

Temperature and the amount of

silica account for the differences

Silica material that is formed from the

elements
and silicon

Pumice gas bubbles get trapped leaving

oxygen

Obsidian lava cools fast

spaces

What types of volcanic eruptions

are there?
Quiet eruptions
magma appears to
flow out easily
producing
pahoehoe and
aa lava
Explosive
eruptions pressure
inside the volcano
builds possibly
resulting in a
pyroclastic flow

Section 4: Volcanic Landforms

What type of landforms are created

from lava?
Shield Volcanoes
Cinder Cone Volcanoes
Composite Volcanoes
Lava Plateaus

Calderas

What is a shield volcano?

A wide, gently-sloping
mountain made of layers of

lava and formed by quiet

eruptions
Shield volcanoes created the

Hawaiian Islands

What is a cinder cone volcano?

A steep, cone-shaped
hill or mountain made of
volcanic ash, cinders,
and bombs piled up
around a volcanos

opening.

What is a composite volcano?

A tall, cone shaped

mountain in which layers
of lava alternate with
layers of ash and other
volcanic materials.

What is a caldera?

The large hole at the

top of a volcano formed

when the roof of a
volcanos magma
chamber collapses

Mount St. Helens