Types Of Volcanoes
What are the different types of volcanoes? Volcanoes are mountains or hills that have a crater somewhere in it. This crater is where lava and molten rock fragments, gas, and vapor from the depths of the earth are released. Some science books define volcanoes as openings in the earth surface that allows the heat from the crust escape. We all know what volcanoes are, right? But do you know that there are many types of volcanoes?
The simplest types of volcanoes are the cinder cones. These are the volcanoes that are formed from blob s of lave that are ejected from a sole crater of the volcano. As you may know, lava that are charged by gas are blown out to the air when volcanoes erupt. This lava breaks down and eventually fall as cinders, hence the name. The cinder cone volcanoes have craters that are shaped like a bowl. The summit is not that deep as they are usually just a thousand feet above. If you want to see cinder cone volcanoes, just visit the western part of North America and you will definitely see them.
Composite volcanoes, on the other hand, are volcanoes that are steep sided. These are the ones that have symmetrical cones where the lava flows. These types of volcanoes are also called stratovolcanoes. They are usually hidden and may look like ordinary mountains. Some famous composite volcanoes include Japan’s Mount Fuji, Oregon’s Mount Hood, Washington’s Mount Rainier, and many others. The characterizing features of composite volcanoes are the conduit systems where magma rises. These volcanoes are usually built by accumulating the different materials that erupt through these conduit systems and in the long run, are added into their slopes. More good examples of composite types of volcanoes are Oregon’s Mount Mazama and Mount Rainier.
The third of the many types of volcanoes are the shield volcanoes. These are volcanoes that are built by the flow of lava that are fluid. From the summit of these types of volcanoes, the fluid lava are spread, causing build up and forming the volcano. Shield volcanoes are built slowly through the years, and because of this, the largest volcanoes in the world are of these types. As you may know, Hawaii is home to many, many volcanoes. They are composed of many rows of these types of volcanoes as they are the most active ones as well. The largest of the shield volcanoes in Hawaii is called Mauna Loa.
Lastly, we have the lava domes. These are the types of volcanoes that are formed by masses of lave that flow out a great distance. This lava will then pile over the vent of the volcano, forming a dome. Over time, the dome will grow larger by expanding from within. There are some of these domes that form spines as they harden and shatter. But others can form short lava flows that are known as coulees. Some of the most common examples of the lava dome types of volcanoes include California’s Mount Pelee, Lassen Peak, and Mono domes.
