Volcano Vocabulary

Volcano Vocabulary

•E.Q.: What are the characteristics and examples of the different types of volcanic eruptions?

Volcano

• Opening in the Earth’s surface that erupts sulfurous gases, ash

and lava


Vent

• Opening where magma is forced up and flows out onto Earth’s

surface


Crater

• Steep walled depression around a volcano’s vent


Magma

• Hot melted rock below the Earth’s surface


Magma Chamber

• Deep well underground that holds magma under a volcano


Lava

• Thick gooey molten rock material flowing from volcanoes onto

Earth’s surface


Plate Tectonics

Earth’s crust, and upper mantle are broken into plates that flow and move around on

plastic-like layer of the mantle


Divergent Plate Boundary

Boundary between two plates that are moving apart


Convergent Plate Boundary

• place where Earth’s plates move toward each other


Shield Volcano

Broad, gently sloping volcano formed by quiet eruptions of lava. Found mostly where Earth’s plates move apart from each other. Formed from basaltic lava.


Tephra

• Bits of rocks and solidified lava dropped from the air during an explosive volcanic

eruptions; range in size from volcanic ashes to volcanic bombs and blocks


Cinder Cone Volcano

Steep sides, loosely packed volcano formed when tephra falls to the ground. Formed

from andesitic lava.


Composite Volcano

Volcano built by alternating explosive and quiet eruptions that produce layers of tephra and lava; has broad base with a steep top; found mostly where Earth’s

plates come together and one plate sinks below the other. Formed from granitic magma.


Hot Spot

• Unusually hot area where magma breaks through the crust and forms a volcano. Not

at a plate boundary. This is how Hawaii formed.


Volcano Vocabulary

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