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Introduction  Volcanoes and how they work A volcano usually resembles a mountain in the shape of a cone. It is an opening of the surface of the Earth downward to a pool of extremely hot, molten rock (magma). Volcanoes are locations where new Earth is born. They represent a superlative of geological processes. On the one hand, processes can be very slow, and on the other, very fast and dramatic, in the form of eruptions and earthquakes.
When pressure builds up, eruptions occur. Eruption products consist of lava (magma that reaches the surface of the Earth) and gases that come up and spill over the sides of the volcano or fill the air with volcanic material. As a result of a volcanic eruption, one can find lava flows, mudflows, falling ash and much more.
Several large cities are located close to an active or dormant volcano.
There are several types of volcanoes. They basically differ in shape, composition, and type of eruption. Volcanic scenery may look like any of the following:
Different classifications of volcanoes can be found in the various sources below:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/types.html The volcano types we will be studying in the exercises are:
The eruptive behaviour of a volcano depends on the magma’s viscosity (a quantity that is related to a fluid's resistance to flow). High viscosity (high resistance to flow) causes an explosive activity, and low viscosity an effusive activity.
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