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

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

Vent

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

surface

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

Crater

• Steep walled depression around a volcano’s vent

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

Magma

• Hot melted rock below the Earth’s surface

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

Magma Chamber

• Deep well underground that holds magma under a volcano

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

Lava

• Thick gooey molten rock material flowing from volcanoes onto

Earth’s surface

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

Plate Tectonics

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

plastic-like layer of the mantle

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

Divergent Plate Boundary

Boundary between two plates that are moving apart

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

Convergent Plate Boundary

• place where Earth’s plates move toward each other

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

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.

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

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

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

Cinder Cone Volcano

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

from andesitic lava.

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

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.

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

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.

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