stratovolcanoes
Towering conical mountains
Stratovolcanoes are steep, cone-shaped volcanoes built up by alternating layers of lava, ash, and rock debris from successive eruptions.
Also called composite volcanoes, they produce the classic volcanic silhouette—Mount Fuji, Mount Rainier, Mount St.
Helens.
Their eruptions tend to be explosive and dangerous because thick, viscous magma traps gases until pressure builds catastrophically.
Made of distinct parts
- coneTapered solid, circular base
- lavaErupted liquid stone
- magmaMolten rock underground
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
tectonic · eruption · crater · caldera · pyroclastic · andesite · viscous · plate boundary
Growth through external addition
- layersStacked levels or coatings
- alternatingOccurring in turns
- ash depositsCollected combustion remnants
- lava flowsMoving volcanic rock
steep slopes · symmetrical · centuries · buildup · stratigraphy · growth · interbedded · consolidated
Hot volcanic gas-debris mixture
- laharVolcanic debris flow
- ashfallAirborne volcanic debris descending
- mudflowFast-moving liquefied earth
- lava domeSteep-sided volcanic mound
evacuation · monitoring · seismograph · warning system · sulfur dioxide · tsunami · landslide · toxic gases
Washington's dominant volcanic peak
- VesuviusItalian volcano, historically destructive
- KrakatoaIndonesian volcanic island
- PopocatepetlMexican stratovolcano, perpetually fuming
- St. HelensActive Cascade Range volcano
Etna · Kilimanjaro · Shasta · Ring of Fire · Andes · Cascades · Indonesia · Philippines
composite
Made of distinct parts
subduction · tectonic · eruption · crater · caldera · pyroclastic · andesite · viscous · plate boundary · summit
accretion
Growth through external addition
- layersStacked levels or coatings
- alternatingOccurring in turns
- ash depositsCollected combustion remnants
lava flows · steep slopes · symmetrical · centuries · buildup · stratigraphy · growth · interbedded · consolidated · erosion
pyroclastic flow
Hot volcanic gas-debris mixture
- laharVolcanic debris flow
- ashfallAirborne volcanic debris descending
- mudflowFast-moving liquefied earth
lava dome · evacuation · monitoring · seismograph · warning system · sulfur dioxide · tsunami · landslide · toxic gases · alert level
Rainier
Washington's dominant volcanic peak
- VesuviusItalian volcano, historically destructive
- KrakatoaIndonesian volcanic island
- PopocatepetlMexican stratovolcano, perpetually fuming
St. Helens · Etna · Kilimanjaro · Shasta · Ring of Fire · Andes · Cascades · Indonesia · Philippines · Japan
- geologybedrock, fault lines, faults, rock, basalt
- volcanicslava, magma, eruptions, lava flows, tephra
- volcanoesMount Fuji, caldera, lava, crater, Etna
- Volcanic PlacesRing of Fire, Hawaii, Iceland, Indonesia, Yellowstone
- volcanic geologylava, magma, crater, caldera, calderas
- American VolcanoesMount St. Helens, Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Mount Rainier, Popocatepetl
stratovolcanoesshield volcanoes
Broad, gently sloped volcanic mountains
lava domes · cinder cones · calderas · volcanic plains · Mauna Loa