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{{Short description|Rupture in a planet's crust where material escapes}}
:''For other meanings, see [[Volcano (disambiguation)]].''
{{Redirect|Volcanic||Volcano (disambiguation)|and|Volcanic (disambiguation)}}
:''"Eruption" redirects here. For other meanings, see [[Eruption (disambiguation)]].''
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=November 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
[[File:Augustine volcano Jan 24 2006 - Cyrus Read.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Augustine Volcano]] (Alaska) during its eruptive phase on January 24, 2006]]
A '''volcano''' is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the [[Crust (geology)|crust]] of a [[planetary-mass object]], such as [[Earth]], that allows hot [[lava]], [[volcanic ash]], and [[volcanic gas|gases]] to escape from a [[magma chamber]] below the surface.<ref name=gsa>{{cite book|title=What is a Volcano?|publisher=[[Geological Society of America]]|language=en|year=2010|ISBN=0813724708|chapter= 1: What is a volcano?|editor-last1=Canon-Tapia|editor-first1=Edgardo|editor-last2=Szakács|editor-first2=Alexandru|page=3}}</ref>


On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where [[list of tectonic plates|tectonic plates]] are [[divergent boundary|diverging]] or [[convergent boundary|converging]], and because most of Earth's plate boundaries are underwater, most volcanoes are found underwater. For example, a [[mid-ocean ridge]], such as the [[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]], has volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates whereas the Pacific [[Ring of Fire]] has volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates. Volcanoes resulting from divergent tectonic activity are usually non-explosive whereas those resulting from convergent tectonic activity cause violent eruptions.<ref name=dkp>{{cite book|title=The Ultimate Visual Dictionary|year=2012|publisher=[[DK (publisher)|DK Pub.]]|language=en|page=272-293|ISBN=978-0-1434-1954-9|chapter=geology}}</ref><ref name=mor>Ridge, Petrology Mid-ocean. "Mid-ocean ridge tectonics, volcanism and geomorphology." Geology 26, no. 455 (2001): 458. https://macdonald.faculty.geol.ucsb.edu/papers/Macdonald%20Mid-Ocean%20Ridge%20Tectonics.pdf</ref> Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the crust's plates, such as in the [[East African Rift]], the [[Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field]], and the [[Rio Grande rift]] in North America. Volcanism away from plate boundaries most likely arises from upwelling [[diapir]]s from the [[core–mantle boundary]] called [[mantle plume]]s, {{convert|3000|km|mi}} deep within Earth. This results in [[hotspot (geology)|hotspot volcanism]] or intraplate volcanism, in which the plume may cause thinning of the crust and result in a [[volcanic island]] chain due to the continuous movement of the tectonic plate, of which the [[Hawaiian hotspot]] is an example.<ref name=bgs>{{cite web|title=How volcanoes form - British Geological Survey|website=[[British Geological Survey]]|access-date=25 December 2024|url=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/earth-hazards/volcanoes/how-volcanoes-form-2/#:~:text=Volcanoes%20form%20here%20in%20two,produces%20an%20island%2Darc%20volcano}}</ref> Volcanoes are usually not created at [[transform fault|transform tectonic boundaries]] where two tectonic plates slide past one another.
[[image:Volcano scheme.svg|thumb|right|330px|Volcano<br>
1. Magma chamber<br>
2. Country rock<br>
3. Conduit (pipe)<br>
4. Base<br>
5. Sill<br>
6. Branch pipe<br>
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano<br>
8. Flank<br>
9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano<br>
10. Throat<br>
11. Parasitic cone<br>
12. Lava flow<br>
13. Vent<br>
14. Crater<br>
15. Ash cloud]]
A '''volcano''' is a rupture in the Earth's surface or crust, allowing hot, usually molten rock, ash, and gases originating deep below the surface to periodically escape. Volcanic activity involving the [[Extrusive (geology)|extrusion]] of rock tends to form mountains or mountain-like features over time.


Volcanoes, based on their frequency of eruption or volcanism, can be defined as either [[active volcano|active]], dormant or extinct. Active volcanoes have a recent history of volcanism and are likely to erupt again, dormant ones have not erupted in a long time but may erupt later, while extinct ones are not capable of eruption at all. These categories aren't entirely uniform; they may overlap for certain examples.<ref name=dkp/><ref name=ade/><ref name=ng>{{cite web|title=Volcanoes|website=National Geographic Society|url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/volcanoes/|access-date=26 December 2024}}</ref>
Volcanoes are generally found where two to three [[tectonic plates]] [[divergent boundary|diverge]] or [[convergent boundary|converge]]. The [[mid-oceanic ridge]]s, like the [[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]], are typical examples of divergent tectonic plates where volcanoes are formed, whereas the [[Pacific Ring of Fire]] is a typical example of volcanic activity on convergent tectonic plates. Where two tectonic plates slide past one another (like the [[San Andreas fault]]) volcanic activity is generally not found. In zones of prolonged crustal extension and thinning within crustal plates, non-hotspot intraplate volcanism can be caused by decompression of the upper mantle without either of the above processes acting (like in the [[African Rift Valley]], or the European [[Rhine Graben]] with its [[Eifel]] volcanoes).


Large eruptions can affect atmospheric temperature as ash and droplets of [[sulfuric acid]] obscure the Sun and cool Earth's [[troposphere]]. Historically, large volcanic eruptions have been followed by [[volcanic winter]]s which have caused catastrophic famines.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rampino|first1=M R|last2=Self|first2=S|last3=Stothers|first3=R B|title=Volcanic Winters|journal=Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences|date=May 1988|volume=16|issue=1|pages=73–99|doi=10.1146/annurev.ea.16.050188.000445|bibcode=1988AREPS..16...73R|issn=0084-6597}}</ref>
Volcanic activity can also occur from [[mantle plumes]], the so-called [[hotspot (geology)|hotspots]], which occur at locations far from plate boundaries; hotspot volcanoes are also found elsewhere in the [[solar system]], especially on its rocky planets and moons.

Other planets besides Earth have volcanoes. For example, volcanoes are very numerous on Venus.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hahn|first1=Rebecca M.|last2=Byrne|first2=Paul K.|date=April 2023|title=A Morphological and Spatial Analysis of Volcanoes on Venus|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2023je007753|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets|volume=128|issue=4|doi=10.1029/2023je007753|bibcode=2023JGRE..12807753H|s2cid=257745255|issn=2169-9097}}</ref> Mars has significant volcanoes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/nasa-confirms-thousands-of-massive-ancient-volcanic-eruptions-on-mars/|title=NASA Confirms Thousands of Massive Ancient Volcanic Eruptions on Mars|access-date=12 November 2024|date=15 September 2021|first=William|last=Steigerwald|publisher=Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA|location=Greenbelt, Md, United States}}</ref> In 2009, a paper was published suggesting a new definition for the word 'volcano' that includes processes such as [[cryovolcanism]]. It suggested that a volcano be defined as 'an opening on a planet or moon's surface from which [[magma]], as defined for that body, and/or magmatic gas is erupted.'<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lopes|last2=Mitchell|last3=Williams|last4=Mitri|last5=Gregg|first1=R. M.|first2=K. L.|first3=D. A.|first4=G.|first5=T. K.|title=What is a Volcano? How planetary volcanism has changed our definition|url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009AGUFM.V21H..08L/abstract|journal=AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts|date=2009|volume=2009|bibcode=2009AGUFM.V21H..08L}}</ref>

This article mainly covers volcanoes on Earth. See {{section link|nopage=y|Volcano|Volcanoes on other celestial bodies}} and [[cryovolcano]] for more information.

==Etymology and Terminology==
The word ''volcano'' ([[British English|UK]]: ''/vɒlˈkeɪnəʊ/''; and [[American English|US]] ''/vɔlˈkeɪnoʊ/'') originates from the early 17th century, derived from the Italian ''vulcano'', a volcanic island in the [[Aeolian Islands]] of Italy whose name in turn comes from [[latin]] ''volcānus'' or ''vulcānus'' referring to [[Vulcan (mythology)|Vulcan]], the god of fire in [[Roman mythology]].<ref name=oed>''Oxford English Dictionary,'' [[Oxford University Press]], 2013, accessed 25 December 2024. https://www.oed.com/</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s7694.html|title=Volcano|work=Mind over Magma: The Story of Igneous Petrology|first1=Davis A.|last1=Young|year=2003|access-date=January 11, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112071530/http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s7694.html|archive-date=November 12, 2015}}</ref> Volcanic action or phenomenon is called [[volcanism]] [Early 19th century: from ''volcano'' + ''-ism'']. The study of volcanism and volcanoes is called [[volcanology]] [mid 19th century: from ''volcano'' + ''-logy''], sometimes spelled ''vulcanology''.<ref name=oed/>

==Plate tectonics==
{{Main|Plate tectonics}}

[[File:Spreading ridges volcanoes map-en.svg|thumb|upright=1.8|Map showing the divergent plate boundaries (oceanic spreading ridges) and recent sub-aerial volcanoes (mostly at convergent boundaries)]]

According to the theory of plate tectonics, Earth's [[lithosphere]], its rigid outer shell, is broken into sixteen larger and several smaller plates. These move continuously at a slow pace, due to [[convection]] in the underlying ductile [[Earth's mantle|mantle]], and most volcanic activity on Earth takes place along plate boundaries, where plates are converging (and lithosphere is being destroyed) or are diverging (and new lithosphere is being created).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schmincke|first1=Hans-Ulrich|title=Volcanism|date=2003|publisher=Springer|location=Berlin|isbn=9783540436508|pages=13–20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XHlJrFAhth4C&pg=PA13}}</ref>

During the development of geological theory, certain concepts that allowed the grouping of volcanoes in time, place, structure and composition have developed that ultimately have had to be explained in the theory of plate tectonics. For example, some volcanoes are ''[[Polygenetic volcanic field|polygenetic]]'' with more than one period of activity during their history; other volcanoes that become extinct after erupting exactly once are ''[[Monogenetic volcanic field|monogenetic]]'' (meaning "one life") and such volcanoes are often grouped together in a geographical region.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hsu-Buffalo|first=Charlotte|title=Do monogenetic volcanoes threaten the southwestern US?|date=November 4, 2021|work=Futurity|url=https://www.futurity.org/monogenetic-volcano-2652672-2/|access-date=July 21, 2023}}</ref>


==Locations==
===Divergent plate boundaries===
===Divergent plate boundaries===
{{Main|Divergent boundary}}


At the mid-oceanic [[ridges]], two [[tectonic]] plates diverge from one another. New [[crust (geology)|oceanic crust]] is being formed by hot molten rock slowly cooling down and solidifying. In these places, the crust is very thin and eruptions occur frequently because of the pull by the tectonic plates. The main part of the mid-oceanic ridges are at the bottom of the ocean, and most volcanic activity is submarine. [[Black smoker]]s are a typical example of this kind of volcanic activity. Where the mid-oceanic ridge comes above sea-level, volcanoes like the [[Hekla]] on [[Iceland]] are formed. Divergent plate boundaries create new seafloor and volcanic islands, such as Cjertce and Hawaii. Sometimes it can form in the ocean.
At the [[mid-ocean ridge]]s, two [[list of tectonic plates|tectonic plates]] diverge from one another as hot mantle rock creeps upwards beneath the thinned [[oceanic crust]]. The decrease of pressure in the rising mantle rock leads to [[adiabatic]] expansion and the [[partial melting]] of the rock, causing volcanism and creating new oceanic crust. Most [[divergent plate boundaries]] are at the bottom of the oceans, and so most volcanic activity on Earth is submarine, forming new [[seafloor]]. [[Black smoker]]s (also known as deep sea vents) are evidence of this kind of volcanic activity. Where the mid-oceanic ridge is above sea level, volcanic islands are formed, such as [[Iceland]].{{sfn|Schmincke|2003|pp=17-18, 276}}<ref name=mor/>


===Convergent plate boundaries===
===Convergent plate boundaries===
{{Main|Convergent boundary}}
In places where one tectonic plate submerges beneath another, the crust melts and becomes [[magma]]. This surplus amount of magma generated in one location causes the formation of the volcano. Typical examples for this kind of volcano are the volcanoes in the [[Pacific Ring of Fire]], and also [[Mount Etna]] and [[Mount Vesuvius]] you suck butt

.
[[Subduction]] zones are places where two plates, usually an oceanic plate and a continental plate, collide. The oceanic plate subducts (dives beneath the continental plate), forming a deep ocean trench just offshore. In a process called [[flux melting]], water released from the subducting plate lowers the melting temperature of the overlying mantle wedge, thus creating [[magma]]. This magma tends to be extremely [[viscous]] because of its high [[silica]] content, so it often does not reach the surface but [[Igneous intrusion|cools and solidifies at depth]]. When it does reach the surface, however, a volcano is formed. Thus subduction zones are bordered by chains of volcanoes called [[volcanic arc]]s. Typical examples are the volcanoes in the Pacific [[Ring of Fire]], such as the [[Cascade Volcanoes]] or the [[Japanese Archipelago]], or the eastern islands of [[Indonesia]].{{sfn|Schmincke|2003|pp=18,113-126}}<ref name=dkp/>


===Hotspots===
===Hotspots===
{{Main|Hotspot (geology)}}
[[Hotspot (geology)|Hotspots]] are not located on the ridges of tectonic plates, but on top of [[mantle plume]]s, where the [[convection]] of [[Earth]]'s [[mantle (geology)|mantle]] creates a column of hot material that rises until it reaches the crust. The temperature of the plume causes the crust to melt and form pipes, which can vent magma. Because the tectonic plates move whereas the mantle plume remains in the same place, each volcano becomes extinct after a while and a new volcano is then being formed as the plate shifts over the hotspot. The [[Hawaiian Islands]] are thought to be formed in such a manner, as well as the [[Snake River Plain]], with the [[Yellowstone Caldera]] being the current part of the North American plate over the hotspot.


[[Hotspot (geology)|Hotspots]] are volcanic areas thought to be formed by [[mantle plume]]s, which are hypothesized to be columns of hot material rising from the core-mantle boundary. As with mid-ocean ridges, the rising mantle rock experiences decompression melting which generates large volumes of magma. Because tectonic plates move across mantle plumes, each volcano becomes inactive as it drifts off the plume, and new volcanoes are created where the plate advances over the plume. The [[Hawaiian Islands]] are thought to have been formed in such a manner, as has the [[Snake River Plain]], with the [[Yellowstone Caldera]] being part of the North American plate currently above the [[Yellowstone hotspot]].{{sfn|Schmincke|2003|pp=18,106-107}}<ref name=bgs/> However, the mantle plume hypothesis has been questioned.<ref name=Foulger>{{cite book|title=Plates vs. Plumes: A Geological Controversy|last1=Foulger|first1=Gillian R.|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4051-6148-0|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell}}</ref>
===Petitspots===
In July 2006, volcanoes were discovered that did not fit in any of the above-mentioned categories, since they are located far from the plate boundary, but are too small to be the result of a mantle plume.<ref>{{cite journal | author=N. Hirano, E. Takahashi, J. Yamamoto, N. Abe, S. P. Ingle, I. Kaneoka, T. Hirata, J.-I. Kimura, T. Ishii, Y. Ogawa, S. Machida, K. Suythtrjhyt | title=Volcanism in Response to Plate Flexure | journal=Science | date=2006-04-03 | url=http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1128235v1 | accessdate=2006-09-04 }}</ref> A new theory suggests that submergence of tectonic plates causes stress all over the plate, which causes the plate to crack in some places. However, other scientists believe the mantle plume theory to be incorrect, and consider this discovery a confirmation of their ideas.<ref>{{cite journal | first=Marcia K. | last=McNutt | title=Another Nail in the Plume Coffin? | journal=Science | date=2006-07-20 | url=http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1131298v1 | accessdate=2006-09-04 }}</ref>


===Continental rifting===
==Shape==
{{Main|Rift}}
The most common perception of a volcano is of a [[cone|conical]] mountain, spewing lava and poisonous gases from a [[crater]] in its top. This describes just one of many types of volcano and the features of volcanoes are much more complicated. The structure and behaviour of volcanoes depends on a number of factors. Some volcanoes have rugged peaks formed by [[lava dome]]s rather than a [[volcanic crater|summit crater]], whereas others present [[landscape]] features such as massive plateaus. Vents that issue volcanic material (lava, which is what magma is called once it has broken the surface, and [[volcanic ash|ash]]) and gases (mainly [[Volcano#Effects of volcanoes|steam and magmatic gases]]) can be located anywhere on the landform. Many of these vents give rise to smaller cones such as [[Pu'u 'Ō'ō|Pu{{okina}}u {{okina}}Ō{{okina}}ō]] on a flank of [[Hawaii|Hawai{{okina}}i]]'s [[Kīlauea]].


Sustained upwelling of hot mantle rock can develop under the interior of a continent and lead to rifting. Early stages of rifting are characterized by [[flood basalt]]s and may progress to the point where a tectonic plate is completely split.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Philpotts|first1=Anthony R.|last2=Ague|first2=Jay J.|title=Principles of igneous and metamorphic petrology|date=2009|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, UK|isbn=9780521880060|pages=380–384, 390|edition=2nd}}</ref>{{sfn|Schmincke|2003|pp=108-110}} A divergent plate boundary then develops between the two halves of the split plate. However, rifting often fails to completely split the continental lithosphere (such as in an [[aulacogen]]), and failed rifts are characterized by volcanoes that erupt unusual [[Alkaline magma series|alkali lava]] or [[carbonatite]]s. Examples include the volcanoes of the [[East African Rift]].{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|pp=390-394,396-397}}
Other types of volcanoes include [[cryovolcano]]s (or ice volcanoes), particularly on some moons of [[Jupiter]], [[Saturn]] and [[Neptune]]; and [[mud volcano]]es, which are formations often not associated with known magmatic activity. Active mud volcanoes tend to involve temperatures much lower than those of [[igneous]] volcanoes, except when a mud volcano is actually a vent of an igneous volcano.

==Volcanic features==
{{Further|Types of volcanoes}}
[[File:007_Volcano_eruption_of_Litli-Hrútur_in_Iceland_in_2023_Video_by_Giles_Laurent.webm|thumb|Video of lava agitating and bubbling in the volcanic eruption of Litli-Hrútur ([[Fagradalsfjall]]), Iceland, 2023]]
A volcano needs a reservoir of molten magma (e.g. a [[magma chamber]]), a conduit to allow magma to rise through the crust, and a vent to allow the magma to escape above the surface as lava. The erupted volcanic material (lava and tephra) that is deposited around the vent is known as a '''{{Visible anchor|volcanic edifice}}''', typically a volcanic cone or mountain.<ref name=dkp/><ref name="NPS-Anat">{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/volcanoes/anatomy-of-a-volcano.htm|title=Anatomy of a Volcano|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|date=July 5, 2023|access-date=November 3, 2023}}</ref>

The most common perception of a volcano is of a [[conical]] mountain, spewing [[lava]] and poisonous [[volcanic gas|gases]] from a [[volcanic crater|crater]] at its summit; however, this describes just one of the many types of volcano. The features of volcanoes are varied. The structure and behaviour of volcanoes depend on several factors. Some volcanoes have rugged peaks formed by [[lava dome]]s rather than a summit crater while others have [[landscape]] features such as massive [[plateau]]s. Vents that issue volcanic material (including lava and [[volcanic ash|ash]]) and gases (mainly steam and magmatic gases) can develop anywhere on the [[landform]] and may give rise to smaller cones such as [[Pu'u 'Ō'ō|Pu{{okina}}u {{okina}}Ō{{okina}}ō]] on a flank of [[Kīlauea]] in Hawaii. [[Volcanic crater]]s are not always at the top of a mountain or hill and may be filled with lakes such as with [[Lake Taupō]] in New Zealand. Some volcanoes can be low-relief landform features, with the potential to be hard to recognize as such and be obscured by geological processes.<ref name=dkp/><ref name=usgs>{{cite web|title=The Pu‘u‘ō‘ō Eruption Lasted 35 Years|date=22 November 2023|website=[[United States Geological Survey]]|url=https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/puuoo-eruption-lasted-35-years|access-date=25 December 2024}}</ref><ref name=taupo>{{cite web|title=Lake Taupo - New Zealand, Map, Volcano, & Facts - Britannica|website=Britannica|access-date=25 December 2024|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Taupo}}</ref>

Other types of volcano include [[mud volcano]]es, which are structures often not associated with known magmatic activity; and [[cryovolcano]]es (or ice volcanoes), particularly on some moons of [[Jupiter]], [[Saturn]], and [[Neptune]]. Active mud volcanoes tend to involve temperatures much lower than those of [[igneous]] volcanoes except when the mud volcano is actually a vent of an igneous volcano.

===Fissure vents===
{{Main|Fissure vent}}

[[File:Lakagigar Iceland 2004-07-01.jpg|right|thumbnail|[[Laki|Lakagigar]] fissure vent in [[Iceland]], the source of the [[Laki#Consequences in Iceland|major world climate alteration of 1783–84]], has a chain of volcanic cones along its length.]]
[[Fissure vent|Volcanic fissure vents]] are generally found at [[Divergent boundary|diverging plate boundaries]], they are flat, linear fractures through which [[basaltic lava]] emerges. These kinds of volcanoes are non-explosive and the basaltic lava tends to have a low viscosity and solidifies slowly leading to a gentle sloping basaltic [[Volcanic plateau|lava plateau]]. They often relate or constitute shield volcanoes<ref name=dkp/><ref name=nps/>


===Shield volcanoes===
===Shield volcanoes===
{{Main|Shield volcano}}
[[Image:PahoehoeLava.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Toes of a [[pāhoehoe]] advance across a road in [[Kalapana, Hawaii|Kalapana]] on the east rift zone of [[Kilauea|Kīlauea]] Volcano in [[Hawaii|Hawai{{okina}}i]].]]

:''Main article: [[Shield volcano]]''
[[File:Skjaldbreidur Herbst 2004.jpg|right|thumbnail|[[Skjaldbreiður]], a shield volcano whose name means "broad shield"]]
[[Hawaii|Hawai{{okina}}i]] and [[Iceland]] are examples of places where volcanoes extrude huge quantities of basaltic [[lava]] that gradually build a wide mountain with a shield-like profile. Their lava flows are generally very hot and very fluid, contributing to long flows. The largest lava shield on Earth, [[Mauna Loa]], rises over 9,000 m from the ocean floor, is 120 km in diameter and forms part of the [[Hawaii (island)|Big Island of Hawai{{okina}}i]]. [[Olympus Mons]] is the largest shield volcano on [[Mars]], and is the tallest known mountain in the [[solar system]]. Smaller versions of shield volcanoes include ''lava cones'', and ''lava mounds''.
Shield volcanoes, so named for their broad, shield-like profiles, are formed by the eruption of low-viscosity basaltic or andesitic lava that can flow a great distance from a vent. They generally do not explode catastrophically but are characterized by relatively gentle [[effusive eruption]]s.<ref name=dkp/> Since low-viscosity magma is typically low in silica, shield volcanoes are more common in oceanic than continental settings. The Hawaiian volcanic chain is a series of shield cones, and they are common in [[Iceland]], as well.<ref name=nps>{{cite web|title=Shield Volcanoes (U.S. National Park Service)|website=[[National Park Service]]|access-date=25 December 2024|url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/shield-volcanoes.htm#:~:text=Hawai'i%20Volcanoes%20National%20Park,active%20volcano%20on%20the%20planet.}}</ref> [[Olympus Mons]], an extinct martian shield volcano is the largest known volcano in the [[Solar System]].<ref name=msv>{{cite web|title=Olympus Mons - Description, Height, & Facts - Britannica|website=Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Olympus-Mons|access-date=25 December 2024}}</ref>

===Lava domes===
{{Main|Lava dome}}
[[Lava dome|Lava domes]], also called dome volcanoes, have steep convex sides built by slow eruptions of highly viscous [[Rhyolite|rhyolitic lava]].<ref name=dkp/> They are sometimes formed within the crater of a previous volcanic eruption, as in the case of [[Mount St. Helens]], but can also form independently, as in the case of [[Lassen Peak]]. Like stratovolcanoes, they can produce violent, explosive eruptions, but the lava generally does not flow far from the originating vent.


===Cryptodomes===
Quiet eruptions spread out basaltic lava in flat layers. The buildup of these layers form a broad volcano with gently sloping sides called a shield volcano. Examples of shield volcanoes are the Hawaiian Islands.
Cryptodomes are formed when viscous lava is forced upward causing the surface to bulge. The [[1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens]] was an example; lava beneath the surface of the mountain created an upward bulge, which later collapsed down the north side of the mountain.


===Cinder cones===
===Cinder cones===
{{main | Volcanic cone}}
{{Main|volcanic cone|Cinder cone}}
[[File:Izalco Volcano.jpg|thumb|[[Izalco (volcano)|Izalco volcano]], the youngest volcano in El Salvador. Izalco erupted almost continuously from 1770 (when it formed) to 1958, earning it the nickname of "Lighthouse of the Pacific".]]
''[[Volcanic cone]]s'' or ''[[cinder cone]]s'' result from eruptions that throw out mostly small pieces of [[scoria]] and [[pyroclastics]] (both resemble cinders, hence the name of this volcano type) that build up around the vent. These can be relatively short-lived eruptions that produce a cone-shaped hill perhaps 30 to 400 m high. Most cinder cones erupt only once. Cinder cones may form as flank vents on larger volcanoes, or occur on their own. [[Paricutín]] in [[Mexico]] and [[Sunset Crater]] in [[Arizona]] are examples of cinder cones.


Cinder cones result from eruptions of mostly small pieces of [[scoria]] and [[Pyroclastic rock|pyroclastics]] (both resemble cinders, hence the name of this volcano type) that build up around the vent. These can be relatively short-lived eruptions that produce a cone-shaped hill perhaps {{convert|30 to 400|m|ft|-2}} high. Most cinder cones erupt only once and some may be found in [[monogenetic volcanic field]]s that may include other features that form when magma comes into contact with water such as [[maar]] explosion craters and [[tuff ring]]s.<ref name="Thomas2000">David S.G. Thomas and Andrew Goudie (eds.), ''The Dictionary of Physical Geography'' (Oxford: Blackwell, 2000), 301. {{ISBN|0-631-20473-3}}.</ref> Cinder cones may form as [[parasitic cone|flank vents]] on larger volcanoes, or occur on their own. [[Parícutin]] in Mexico and [[Sunset Crater]] in [[Arizona]] are examples of cinder cones. In [[New Mexico]], [[Caja del Rio]] is a [[volcanic field]] of over 60 cinder cones.
===Stratovolcanoes===
[[Image:Aa_large.jpg|thumb|right|In difference to pāhoehoe, Aa is a term of Polynesian origin, pronounced Ah-ah, for rough, jagged, spiny lavaflow]]


Based on satellite images, it has been suggested that cinder cones might occur on other terrestrial bodies in the Solar system too; on the surface of Mars and the Moon.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wood|first1=C.A.|title=Cindercones on Earth, Moon and Mars|journal=Lunar and Planetary Science|volume=X|year=1979|pages=1370–1372|bibcode=1979LPI....10.1370W}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Meresse|first1=S.|last2=Costard|first2=F.O.|last3=Mangold|first3=N.|last4=Masson|first4=P.|last5=Neukum|first5=G.|title=Formation and evolution of the chaotic terrains by subsidence and magmatism: Hydraotes Chaos, Mars|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2007.10.023|journal=Icarus|volume=194|issue=2|pages=487|year=2008|bibcode=2008Icar..194..487M}}</ref><ref name="Ulysses">{{Cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2011.11.030|title=A unique volcanic field in Tharsis, Mars: Pyroclastic cones as evidence for explosive eruptions|year=2012|last1=Brož|first1=P.|last2=Hauber|first2=E.|journal=Icarus|volume=218|issue=1|pages=88|bibcode=2012Icar..218...88B}}</ref><ref name="mesic">{{Cite journal|last1=Lawrence|first1=S.J.|last2=Stopar|first2=J.D.|last3=Hawke|first3=B.R.|last4=Greenhagen|first4=B.T.|last5=Cahill|first5=J.T.S.|last6=Bandfield|first6=J.L.|last7=Jolliff|first7=B.L.|last8=Denevi|first8=B.W.|last9=Robinson|first9=M.S. | last10 = Glotch | first10 = T.D.|last11=Bussey|first11=D.B.J.|last12=Spudis|first12=P.D.|last13=Giguere|first13=T.A.|last14=Garry|first14=W.B.|title=LRO observations of morphology and surface roughness of volcanic cones and lobate lava flows in the Marius Hills|doi=10.1002/jgre.20060|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets|volume=118|issue=4|pages=615|year=2013|bibcode=2013JGRE..118..615L|doi-access=free}}</ref>
{{main | Stratovolcano }}
''[[Stratovolcano]]es'' are tall conical mountains composed of lava flows and other [[ejecta]] in alternate layers, the strata that give rise to the name. Stratovolcanoes are also known as ''composite volcanoes''. Classic examples include [[Mt. Fuji]] in Japan, [[Mount Mayon]] in the Philippines, and [[Mount Vesuvius]] and [[Stromboli]] in Italy.


===Super volcanoes===
===Stratovolcanoes (composite volcanoes)===
[[File:Volcano scheme.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|'''Cross-section through a [[stratovolcano]] (vertical scale is exaggerated)''': {{Div col|colwidth=30em}}{{ordered list
{{main | Super volcano}}
|1=Large magma chamber
''[[Super volcano]]'' is the popular term for large volcanoes that usually have a large [[caldera]] and can potentially produce devastation on an enormous, sometimes continental, scale. Such eruptions would be able to cause severe cooling of global temperatures for many years afterwards because of the huge volumes of sulfur and ash erupted. They can be the most dangerous type of volcano. Examples include [[Yellowstone Caldera]] in [[Yellowstone National Park]], [[Lake Taupo]] in [[New Zealand]] and [[Lake Toba]] in [[Sumatra]], [[Indonesia]]. Supervolcanoes are hard to identify centuries later, given the enormous areas they cover. [[Large igneous province]]s are also considered supervolcanoes because of the vast amount of [[basalt]] lava erupted.
|2=Bedrock
|3=Conduit (pipe)
|4=Base
|5=Sill
|6=Dike
|7=Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
|8=Flank
|9=Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
|10=Throat
|11=Parasitic cone
|12=Lava flow
|13=Vent
|14=Crater
|15=Ash cloud
}}{{div col end}}]]
{{Main|Stratovolcano}}
Stratovolcanoes (composite volcanoes) are tall conical mountains composed of lava flows and [[tephra]] in alternate layers, the [[strata]] that gives rise to the name. They are also known as composite volcanoes because they are created from multiple structures during different kinds of eruptions, the main conduit bringing magma to the surface branches into multiple secondary conduits and occasional [[laccolith]]s or [[Sill (geology)|sill]]s, the branching conduits may form [[parasitic cone]]s on the previous slope.<ref name=dkp/> Classic examples include [[Mount Fuji]] in Japan, [[Mayon Volcano]] in the Philippines, and [[Mount Vesuvius]] and [[Stromboli]] in Italy.

[[volcanic ash|Ash]] produced by the [[explosive eruption]] of stratovolcanoes has [[recorded history|historically]] posed the greatest volcanic hazard to civilizations. The lavas of stratovolcanoes are higher in silica, and therefore much more viscous, than lavas from shield volcanoes. High-silica lavas also tend to contain more dissolved gas. The combination is deadly, promoting [[explosive eruption]]s that produce great quantities of ash, as well as [[pyroclastic surge]]s like the one that destroyed the city of Saint-Pierre in Martinique in 1902. They are also steeper than shield volcanoes, with slopes of 30–35° compared to slopes of generally 5–10°, and their loose [[tephra]] are material for dangerous [[lahar]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eJopFDVRgYMC&pg=PA115|title=Volcanoes: Global Perspectives|first1=John P.|last1=Lockwood|first2=Richard W.|last2=Hazlett|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4051-6250-0|page=552|publisher=Wiley}}</ref> Large pieces of tephra are called [[volcanic bomb]]s. Big bombs can measure more than {{convert|4|ft|m|order=flip}} across and weigh several tons.<ref>Berger, Melvin, Gilda Berger, and Higgins Bond. "Volcanoes-why and how ." Why do volcanoes blow their tops?: Questions and answers about volcanoes and earthquakes. New York: Scholastic, 1999. 7. Print.</ref>

===Supervolcanoes===
[[File:Mount Vesuvius Araucaria.jpg|thumb|Mt. Vesuvius, Bay of Naples, Italy]]
{{Main|Supervolcano}}
{{see also|List of largest volcanic eruptions}}
A supervolcano is defined as a volcano that has experienced one or more eruptions that produced over {{convert|1000|km3|cumi}} of volcanic deposits in a single explosive event.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/yellowstone_sub_page_49.html|title=Questions About Supervolcanoes|publisher=United States Geological Survey|department=Yellowstone Volcano Observatory|date=August 21, 2015|access-date=August 22, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703184836/https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/yellowstone_sub_page_49.html|archive-date=July 3, 2017}}</ref> Such eruptions occur when a very large magma chamber full of gas-rich, silicic magma is emptied in a catastrophic [[caldera]]-forming eruption. Ash flow [[tuff]]s emplaced by such eruptions are the only volcanic product with volumes rivalling those of [[flood basalt]]s.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|p=77}}

Supervolcano eruptions, while the most dangerous type, are very rare; [[Supervolcano#Known super eruptions|four are known from the last million years]], and about 60 historical VEI 8 eruptions have been identified in the geologic record over millions of years. A supervolcano can produce devastation on a continental scale, and severely cool global temperatures for many years after the eruption due to the huge volumes of [[sulfur]] and ash released into the atmosphere.

Because of the enormous area they cover, and subsequent concealment under vegetation and glacial deposits, supervolcanoes can be difficult to identify in the geologic record without careful [[geologic map]]ping.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=24968920|title=Giant Volcanic Calderas|last1=Francis|first1=Peter|journal=Scientific American|year=1983|volume=248|issue=6|pages=60–73|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0683-60|bibcode=1983SciAm.248f..60F}}</ref> Known examples include [[Yellowstone Caldera]] in [[Yellowstone National Park]] and [[Valles Caldera]] in [[New Mexico]] (both western United States); [[Lake Taupō]] in New Zealand; [[Lake Toba]] in [[Sumatra]], Indonesia; and [[Ngorongoro Crater]] in Tanzania.

====Caldera volcanoes====
[[File:Crater Lake winter pano2.jpg|thumb|Crater lake, a volcanic lake in [[Oregon]].]]
Volcanoes that, though large, are not large enough to be called supervolcanoes, may also form calderas (collapsed crater) in the same way. There may be active or dormant cones inside of the caldera or even a lake, such lakes are called [[Volcanogenic lake]]s, or simply, volcanic lakes.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Druitt|first1=T. H.|last2=Costa|first2=F.|last3=Deloule|first3=E.|last4=Dungan|first4=M.|last5=Scaillet|first5=B.|title=Decadal to monthly timescales of magma transfer and reservoir growth at a caldera volcano|journal=Nature|volume=482|issue=7383|date=2012|issn=0028-0836|doi=10.1038/nature10706|pages=77–80|pmid=22297973|bibcode=2012Natur.482...77D|hdl=10220/7536|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name=dkp/>


===Submarine volcanoes===
===Submarine volcanoes===
{{main | Submarine volcano}}
{{Main|Submarine volcano}}
{{See also|Subaqueous volcano}}
[[Image:Nur05018.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Pillow lava ([[NOAA]])]]
[[File:Tonga Volcano Eruption 2022-01-15 0320Z to 0610Z Himawari-8 visible.gif|left|thumb|Satellite images of the January 15, 2022, eruption of [[Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai]]]]
''[[Submarine volcano]]es'' are common features on the ocean floor. Some are active and, in shallow water, disclose their presence by blasting steam and rocky debris high above the surface of the sea. Many others lie at such great depths that the tremendous weight of the water above them prevents the explosive release of steam and gases, although they can be detected by [[hydrophone]]s and discoloration of water because of [[volcanic gas]]es. Even large submarine eruptions may not disturb the ocean surface. Because of the rapid cooling effect of water as compared to air, and increased buoyancy, submarine volcanoes often form rather steep pillars over their volcanic vents as compared to above-surface volcanos. In due time, they may break the ocean surface as new islands. [[lava|Pillow lava]] is a common eruptive product of submarine volcanoes.
Submarine volcanoes are common features of the ocean floor. Volcanic activity during the [[Holocene]] Epoch has been documented at only 119 submarine volcanoes, but there may be more than one million geologically young submarine volcanoes on the ocean floor.<ref name="GVPDatabase2020">{{cite web|url=https://volcano.si.edu/list_volcano_holocene.cfm|title=Holocene Volcano List|publisher=[[Global Volcanism Program]] Volcanoes of the World (version 4.9.1)|editor-last=Venzke|editor-first=E.|year=2013|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref><ref name="GVP-FAQ">{{cite web|url=https://volcano.si.edu/faq/index.cfm?question=activevolcanoes|title=How many active volcanoes are there?|publisher=[[Global Volcanism Program]] Volcanoes of the World (version 4.9.1)|editor-last=Venzke|editor-first=E.|year=2013|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref> In shallow water, active volcanoes disclose their presence by blasting steam and rocky debris high above the ocean's surface. In the deep ocean basins, the tremendous weight of the water prevents the explosive release of steam and gases; however, submarine eruptions can be detected by [[hydrophone]]s and by the discoloration of water because of [[volcanic gas]]es. [[Pillow lava]] is a common eruptive product of submarine volcanoes and is characterized by thick sequences of discontinuous pillow-shaped masses which form underwater. Even large submarine eruptions may not disturb the ocean surface, due to the rapid cooling effect and increased buoyancy in water (as compared to air), which often causes volcanic vents to form steep pillars on the ocean floor. [[Hydrothermal vent]]s are common near these volcanoes, and [[Black smoker|some support peculiar ecosystems]] based on [[chemotroph]]s feeding on dissolved minerals. Over time, the formations created by submarine volcanoes may become so large that they break the ocean surface as new islands or floating [[pumice raft]]s.

In May and June 2018, a multitude of [[seismic]] signals were detected by [[earthquake]] monitoring agencies all over the world. They took the form of unusual humming sounds, and some of the signals detected in November of that year had a duration of up to 20 minutes. An [[oceanographic]] research campaign in May 2019 showed that the previously mysterious humming noises were caused by the formation of a submarine volcano off the coast of [[Mayotte]].<ref>{{cite web|language=en|title=Origin of mystery humming noises heard around the world, uncovered|author=Ashley Strickland|publisher=CNN|date=January 10, 2020|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/origin-of-mystery-humming-noises-heard-around-the-world-uncovered/ar-BBYN2oY?ocid=spartanntp}}</ref>


===Subglacial volcanoes===
===Subglacial volcanoes===
{{main | Subglacial volcano}}
{{Main|Subglacial volcano}}
Subglacial volcanoes develop underneath [[ice cap]]s. They are made up of lava plateaus capping extensive pillow lavas and [[palagonite]]. These volcanoes are also called table mountains, [[tuya]]s,{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|p=66}} or (in Iceland) mobergs.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Allaby|editor1-first=Michael|title=A dictionary of geology and earth sciences|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199653065|edition=Fourth|chapter=Tuya|date=July 4, 2013}}</ref> Very good examples of this type of volcano can be seen in Iceland and in [[British Columbia]]. The origin of the term comes from [[Tuya Butte]], which is one of the several tuyas in the area of the [[Tuya River]] and [[Tuya Range]] in northern British Columbia. Tuya Butte was the first such [[landform]] analysed and so its name has entered the geological literature for this kind of volcanic formation.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.2475/ajs.245.9.560|last=Mathews|first=W. H.|title=Tuyas, flat-topped volcanoes in northern British Columbia|journal=[[American Journal of Science]]|volume=245|issue=9|pages=560–570|date=September 1, 1947|url=http://www.ajsonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/245/9/560|bibcode=1947AmJS..245..560M|access-date=November 27, 2020|archive-date=September 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929220601/http://www.ajsonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/245/9/560|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Tuya Mountains Provincial Park]] was recently established to protect this unusual landscape, which lies north of [[Tuya Lake]] and south of the [[Jennings River]] near the boundary with the [[Yukon Territory]].
''[[Subglacial volcano]]es'' develop underneath icecaps. They are made up of flat [[lava]] flows atop extensive pillow lavas and [[palagonite]]. When the icecap melts, the lavas on the top collapse leaving a flat-topped mountain. Then, the pillow lavas also collapse, giving an angle of 37.5 degrees. Very good examples of this can be seen in Iceland. These volcanoes are also called table volcanoes, tuyas or (uncommonly) mobergs.

===Hydrothermal features===
Hydrothermal features like [[geyser]]s, [[fumarole]]s, [[Mudpot|mud pools]], [[mud volcano]]es, [[hot spring]]s and acidic hot springs involve water as well as geothermal or magmatic activity. Such features are common around volcanoes and are often indicative of volcanism.<ref name=dkp/><ref name=sd>{{cite book|title=Treatise on Geomorphology|edition=2nd|year=2022|publisher=[[Elsevier Inc.]]|isbn=978-0-12-818235-2}}</ref>
====Mud volcanoes====
[[File:Gobustan mud volcano.jpg|thumb|Mud volcano at [[Gobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve|Gobustan]]]]
{{Main|Mud volcano}}
[[Mud volcano]]es or mud domes are conical structures created by eruption of liquids and gases, particularly mud (slurries), water and gases, although several activities may contribute. The largest mud volcanoes are {{convert|10|km|mi}} in diameter and reach {{convert|700|m|ft}} high.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mazzini|first1=Adriano|last2=Etiope|first2=Giuseppe|title=Mud volcanism: An updated review|journal=Earth-Science Reviews|date=May 2017|volume=168|pages=81–112|doi=10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.03.001|bibcode=2017ESRv..168...81M|hdl=10852/61234|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kioka|first1=Arata|last2=Ashi|first2=Juichiro|title=Episodic massive mud eruptions from submarine mud volcanoes examined through topographical signatures|journal=Geophysical Research Letters|date=October 28, 2015|volume=42|issue=20|pages=8406–8414|doi=10.1002/2015GL065713|bibcode=2015GeoRL..42.8406K|doi-access=free}}</ref> Mud volcanoes can be seen off the shore of [[Indonesia]], on the island of [[Baratang Island|Baratang]], in [[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan]] and in central asia.

====Fumarole====
{{main|fumarole}}

[[Fumarole|Fumaroles]] are vents on the surface from which hot steam and volcanic gases erupt due to the presence of superheated groundwater, these may indicate volcanic activity. Fumaroles erupting sulphurous gases are also often called solfataras.<ref name=old>{{cite web|title=fumarole noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes - Oxford Advanced Learner&apos;s Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com|url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/fumarole|website=Oxford Learner's Dictionary|access-date=25 December 2024}}</ref><ref name=dkp/>
====Geysers====
{{main|geyser}}

[[File:Yellowstone Castle Geysir Edit.jpg|thumb|Castle geyser eruption, [[Yellowstone National Park]].]]
Geysers are springs which will occasionally erupt and discharge hot water and steam. Geysers may indicate ongoing magmatism, water underground is heated by hot rocks and [[steam]] [[Vapor pressure|pressure]] builds up before being released along with a jet of hot water. Almost half of all active geysers are present in Yellowstone National Park, US.<ref name=dkp/><ref name=nps2>{{cite web|title=Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)|website=[[National Park Service]]|url=https://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm|access-date=26 December 2024}}</ref>


==Erupted material==
==Erupted material==
[[File:Volcan San Miguel Chaparrastique en El Salvador.webm|thumb|Timelapse of [[San Miguel (volcano)]] degassing in 2022. [[El Salvador]] is home to 20 Holocene volcanoes, 3 of which have erupted in last 100yrs<ref>{{cite web|url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcanolist_countries.cfm?country=El%20Salvador|title=El Salvador Volcanoes|author=<!--Not stated-->|publisher=Global Volcanism Program|access-date=November 8, 2023}}</ref>]]
===Lava composition===
[[File:Lava channel overflow.JPG|thumb|Pāhoehoe lava flow on [[Hawaii (island)|Hawaii]]. The picture shows overflows of a main [[lava channel]].]]
Another way of classifying volcanoes is by the ''composition of material erupted'' ([[lava]]), since this affects the shape of the volcano. Lava can be broadly classified into 4 different compositions (Cas & Wright, 1987):
[[File:Litli-Hrútur eruption 2023.jpg|thumb|Litli-Hrútur ([[Fagradalsfjall]]) eruption 2023. View from an aeroplane]]
*If the erupted [[magma]] contains a high percentage (>63%) of [[silica]], the lava is called [[felsic]].
[[File:Aerial image of Stromboli (view from the northeast).jpg|thumb|The [[Stromboli]] stratovolcano off the coast of [[Sicily]] has erupted continuously for thousands of years, giving rise to its nickname "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean".]]
**Felsic lavas (or [[rhyolite]]s) tend to be highly [[viscous]] (not very fluid) and are erupted as domes or short, stubby flows. Viscous lavas tend to form [[stratovolcano]]es or lava domes. [[Lassen Peak]] in [[California]] is an example of a volcano formed from felsic lava and is actually a large lava dome.
The material that is expelled in a [[volcanic eruption]] can be classified into three types:
**Because siliceous magmas are so viscous, they tend to trap [[volatile]]s (gases) that are present, which cause the magma to erupt catastrophically, eventually forming [[stratovolcano]]es. [[Pyroclastic flow]]s ([[ignimbrite]]s) are highly hazardous products of such volcanoes, since they are composed of molten volcanic ash too heavy to go up into the atmosphere, so they hug the volcano's slopes and travel far from their vents during large eruptions. Temperatures as high as 1,200 °C are known to occur in [[pyroclastic flow]]s, which will incinerate everything flammable in their path and thick layers of hot pyroclastic flow deposits can be laid down, often up to many meters thick. [[Alaska]]'s [[Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes]], formed by the eruption of [[Novarupta]] near [[Katmai]] in 1912, is an example of a thick [[pyroclastic flow]] or [[ignimbrite]] deposit. Volcanic ash that is light enough to be erupted high into the [[Earth's atmosphere]] may travel many kilometres before it falls back to ground as a [[tuff]].
*If the erupted magma contains 52-63% silica, the lava is of ''intermediate'' composition.
**These "[[Andesite|andesitic]]" volcanoes generally only occur above [[subduction zone]]s (e.g. [[Mount Merapi, Central Java|Mount Merapi]] in [[Indonesia]]).
*If the erupted magma contains <52% and >45% silica, the lava is called [[mafic]] (because it contains higher percentages of [[magnesium]] (Mg) and [[iron]] (Fe)) or [[basalt]]ic. These lavas are usually much less viscous than rhyolitic lavas, depending on their eruption [[temperature]]; they also tend to be hotter than felsic lavas. Mafic lavas occur in a wide range of settings:
**At [[mid-ocean ridge]]s, where two oceanic [[Tectonic plate|plate]]s are pulling apart, basaltic lava erupts as [[Lava#Pillow lava|pillows]] to fill the gap;
**[[Shield volcanoes]] (e.g. the [[Hawaiian Islands]], including [[Mauna Loa]] and [[Kilauea]]), on both [[oceanic crust|oceanic]] and [[continental crust]];
**As [[Flood basalt|continental flood basalts]].
*If the erupted magma contains <=45% silica, the lava is called [[ultramafic]]. Ultramafic flows are very rare; indeed, it is likely that none have been erupted at the Earth's surface since the [[Proterozoic]], when the planet's heat flow was higher. They are (or were) the hottest lavas, and probably more fluid than common mafic lavas.


#[[Volcanic gas]]es, a mixture made mostly of [[steam]], [[carbon dioxide]], and a sulfur compound (either [[sulfur dioxide]], SO<sub>2</sub>, or [[hydrogen sulfide]], H<sub>2</sub>S, depending on the temperature)
===Lava texture===
#[[Lava]], the name of magma when it emerges and flows over the surface
Two types of lava are erupted according to the [[surface]] [[texture]]: {{okina}}A{{okina}}a (pronounced [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] {{IPA|[ʔaʔa]}}) and [[pāhoehoe]] (pronounced {{IPA|[paːho͡eːho͡eː]}}), both words having [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] origins. {{okina}}A{{okina}}a is characterized by a rough, clinkery surface and is what most viscous and hot lava flows look like. However, even basaltic or mafic flows can be erupted as {{okina}}a{{okina}}a flows, particularly if the eruption rate is high and the slope is steep. Pāhoehoe is characterized by its smooth and often ropey or wrinkly surface and is generally formed from more fluid lava flows. Usually, only mafic flows will erupt as pāhoehoe, since they often erupt at higher temperatures or have the proper chemical make-up to allow them to flow at a higher fluidity.
#[[Tephra]], particles of solid material of all shapes and sizes ejected and thrown through the air<ref name=EB1911/><ref name="schmidt-1981"/>


==Volcanic activity==
=== Volcanic gases ===
{{Main|Volcanic gas}}
[[Image:Volcano q.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A volcanic fissure and lava channel.]]
The concentrations of different [[volcanic gas]]es can vary considerably from one volcano to the next. [[Water vapour]] is typically the most abundant volcanic gas, followed by [[carbon dioxide]]<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Pedone|first1=M.|last2=Aiuppa|first2=A.|last3=Giudice|first3=G.|last4=Grassa|first4=F.|last5=Francofonte|first5=V.|last6=Bergsson|first6=B.|last7=Ilyinskaya|first7=E.|title=Tunable diode laser measurements of hydrothermal/volcanic CO2 and implications for the global CO2 budget|journal=Solid Earth|year=2014|volume=5|issue=2|pages=1209–1221|doi=10.5194/se-5-1209-2014|bibcode=2014SolE....5.1209P|doi-access=free}}</ref> and [[sulfur dioxide]]. Other principal volcanic gases include [[hydrogen sulfide]], [[hydrogen chloride]], and [[hydrogen fluoride]]. A large number of minor and trace gases are also found in volcanic emissions, for example [[hydrogen]], [[carbon monoxide]], [[halocarbon]]s, organic compounds, and [[Volatile (astrogeology)|volatile]] metal chlorides.
[[Image:Volcano.jpeg|thumb|right|300px|[[Mount St. Helens]] shortly after the eruption of [[May 18]], [[1980]]]]


===Lava flows===
A popular way of classifying magmatic volcanoes goes by their frequency of eruption, with those that erupt regularly called '''active''', those that have erupted in historical times but are now quiet called '''dormant''', and those that have not erupted in historical times called '''extinct'''. However, these popular classifications—extinct in particular—are practically meaningless to scientists. They use classifications which refer to a particular volcano's formative and eruptive processes and resulting shapes, which was explained above.
{{Main|Lava flow}}
[[File:Rinjani 1994 cropped.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Rinjani]] eruption in 1994, in [[Lombok]], [[Indonesia]]]]The form and style of an eruption of a volcano is largely determined by the composition of the lava it erupts. The viscosity (how fluid the lava is) and the amount of dissolved gas are the most important characteristics of magma, and both are largely determined by the amount of silica in the magma. Magma rich in silica is much more viscous than silica-poor magma, and silica-rich magma also tends to contain more dissolved gases.


Lava can be broadly classified into four different compositions:<ref>{{cite book|last1=Casq|first1=R.A.F.|url=https://archive.org/details/volcanicsuccessi0000casr/page/528/mode/2up|title=Volcanic Successions|last2=Wright|first2=J.V.|date=1987|publisher=Unwin Hyman Inc|isbn=978-0-04-552022-0|page=528|url-access=registration}}</ref>
There is no real consensus among volcanologists on how to define an "active" volcano. The lifespan of a volcano can vary from months to several million years, making such a distinction sometimes meaningless when compared to the lifespans of humans or even civilizations. For example, many of Earth's volcanoes have erupted dozens of times in the past few thousand years but are not currently showing signs of eruption. Given the long lifespan of such volcanoes, they are very active. By our lifespans, however, they are not. Complicating the definition are volcanoes that become restless (producing earthquakes, venting gasses, or other non-eruptive activities) but do not actually erupt.


<!-- Please do not remove the bulleted paragraph hack used in the following bulleted list. Doing so will spoil the formatting. -->
Scientists usually consider a volcano '''active''' if it is currently erupting or showing signs of unrest, such as unusual earthquake activity or significant new gas emissions. Many scientists also consider a volcano active if it has erupted in historic time. It is important to note that the span of recorded history differs from region to region; in the [[Mediterranean]], recorded history reaches back more than 3,000 years but in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, it reaches back less than 300 years, and in [[Hawaii]], little more than 200 years. The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program's definition of 'active' is having erupted within the last 10,000 years.
* If the erupted [[magma]] contains a high percentage (>63%) of [[silica]], the lava is described as ''[[felsic]]''. Felsic lavas ([[dacite]]s or [[rhyolite]]s) are highly [[viscous]] and are erupted as domes or short, stubby flows.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|p=70–72}} [[Lassen Peak]] in California is an example of a volcano formed from felsic lava and is actually a large lava dome.<ref>{{cite web|title=Volcanoes|url=https://www.nps.gov/lavo/learn/nature/volcanoes.htm|website=Lassen Volcanic National Park California|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=November 27, 2020}}</ref>


:Because felsic magmas are so viscous, they tend to trap volatiles (gases) that are present, which leads to explosive volcanism. [[Pyroclastic flow]]s ([[ignimbrite]]s) are highly hazardous products of such volcanoes since they hug the volcano's slopes and travel far from their vents during large eruptions. Temperatures as high as {{convert|850|C|}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fisher|first1=Richard V.|last2=Schmincke|first2=H.-U.|title=Pyroclastic rocks|date=1984|publisher=Springer-Verlag|location=Berlin|isbn=3540127569|pages=210–211}}</ref> are known to occur in pyroclastic flows, which will incinerate everything flammable in their path, and thick layers of hot pyroclastic flow deposits can be laid down, often many meters thick.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|p=73–77}} [[Alaska]]'s [[Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes]], formed by the eruption of [[Novarupta]] near [[Mount Katmai|Katmai]] in 1912, is an example of a thick pyroclastic flow or ignimbrite deposit.<ref>{{cite web|title=Exploring the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes|url=https://www.nps.gov/katm/planyourvisit/exploring-the-valley-of-ten-thousand-smokes.htm|website=Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=November 27, 2020}}</ref> Volcanic ash that is light enough to erupt high into the [[Earth's atmosphere]] as an [[eruption column]] may travel hundreds of kilometres before it falls back to ground as a fallout [[tuff]]. Volcanic gases may remain in the [[stratosphere]] for years.{{sfn|Schmincke|2003|p=229}}
'''Dormant''' volcanoes are those that are not currently active (as defined above), but could become restless or erupt again. Confusion however, can arise because many volcanoes which scientists consider to be ''active'' are referred to as ''dormant'' by laypersons or in the media.


:Felsic magmas are formed within the crust, usually through the melting of crust rock from the heat of underlying mafic magmas. The lighter felsic magma floats on the mafic magma without significant mixing.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|pp=15-16}} Less commonly, felsic magmas are produced by extreme [[fractional crystallization (geology)|fractional crystallization]] of more mafic magmas.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|p=378}} This is a process in which mafic minerals crystallize out of the slowly cooling magma, which enriches the remaining liquid in silica.
'''Extinct''' volcanoes are those that scientists consider unlikely to erupt again. Whether a volcano is truly extinct is often difficult to determine. Since "supervolcano" [[caldera]]s can have eruptive lifespans sometimes measured in millions of years, a caldera that has not produced an eruption in tens of thousands of years is likely to be considered dormant instead of extinct.


* If the erupted magma contains 52–63% silica, the lava is of ''[[intermediate composition]]'' or ''[[andesitic]]''. Intermediate magmas are characteristic of stratovolcanoes.{{sfn|Schmincke|2003|p=143}} They are most commonly formed at [[convergent boundaries]] between [[tectonic plate]]s, by several processes. One process is the hydration melting of mantle peridotite followed by fractional crystallization. Water from a subducting [[Slab (geology)|slab]] rises into the overlying mantle, lowering its melting point, particularly for the more silica-rich minerals. Fractional crystallization further enriches the magma in silica. It has also been suggested that intermediate magmas are produced by the melting of sediments carried downwards by the subducted slab.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Castro|first1=Antonio|title=The off-crust origin of granite batholiths|journal=Geoscience Frontiers|date=January 2014|volume=5|issue=1|pages=63–75|doi=10.1016/j.gsf.2013.06.006|bibcode=2014GeoFr...5...63C|doi-access=free}}</ref> Another process is magma mixing between felsic rhyolitic and mafic basaltic magmas in an intermediate reservoir before emplacement or lava flow.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|p=377}}
For example, the [[Yellowstone Caldera]] in [[Yellowstone National Park]] is at least 2 million years old and hasn't erupted violently for approximately 640,000 years, although there has been some minor activity relatively recently, with hydrothermal eruptions less than 10,000 years ago and lava flows about 70,000 years ago. For this reason, scientists do not consider the Yellowstone Caldera extinct. In fact, because the caldera has frequent earthquakes, a very active geothermal system (i.e., the entirety of the geothermal activity found in Yellowstone National Park), and rapid rates of ground uplift, many scientists consider it to be an active volcano.
* If the erupted magma contains <52% and >45% silica, the lava is called ''[[mafic]]'' (because it contains higher percentages of [[magnesium]] (Mg) and iron (Fe)) or [[basalt]]ic. These lavas are usually hotter and much less viscous than felsic lavas. Mafic magmas are formed by partial melting of the dry mantle, with limited fractional crystallization and assimilation of crustal material.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|p=16}}


:Mafic lavas occur in a wide range of settings. These include [[mid-ocean ridge]]s; [[Shield volcanoes]] (such the [[Hawaiian Islands]], including [[Mauna Loa]] and [[Kilauea]]), on both [[oceanic crust|oceanic]] and [[continental crust]]; and as continental [[flood basalt]]s.
==Notable volcanoes==
===On Earth===
:''Main article: [[List of volcanoes]] ''


* Some erupted magmas contain ≤45% silica and produce ''[[ultramafic]]'' lava. Ultramafic flows, also known as [[komatiite]]s, are very rare; indeed, very few have been erupted at Earth's surface since the [[Proterozoic]], when the planet's heat flow was higher. They are (or were) the hottest lavas, and were probably more fluid than common mafic lavas, with a viscosity less than a tenth that of hot basalt magma.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|p=24}}
The 16 current [[Decade Volcanoes]] are:
Mafic lava flows show two varieties of surface texture: {{okina}}A{{okina}}a (pronounced {{IPA|haw|ˈʔaʔa|}}) and [[pāhoehoe]] ({{IPA|haw|paːˈho.eˈho.e|}}), both [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] words. {{okina}}A{{okina}}a is characterized by a rough, clinkery surface and is the typical texture of cooler basalt lava flows. Pāhoehoe is characterized by its smooth and often ropey or wrinkly surface and is generally formed from more fluid lava flows. Pāhoehoe flows are sometimes observed to transition to {{okina}}a{{okina}}a flows as they move away from the vent, but never the reverse.{{sfn|Schmincke|2003|pp=131-132}}
:{|
| width=50% |
*[[Avachinsky]]-[[Koryaksky]], [[Kamchatka Peninsula|Kamchatka]], [[Russia]]
*[[Colima (volcano)|Colima]], [[Mexico]]
*[[Mount Etna]], [[Italy]]
*[[Galeras]], [[Colombia]]
*[[Mauna Loa]], [[Hawaii|Hawai{{okina}}i]], [[United States|USA]]
*[[Mount Merapi, Central Java|Merapi]], [[Indonesia]]
*[[Nyiragongo]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
*[[Mount Rainier]], [[Washington]], [[United States|USA]]
| width=50% |
*[[Sakurajima]], [[Japan]]
*[[Santamaria (volcano)|Santamaria/Santiaguito]], [[Guatemala]]
*[[Santorini]], [[Greece]]
*[[Taal Volcano]], [[Philippines]]
*[[Teide]], [[Canary Islands]], [[Spain]]
*[[Ulawun]], [[Papua New Guinea]]
*[[Mount Unzen]], [[Japan]]
*[[Vesuvius]], [[Italy]]
|}


More silicic lava flows take the form of block lava, where the flow is covered with angular, vesicle-poor blocks. [[Rhyolitic]] flows typically consist largely of [[obsidian]].{{sfn|Schmincke|2003|pp=132}}
===Elsewhere in the solar system ===
[[Image:Olympus_Mons.jpeg|thumb|[[Olympus Mons]] ([[Latin]], "Mount Olympus") is the tallest known [[mountain]] in our [[solar system]], located on the [[planet]] [[Mars (planet)|Mars]].]]
The Earth's [[Moon]] has no large volcanoes and no volcanic activity, although recent evidence suggests it may still possess a partially molten core.<ref>{{cite journal | author=M. A. Wieczorek, B. L. Jolliff, A. Khan, M. E. Pritchard, B. P. Weiss, J. G. Williams, L. L. Hood, K. Righter, C. R. Neal, C. K. Shearer, I. S. McCallum, S. Tompkins, B. R. Hawke, C. Peterson, J, J. Gillis, B. Bussey | title=The Constitution and Structure of the Lunar Interior | journal=Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry | year=2006 | volume=60 | issue=1 | pages=221-364 | url=http://rimg.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/extract/60/1/221 | accessdate=2006-09-05 }}</ref> However, the Moon does have many volcanic features such as [[lunar mare|maria]] (the darker patches seen on the moon), [[rille]]s and [[lunar dome|domes]].


===Tephra===
The planet [[Venus (planet)|Venus]] has a surface that is 90% [[basalt]], indicating that volcanism played a major role in shaping its surface. The planet may have had a major global resurfacing event about 500 million years ago,<ref>{{cite web | author=D.L. Bindschadler | year = 1995 | url = http://www.agu.org/journals/rg/rg9504S/95RG00281/index.html | title = Magellan: A new view of Venus' geology and geophysics | publisher = American Geophysical Union | language = English | accessdate = 2006-09-04 }}</ref> from what scientists can tell from the density of impact craters on the surface. Lava flows are widespread and forms of volcanism not present on Earth occur as well. Changes in the planet's atmosphere and observations of lightning, have been attributed to ongoing volcanic eruptions, although there is no confirmation of whether or not Venus is still volcanically active.
{{main|Tephra}}


[[File:Tuff shards.jpg|thumb|right|Light-microscope image of [[tuff]] as seen in [[thin section]] (long dimension is several mm): the curved shapes of altered glass shards (ash fragments) are well preserved, although the glass is partly altered. The shapes were formed around bubbles of expanding, water-rich gas.]]
There are several extinct volcanoes on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]], four of which are vast shield volcanoes far bigger than any on Earth. They include [[Arsia Mons]], [[Ascraeus Mons]], [[Hecates Tholus]], [[Olympus Mons]], and [[Pavonis Mons]]. These volcanoes have been extinct for many millions of years<ref name="ESAmarsvolcanoes">{{cite web|url=http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Mars_Express/SEMLF6D3M5E_0.html|title=Glacial, volcanic and fluvial activity on Mars: latest images |publisher=[[European Space Agency]]|accessdate=2006-08-17|date-2005-02-25}}</ref>, but the European ''[[Mars Express]]'' spacecraft has found evidence that volcanic activity may have occurred on Mars in the recent past as well.<ref name="ESAmarsvolcanoes"/>
Tephra is made when magma inside the volcano is blown apart by the rapid expansion of hot volcanic gases. Magma commonly explodes as the gas dissolved in it comes out of solution as the pressure decreases [[Extrusion|when it flows to the surface]]. These violent explosions produce particles of material that can then fly from the volcano. Solid particles smaller than 2&nbsp;mm in diameter ([[sand|sand-sized]] or smaller) are called volcanic ash.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|wstitle=Tuff|inline=1}}</ref><ref name="schmidt-1981">{{cite journal|last1=Schmidt|first1=R.|title=Descriptive nomenclature and classification of pyroclastic deposits and fragments: recommendations of the IUGS Subcommission on the Systematics of Igneous Rocks|journal=Geology|volume=9|year=1981|issue=2|pages=41–43|doi=10.1007/BF01822152|bibcode=1981GeoRu..70..794S|s2cid=128375559|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_url?url=https://idp.springer.com/authorize/casa%3Fredirect_uri%3Dhttps://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/BF01822152.pdf%26casa_token%3DEeQQK-27EzMAAAAA:NxHAz8w30oOg24-BcWvJPAgMBjRc419lq-7Jz-6VV0-ma9Mv2wxmt4JqRZoPtxQvU501TeyvkUDq1fmmJw&hl=en&sa=T&oi=gsb-gga&ct=res&cd=0&d=227239637425471251&ei=PBhxX4PbJrXCywTH6bfYBg&scisig=AAGBfm2m9NmvueO9pSpn98cYOcYAhzm0nw|access-date=September 27, 2020}}</ref>


Tephra and other [[volcaniclastics]] (shattered volcanic material) make up more of the volume of many volcanoes than do lava flows. Volcaniclastics may have contributed as much as a third of all sedimentation in the geologic record. The production of large volumes of tephra is characteristic of explosive volcanism.{{sfn|Fisher|Schmincke|1984|p=89}}
[[Image:PIA00703.jpg|thumb|left|[[Galileo spacecraft|Galileo]] orbiter reveals volcanic activity on [[Jupiter (planet)|Jupiter]]'s moon [[Io (moon)|Io]].]]
[[Jupiter (planet)|Jupiter]]'s [[Natural satellite|moon]] [[Io (moon)|Io]] is the most volcanically active object in the solar system because of [[tides|tidal]] interaction with Jupiter. It is covered with volcanoes that erupt [[sulfur]], [[sulfur dioxide]] and [[silicate]] rock, and as a result, [[Io (moon)|Io]] is constantly being resurfaced. Its lavas are the hottest known anywhere in the solar system, with temperatures exceeding 1,800 K (1,500 °C). In February [[2001]], the largest recorded volcanic eruptions in the solar system occurred on Io <ref>[http://www2.keck.hawaii.edu/news/archive/eruption/ ''Exceptionally Bright Eruption on lo Rivals Largest in Solar System'', Nov. 13, 2002]</ref>. [[Europa (moon)|Europa]], the smallest of Jupiter's [[Galilean moon]]s, also appears to have an active volcanic system, except that its volcanic activity is entirely in the form of water, which freezes into ice on the frigid surface. This process is known as [[cryovolcanism]], and is apparently most common on the moons of the outer planets of the [[solar system]].


===Dissection===
In 1989 the [[Voyager 2]] spacecraft observed [[cryovolcano]]s (ice volcanoes) on [[Triton (moon)|Triton]], a [[Natural satellite|moon]] of [[Neptune (planet)|Neptune]], and in 2005 the [[Cassini-Huygens]] probe photographed [[Enceladus (moon)#Cryovolcanism|fountains of frozen particles erupting from Enceladus]], a moon of [[Saturn]].<ref>[http://www.pparc.ac.uk/Nw/enceladus.asp PPARC, ''Cassini Finds an Atmosphere on Saturn's Moon Enceladus'']</ref> The ejecta may be composed of [[water]], liquid [[nitrogen]], dust, or [[methane]] compounds. Cassini-Huygens also found evidence of a methane-spewing cryovolcano on the [[Saturn (planet)|Saturnian]] moon [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], which is believed to be a significant source of the methane found in its atmosphere.<ref>[http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7489 NewScientist, ''Hydrocarbon volcano discovered on Titan'', 8th June 2005]</ref> It is theorized that cryovolcanism may also be present on the [[Kuiper Belt Object]] [[50000 Quaoar|Quaoar]].
Through natural processes, mainly [[erosion]], so much of the solidified erupted material that makes up the mantle of a volcano may be stripped away that its inner anatomy becomes apparent. Using the metaphor of [[Anatomy|biological anatomy]], such a process is called "dissection".<ref>{{cite book|title=Volcanoes: What They Are and What They Teach|author=John W. Judd|author-link=John Wesley Judd|pages=114–115|publisher=Appleton|year=1881|url=https://archive.org/details/volcanoeswhatthe00juddrich/page/114/mode/2up}}</ref> When the volcano is extinct, a plug forms on its vent, over time due to erosion, the volcanic cone slowly erodes away leaving the resistant lava plug intact.<ref name=dkp/> [[Cinder Hill]], a feature of [[Mount Bird]] on [[Ross Island]], [[Antarctica]], is a prominent example of a dissected volcano. Volcanoes that were, on a geological timescale, recently active, such as for example [[Mount Kaimon]] in southern [[Kyūshū]], [[Japan]], tend to be undissected. [[Devils Tower]] in Wyoming is a famous example of exposed volcanic plug.


==Effects of volcanoes==
==Types of volcanic eruptions==
{{Main|Types of volcanic eruptions}}
[[Image:Volcanic injection.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Volcanic "injection"]]
[[Image:Mauna Loa atmospheric transmission.png|thumb|250px|Solar radiation reduction from volcanic eruptions]]
[[Image:TOMS SO2 time nov03.png|thumb|250px|Sulfur dioxide emissions by volcanoes.]]
[[Image:SO2 Galapagos 20051101.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Average concentration of sulfur dioxide over the Sierra Negra Volcano ([[Galapagos Islands]]) from October 23-November 1, 2005]]


[[File:Volcanic injection.svg|thumb|Schematic of volcano injection of aerosols and gases]]
There are many different kinds of volcanic activity and eruptions: [[phreatic eruptions]] (steam-generated eruptions), explosive eruption of high-[[silica]] [[lava]] (e.g., [[rhyolite]]), effusive eruption of low-silica lava (e.g., [[basalt]]), [[pyroclastic flow]]s, [[lahar]]s (debris flow) and [[carbon dioxide]] emission. All of these activities can pose a hazard to humans. Volcanic activity is often accompanied by [[earthquake]]s, [[hot spring]]s, [[fumarole]]s, [[mud pot]]s and [[geyser]]s. Low-magnitude earthquakes often precede eruptions.
Eruption styles are broadly divided into magmatic, phreatomagmatic (hydrovolcanic), and phreatic eruptions.<ref name="vol cash">{{cite book|title=Volcanic Ash|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|page=246|last1=Heiken|first1=G.|last2=Wohletz|first2=K.|name-list-style=amp <!--|access-date=3 August 2010 -->}}</ref> The intensity of explosive volcanism is expressed using the [[volcanic explosivity index]] (VEI), which ranges from 0 for Hawaiian-type eruptions to 8 for supervolcanic eruptions:<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Newhall|first1=Christopher G.|last2=Self|first2=Stephen|year=1982|title=The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI): An Estimate of Explosive Magnitude for Historical Volcanism|url=http://www.agu.org/books/hg/v002/HG002p0143/HG002p0143.pdf|journal=[[Journal of Geophysical Research]]|volume=87|issue=C2|pages=1231–1238|bibcode=1982JGR....87.1231N|doi=10.1029/JC087iC02p01231|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213194307/http://www.agu.org/books/hg/v002/HG002p0143/HG002p0143.pdf|archive-date=December 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=nps3>{{cite web|title=Eruption Classifications - Volcanoes, Craters & Lava Flows (U.S. National Park Service)|website=[[National Park Service]]|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/volcanoes/eruption-classifications.htm|access-date=26 December 2024}}</ref>


* Magmatic eruptions are driven primarily by gas release due to decompression.<ref name="vol cash"/> Low-viscosity magma with little dissolved gas produces relatively gentle effusive eruptions. High-viscosity magma with a high content of dissolved gas produces violent [[explosive eruption]]s. The range of observed eruption styles is expressed from historical examples.
The concentrations of different volcanic gases can vary considerably from one volcano to the next. [[Water vapor]] is typically the most abundant volcanic gas, followed by [[carbon dioxide]] and [[sulphur dioxide]]. Other principal volcanic gases include [[hydrogen sulphide]], [[hydrogen chloride]], and [[hydrogen fluoride]]. A large number of minor and trace gases are also found in volcanic emissions, for example [[hydrogen]], [[carbon monoxide]], [[halocarbon]]s, organic compounds, and volatile metal chlorides.
* [[Hawaiian eruption]]s are typical of volcanoes that erupt mafic lava with a relatively low gas content. These are almost entirely effusive, producing local [[lava fountain]]s and highly fluid lava flows but relatively little tephra. They are named after the [[Hawaii hotspot|Hawaiian volcanoes]]. The eruption column from these eruptions don't exceed {{convert|2|km|mi}} in height.
* [[Strombolian eruption]]s are characterized by moderate viscosities and dissolved gas levels. They are characterized by frequent but short-lived eruptions that can produce eruptive columns hundreds of meters high, which can also be seen in a [[gas slug]]. Their primary product is [[scoria]]. They are named after [[Stromboli]].
* [[Vulcanian eruption]]s are characterized by yet higher viscosities and partial crystallization of magma, which is often intermediate in composition. Eruptions take the form of short-lived explosions for several hours, which destroy a central dome and eject large lava blocks and bombs. This is followed by an effusive phase that rebuilds the central dome. Vulcanian eruptions are named after [[Vulcano]]. Eruption columns from these eruptions don't exceed {{convert|20|km|mi}} in height.
* [[Peléan eruption]]s are more violent still, being characterized by dome growth and collapse that produces various kinds of pyroclastic flows. They are named after [[Mount Pelée]].
* [[Plinian eruption]]s are characterized by sustained huge eruption columns whose collapse produces catastrophic pyroclastic flows. They are named after [[Pliny the Younger]], who chronicled the Plinian [[eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79]] AD.
* Ultra-Plinian eruptions are the largest of all volcanic eruptions are more intense, have a higher eruption rate than Plinian ones, form higher eruption columns and may form large calderas. These eruptions produce rhyolitic lava, tephra, [[pumice]] and thick pyroclastic flows that cover vast areas and may produce widespread [[Volcanic ash|ash-fall]] deposits. Examples are [[Mount Mazama|Mt. Mazama]] and Yellowstone.
* [[Phreatomagmatic eruption]]s (hydrovolcanic) are characterized by interaction of rising magma with [[groundwater]]. They are driven by the resulting rapid buildup of pressure in the [[Superheating|superheated]] groundwater.
* [[Phreatic eruption]]s are characterized by superheating of groundwater that comes in contact with hot rock or magma. They are distinguished from phreatomagmatic eruptions because the erupted material is all [[Country rock (geology)|country rock]]; no magma is erupted.


==Volcanic activity== <!-- [[Dormant volcano]] redirects here -->
Large, explosive volcanic eruptions inject water vapor (H<sub>2</sub>O), carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>), hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF) and ash (pulverized rock and pumice) into the stratosphere to heights of 10-20 miles above the Earth's surface. The most significant impacts from these injections come from the conversion of sulphur dioxide to [[sulphuric acid]] (H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>), which condenses rapidly in the stratosphere to form fine [[sulfate]] [[particulate|aerosols]]. The aerosols increase the Earth's [[albedo]]—its reflection of radiation from the [[Sun]] back into space - and thus cool the Earth's lower atmosphere or troposphere; however, they also absorb heat radiated up from the Earth, thereby warming the [[stratosphere]]. Several eruptions during the past century have caused a decline in the average temperature at the Earth's surface of up to half a degree (Fahrenheit scale) for periods of one to three years. The sulphate aerosols also promote complex [[chemical]] reactions on their surfaces that alter chlorine and [[nitrogen]] chemical species in the stratosphere. This effect, together with increased stratospheric [[chlorine]] levels from [[haloalkane|chlorofluorocarbon]] pollution, generates chlorine monoxide (ClO), which destroys [[ozone]] (O<sub>3</sub>). As the aerosols grow and coagulate, they settle down into the upper troposphere where they serve as nuclei for [[cirrus cloud]]s and further modify the Earth's [[radiation]] balance. Most of the hydrogen chloride (HCl) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) are dissolved in water droplets in the eruption cloud and quickly fall to the ground as [[acid rain]]. The injected ash also falls rapidly from the stratosphere; most of it is removed within several days to a few weeks. Finally, explosive volcanic eruptions release the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and thus provide a deep source of [[carbon]] for biogeochemical cycles.
[[File:Pompeii - Casa del Centenario - MAN.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Fresco]] with [[Mount Vesuvius]] behind [[Bacchus]] and [[Agathodaemon]], as seen in [[Pompeii]]'s [[House of the Centenary]]]]


{{As of|2022|12}}, the [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s [[Global Volcanism Program]] database of volcanic eruptions in the [[Holocene]] [[Epoch (geology)|Epoch]] (the last 11,700 years) lists 9,901 confirmed eruptions from 859 volcanoes. The database also lists 1,113 uncertain eruptions and 168 discredited eruptions for the same time interval.<ref name="GVP501">{{cite journal|url=https://volcano.si.edu/search_eruption.cfm|title=Database Search|journal=Volcanoes of the World (Version 5.0.1)|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] [[Global Volcanism Program]]|date=December 19, 2022|access-date=January 12, 2023|author=Venzke, E. (compiler)|editor-first1=Edward|editor-last1=Venzke|doi=10.5479/si.GVP.VOTW5-2022.5.0}}</ref><ref name="Volc_Count">{{cite journal|url=https://volcano.si.edu/faq/index.cfm?question=activevolcanoes|title=How many active volcanoes are there?|journal=Volcanoes of the World (Version 5.0.1)|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] [[Global Volcanism Program]]|date=December 19, 2022|access-date=January 12, 2023|author=Venzke, E. (compiler)|editor-first1=Edward|editor-last1=Venzke|doi=10.5479/si.GVP.VOTW5-2022.5.0}}</ref>
Gas emissions from volcanoes are a natural contributor to acid rain. Volcanic activity releases about 130 to 230 [[kilogram#SI multiples|teragrams]] (145 million to 255 million [[short ton]]s) of [[carbon dioxide]] each year. Volcanic eruptions may inject [[Particulate|aerosols]] into the [[Earth's atmosphere]]. Large injections may cause visual effects such as unusually colorful sunsets and affect global climate mainly by cooling it. Volcanic eruptions also provide the benefit of adding nutrients to soil through the [[weathering]] process of volcanic rocks. These fertile soils assist the growth of plants and various crops. Volcanic eruptions can also create new islands, as the magma dries on the water.


Volcanoes vary greatly in their level of activity, with individual volcanic systems having an ''eruption recurrence'' ranging from several times a year to once in tens of thousands of years.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Martí Molist|first1=Joan|title=Oxford Handbook Topics in Physical Sciences|chapter=Assessing Volcanic Hazard|date=September 6, 2017|volume=1|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190699420.013.32|isbn=978-0-19-069942-0}}</ref> Volcanoes are informally described as '''erupting''', '''active''', '''dormant''', or '''extinct''', but the definitions of these terms are not entirely uniform among volcanologists. The level of activity of most volcanoes falls upon a graduated spectrum, with much overlap between categories, and does not always fit neatly into only one of these three separate categories.<ref name=ade>{{cite web|last1=Pariona|first1=Amber|title=Difference Between an Active, Dormant, and Extinct Volcano|date=September 19, 2019|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/when-is-a-volcano-considered-active-dormant-or-extinct.html|publisher=WorldAtlas.com|access-date=November 27, 2020}}</ref>
==Etymology==
''Volcano'' is thought to derive from [[Vulcano]], a volcanic island in the [[Aeolian Islands]] of [[Italy]] whose name in turn originates from [[Vulcan (mythology)|Vulcan]], the name of a god of [[fire]] in [[Roman mythology]]. The study of volcanoes is called [[volcanology]], sometimes spelled ''vulcanology''.


=== Erupting ===
The Roman name for the island ''[[Vulcano]]'' has contributed the word for ''volcano'' in most modern European languages.
The USGS defines a volcano as "erupting" whenever the ejection of magma from any point on the volcano is visible, including visible magma still contained within the walls of the summit crater.


==Past beliefs==
===Active===
{{Main|Active volcano}}
[[Image:Kircherearthfires.jpg|thumb|right|Kircher's model of the [[Earth]]'s internal fires, from ''Mundus Subterraneus'']]
Before it was understood that most of the Earth's interior is molten, various explanations existed for volcano behavior. For decades after awareness that compression and radioactive materials may be heat sources, their contributions were specifically discounted. Volcanic action was often attributed to [[chemical]] reactions and a thin layer of molten rock near the surface. Many ancient accounts claim that [[divine intervention]] was the actual cause of volcanic eruptions.


While there is no international consensus among volcanologists on how to define an active volcano, the USGS defines a volcano as ''active'' whenever subterranean indicators, such as [[earthquake swarm]]s, ground inflation, or unusually high levels of carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide are present.<ref>[https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/recent-eruption Kilauea eruption confined to crater] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717144650/https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/recent-eruption |date=July 17, 2022 }} usgs.gov. Updated July 24, 2022. Downloaded July 24, 2022.</ref><ref name="activity_levels">[https://www.wired.com/2015/08/tell-volcano-active-dormant-extinct/ How We Tell if a Volcano Is Active, Dormant, or Extinct] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725042124/https://www.wired.com/2015/08/tell-volcano-active-dormant-extinct/ |date=July 25, 2022 }} Wired. August 15, 2015. By Erik Klimetti. Downloaded July 24, 2022.</ref>
One early idea counter to this, however, was [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] [[Athanasius Kircher]] (1602-1680), who witnessed eruptions of [[Mount Etna|Aetna]] and [[Stromboli]], then visited the crater of [[Vesuvius]] and published his view of an Earth with a central fire connected to numerous others caused by the burning of [[sulfur]], [[bitumen]] and [[coal]].


===Dormant and reactivated{{anchor|Dormant}}===
==See also==
<!-- [[Dormant volcano]] redirects here -->
*[[History of Volcanology]]
[[File:Narcondam island.jpg|thumb|[[Narcondam Island]], India, is classified as a dormant volcano by the [[Geological Survey of India]].]]
*[[Plinian eruption]]
The USGS defines a dormant volcano as any volcano that is not showing any signs of unrest such as earthquake swarms, ground swelling, or excessive noxious gas emissions, but which shows signs that it could yet become active again.<ref name="activity_levels" /> Many dormant volcanoes have not erupted for thousands of years, but have still shown signs that they may be likely to erupt again in the future.<ref name="Nelson2016">{{cite web|url=http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/Natural_Disasters/volhaz&pred.htm|title=Volcanic Hazards & Prediction of Volcanic Eruptions|publisher=Tulane University|date=October 4, 2016|access-date=September 5, 2018|last=Nelson|first=Stephen A.}}</ref><ref name="VolcWorldDormant">{{cite web|url=http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/how-volcano-defined-being-active-dormant-or-extinct|title=How is a volcano defined as being active, dormant, or extinct?|work=Volcano World|publisher=Oregon State University|access-date=September 5, 2018|archive-date=January 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112014631/http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/how-volcano-defined-being-active-dormant-or-extinct|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[:Category:Volcanic eruption types]]
*[[Predicting Volcanoes]]
*[[Volcano observatory]]
*[[Geomorphology]]
*[[Earth science]]
*[[Volcanic field]]
*[[Volcanic gas]]
*[[Tsunami]]


In an article justifying the re-classification of Alaska's [[Mount Edgecumbe (Alaska)|Mount Edgecumbe]] volcano from "dormant" to "active", volcanologists at the [[Alaska Volcano Observatory]] pointed out that the term "dormant" in reference to volcanoes has been deprecated over the past few decades and that "[t]he term "dormant volcano" is so little used and undefined in modern volcanology that the Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (2000) does not contain it in the glossaries or index",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avo.alaska.edu/news.php?id=1576|title=Mount Edgecumbe volcanic field changes from 'dormant' to 'active' -- what does that mean?|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=May 9, 2022|publisher=Alaska Volcano Observatory|access-date=June 2, 2022}}</ref> however the USGS still widely employs the term.
'''Lists'''
*[[List of volcanoes]]
**[[List of terrestrial volcanoes]]
**[[List of extraterrestrial volcanoes]]
*[[List of famous volcanic eruption deaths]]
*[[Volcanic Explosivity Index]] (includes list of large eruptions)
*[[List of deadliest natural disasters]]


Previously a volcano was often considered to be extinct if there were no written records of its activity. Such a generalization is inconsistent with observation and deeper study, as has occurred recently with the unexpected eruption of the [[Chaitén (volcano)|Chaitén volcano]] in 2008.<ref name=Castro2009>{{cite journal|last1=Castro|first1=J.|last2=Dingwell|first2=D.|title=Rapid ascent of rhyolitic magma at Chaitén volcano, Chile|journal=Nature|volume=461|pages=780–783|year=2009|issue=7265|doi=10.1038/nature08458|pmid=19812671|bibcode=2009Natur.461..780C|s2cid=4339493}}</ref> Modern volcanic activity monitoring techniques, and improvements in the modelling of the factors that produce eruptions, have helped the understanding of why volcanoes may remain dormant for a long time, and then become unexpectedly active again. The potential for eruptions, and their style, depend mainly upon the state of the magma storage system under the volcano, the eruption trigger mechanism and its timescale.<ref name=Cserép2023>{{cite journal|last1=Cserép|first1=B.|last2=Szemerédi|first2=M.|last3=Harangi|first3=S.|last4=Erdmann|first4=S.|last5=Bachmann|first5=O.|last6=Dunkl|first6=I.|last7=Seghedi|first7=I.|last8=Mészáros|first8=K.|last9=Kovács|first9=Z.|last10 =Virág| first10=A|last11=Ntaflos|first11=T.|title=Constraints on the pre-eruptive magma storage conditions and magma evolution of the 56–30 ka explosive volcanism of Ciomadul (East Carpathians, Romania)|journal=Contribribtions to Mineralogy and Petrology|volume=178|issue=96|year=2023|doi=10.1007/s00410-023-02075-z|bibcode=2023CoMP..178...96C|doi-access=free|hdl=20.500.11850/646219|hdl-access=free}}</ref>{{rp|95}} For example, the [[Yellowstone Caldera|Yellowstone]] volcano has a repose/recharge period of around 700,000 years, and [[Toba Lake|Toba]] of around 380,000 years.<ref name="chesner1991">{{cite journal|doi=10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<0200:EHOESL>2.3.CO;2|url=http://www.geo.mtu.edu/~raman/papers/ChesnerGeology.pdf|last1=Chesner|first1=C.A.|last2=Rose|first2=J.A.|last3=Deino|first3=W.I.|last4=Drake|first4=R.|last5=Westgate|first5=A.|title=Eruptive History of Earth's Largest Quaternary caldera (Toba, Indonesia) Clarified|volume=19|pages=200–203|journal=Geology|date=March 1991|access-date=January 20, 2010|issue=3|bibcode=1991Geo....19..200C}}</ref> [[Vesuvius]] was described by Roman writers as having been covered with gardens and vineyards before its unexpected [[Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79|eruption of 79 CE]], which destroyed the towns of [[Herculaneum]] and [[Pompeii]].
'''Specific locations'''
*[[Iceland hotspot]]
*[[Pacific Ring of Fire]]
*[[Io (moon)]]
*[[Triton (moon)]]


Accordingly, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between an extinct volcano and a dormant (inactive) one. Long volcano dormancy is known to decrease awareness.<ref name=Cserép2023/>{{rp|96}} [[Pinatubo]] was an inconspicuous volcano, unknown to most people in the surrounding areas, and initially not seismically monitored before its unanticipated and catastrophic eruption of 1991. Two other examples of volcanoes that were once thought to be extinct, before springing back into eruptive activity were the long-dormant [[Soufrière Hills]] volcano on the island of [[Montserrat]], thought to be extinct until activity resumed in 1995 (turning its capital [[Plymouth, Montserrat|Plymouth]] into a [[ghost town]]) and [[Fourpeaked Mountain]] in Alaska, which, before its September 2006 eruption, had not erupted since before 8000 BCE.
'''People'''

* [[:Category:Vulcanologists|Category Volcanologists]]
===Extinct===
<!-- [[Extinct volcano]] redirects here -->
[[File:Capulin 1980 tde00005.jpg|thumb|[[Capulin Volcano National Monument]] in New Mexico, US]]
Extinct volcanoes are those that scientists consider unlikely to erupt again because the volcano no longer has a magma supply. Examples of extinct volcanoes are many volcanoes on the [[Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain]] in the Pacific Ocean (although some volcanoes at the eastern end of the chain are active), [[Hohentwiel]] in [[Germany]], [[Shiprock]] in [[New Mexico]], [[US]], [[Capulin Volcano National Monument|Capulin]] in New Mexico, US, [[Zuidwal volcano]] in the [[Netherlands]], and many volcanoes in [[Italy]] such as [[Monte Vulture]]. [[Edinburgh Castle]] in Scotland is located atop an extinct volcano, which forms [[Castle Rock (Edinburgh)|Castle Rock]]. Whether a volcano is truly extinct is often difficult to determine. Since "supervolcano" [[caldera]]s can have eruptive lifespans sometimes measured in millions of years, a caldera that has not produced an eruption in tens of thousands of years may be considered dormant instead of extinct. An individual volcano in a monogenetic volcanic field can be extinct but that does not mean a completely new volcano might not erupt close by with little or no warning as its field may have an active magma supply.

===Volcanic-alert level===
The three common popular classifications of volcanoes can be subjective and some volcanoes thought to have been extinct have erupted again. To help prevent people from falsely believing they are not at risk when living on or near a volcano, countries have adopted new classifications to describe the various levels and stages of volcanic activity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.volcanolive.com/alerts.html|title=Volcanic Alert Levels of Various Countries|publisher=Volcanolive.com|access-date=August 22, 2011}}</ref> Some alert systems use different numbers or colours to designate the different stages. Other systems use colours and words. Some systems use a combination of both.

==Decade volcanoes==
[[File:Koryaksky volcano Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky oct-2005.jpg|thumb|[[Koryaksky]] volcano towering over [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]] on [[Kamchatka Peninsula]], Far Eastern [[Russia]]]]
{{Main|Lists of volcanoes|Decade Volcanoes}}
The Decade Volcanoes are 16 volcanoes identified by the [[International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior]] (IAVCEI) as being worthy of particular study in light of their history of large, destructive eruptions and proximity to populated areas. They are named Decade Volcanoes because the project was initiated as part of the United Nations-sponsored [[International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction]] (the 1990s). The 16 current Decade Volcanoes are:
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Avachinsky]]-[[Koryaksky]] (grouped together), [[Kamchatka]], Russia
* [[Nevado de Colima]], [[Jalisco]] and [[Colima]], Mexico
* [[Mount Etna]], Sicily, Italy
* [[Galeras]], [[Nariño]], Colombia
* [[Mauna Loa]], Hawaii, US
* [[Mount Merapi]], [[Central Java]], Indonesia
* [[Mount Nyiragongo]], Democratic Republic of the Congo
* [[Mount Rainier]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], US
* [[Sakurajima]], [[Kagoshima Prefecture]], Japan
* [[Santa María (volcano)|Santa Maria/Santiaguito]], Guatemala
* [[Santorini]], [[Cyclades]], Greece
* [[Taal Volcano]], [[Luzon]], Philippines
* [[Teide]], Canary Islands, Spain
* [[Ulawun]], [[New Britain]], Papua New Guinea
* [[Mount Unzen]], [[Nagasaki Prefecture]], Japan
* [[Vesuvius]], [[Province of Naples|Naples]], Italy
{{div col end}}

The [[Deep Earth Carbon Degassing Project]], an initiative of the [[Deep Carbon Observatory]], monitors nine volcanoes, two of which are Decade volcanoes. The focus of the Deep Earth Carbon Degassing Project is to use [[Multi-Component Gas Analyzer System]] instruments to measure CO<sub>2</sub>/SO<sub>2</sub> ratios in real-time and in high-resolution to allow detection of the pre-eruptive degassing of rising magmas, improving [[prediction of volcanic activity]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Aiuppa|first1=Alessandro|last2=Moretti|first2=Roberto|last3=Federico|first3=Cinzia|last4=Giudice|first4=Gaetano|last5=Gurrieri|first5=Sergio|last6=Liuzzo|first6=Marco|last7=Papale|first7=Paolo|last8=Shinohara|first8=Hiroshi|last9=Valenza|first9=Mariano|title=Forecasting Etna eruptions by real-time observation of volcanic gas composition|journal=Geology|year=2007|volume=35|issue=12|pages=1115–1118|doi=10.1130/G24149A.1|bibcode=2007Geo....35.1115A}}</ref>

==Volcanoes and humans==
[[File:Mauna Loa atmospheric transmission.png|thumb|Solar radiation graph 1958–2008, showing how the radiation is reduced after major volcanic eruptions]]
[[File:SO2 Galapagos 20051101.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sulfur dioxide]] concentration over the [[Sierra Negra (Galápagos)|Sierra Negra Volcano]], [[Galapagos Islands]], during an eruption in October 2005]]
Volcanic eruptions pose a significant threat to human civilization. However, volcanic activity has also provided humans with important resources.

===Hazards===
{{Main|Volcanic hazard}}
There are many different [[types of volcanic eruptions]] and associated activity: [[phreatic eruptions]] (steam-generated eruptions), explosive eruptions of high-[[silica]] lava (e.g., [[rhyolite]]), effusive eruptions of low-silica lava (e.g., [[basalt]]), [[sector collapse]]s, [[pyroclastic flow]]s, [[lahar]]s (debris flows) and [[Volcanic gas|volcanic gas emissions]]. These can pose a hazard to humans. Earthquakes, [[hot spring]]s, [[fumarole]]s, [[mud pot]]s and [[geyser]]s often accompany volcanic activity.

Volcanic gases can reach the stratosphere, where they form [[sulfuric acid]] aerosols that can reflect solar radiation and lower surface temperatures significantly.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Miles|first1=M.G.|last2=Grainger|first2=R.G.|last3=Highwood|first3=E.J.|title=The significance of volcanic eruption strength and frequency for climate|journal=Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society|year=2004|volume=130|issue=602|pages=2361–2376|doi=10.1256/qj.03.60|url=http://eodg.atm.ox.ac.uk/eodg/papers/2004Miles1.pdf|bibcode=2004QJRMS.130.2361M|s2cid=53005926}}

</ref> Sulfur dioxide from the eruption of [[Huaynaputina]] may have caused the [[Russian famine of 1601–1603]].<ref>{{cite web|author=University of California – Davis|title=Volcanic Eruption Of 1600 Caused Global Disruption|date=April 25, 2008|work=ScienceDaily|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423135236.htm}}</ref> Chemical reactions of sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere can also damage the [[ozone layer]], and acids such as [[hydrogen chloride]] (HCl) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) can fall to the ground as [[acid rain]]. Excessive fluoride salts from eruptions have poisoned [[livestock]] in Iceland on multiple occasions.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thorarinsson|first=Sigurdur|author-link=Sigurdur Thorarinsson|others=trans. Jóhann Hannesson, Pétur Karlsson|title=Hekla, A Notorious Volcano|year=1970|publisher=Almenna bókafélagið|location=Reykjavík}}</ref>{{rp|pp=39–58}} [[Explosive eruption|Explosive volcanic eruptions]] release the greenhouse gas [[carbon dioxide]] and thus provide a deep source of [[carbon]] for [[biogeochemical cycle]]s.<ref>{{citation-attribution|1={{cite web|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/of97-262/of97-262.html|title=Impacts of Volcanic Gases on Climate, the Environment, and People|first1=Kenneth A.|last1=McGee|first2=Michael P.|last2=Doukas|first3=Richard|last3=Kessler|first4=Terrence M.|last4=Gerlach|date=May 1997|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=August 9, 2014}} }}</ref>

Ash thrown into the air by eruptions can present a hazard to aircraft, especially [[jet aircraft]] where the particles can be melted by the high operating temperature; the melted particles then adhere to the [[turbine]] blades and alter their shape, disrupting the operation of the turbine. This can cause major disruptions to air travel.

[[File:Large eruptions.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Comparison of major United States prehistoric eruptions ([[VEI|VEI 7 and 8]]) with major historical volcanic eruptions in the 19th and 20th century (VEI 5, 6 and 7). From left to right: Yellowstone 2.1 Ma, Yellowstone 1.3 Ma, Long Valley 6.26 Ma, Yellowstone 0.64 Ma . 19th century eruptions: Tambora 1815, Krakatoa 1883. 20th century eruptions: Novarupta 1912, St. Helens 1980, Pinatubo 1991.]]

A [[volcanic winter]] is thought to have taken place around 70,000 years ago after the [[supereruption]] of [[Lake Toba]] on Sumatra island in Indonesia.<ref>{{cite web|title=Supervolcano eruption – in Sumatra – deforested India 73,000 years ago|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123142739.htm|website=ScienceDaily|date=November 24, 2009}}</ref> This may have created a [[Toba catastrophe theory|population bottleneck]] that affected the genetic inheritance of all humans today.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2975862.stm|title=When humans faced extinction|publisher=BBC|date=June 9, 2003|access-date=January 5, 2007}}</ref> Volcanic eruptions may have contributed to major extinction events, such as the [[Ordovician-Silurian extinction events|End-Ordovician]], [[Permian-Triassic]], and [[Late Devonian extinction|Late Devonian]] [[mass extinction]]s.<ref>{{cite web|last1=O'Hanlon|first1=Larry|title=Yellowstone's Super Sister|url=http://www.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/others/others_07.html|website=Discovery Channel|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050314025022/http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/others/others_07.html|archive-date=March 14, 2005|date=March 14, 2005}}</ref>

The 1815 eruption of [[Mount Tambora]] created global climate anomalies that became known as the "[[Year Without a Summer]]" because of the effect on North American and European weather.<ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ipNcKc0Mv5IC&pg=PA155 Volcanoes in human history: the far-reaching effects of major eruptions]''. Jelle Zeilinga de Boer, Donald Theodore Sanders (2002). [[Princeton University Press]]. p. 155. {{ISBN|0-691-05081-3}}</ref> The freezing winter of 1740–41, which led to widespread [[Irish Famine (1740–1741)|famine]] in northern Europe, may also owe its origins to a volcanic eruption.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ó Gráda|first1=Cormac|title=Famine: A Short History|url=http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s8857.html|publisher=Princeton University Press|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112061115/http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s8857.html|archive-date=January 12, 2016|date=February 6, 2009}}</ref>

===Benefits===
{{See also|Volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit|Geothermal power}}
Although volcanic eruptions pose considerable hazards to humans, past volcanic activity has created important economic resources. Tuff formed from volcanic ash is a relatively soft rock, and it has been used for construction since ancient times.<ref name="marcari-etal-2007">Marcari, G., G. Fabbrocino, and G. Manfredi. "Shear seismic capacity of tuff masonry panels in heritage constructions." Structural Studies, Repairs and Maintenance of Heritage Architecture X 95 (2007): 73.</ref><ref name="dolan-etal-2019">{{cite journal|last1=Dolan|first1=S.G.|last2=Cates|first2=K.M.|last3=Conrad|first3=C.N.|last4=Copeland|first4=S.R.|title=Home Away from Home: Ancestral Pueblo Fieldhouses in the Northern Rio Grande|journal=Lanl-Ur|date=March 14, 2019|volume=19-21132|pages=96|url=https://permalink.lanl.gov/object/tr?what=info:lanl-repo/lareport/LA-UR-19-21132|access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> The Romans often used tuff, which is abundant in Italy, for construction.<ref name="jackson-etal-2005">{{cite journal|last1=Jackson|first1=M. D.|last2=Marra|first2=F.|last3=Hay|first3=R. L.|last4=Cawood|first4=C.|last5=Winkler|first5=E. M.|title=The Judicious Selection and Preservation of Tuff and Travertine Building Stone in Ancient Rome*|journal=Archaeometry|year=2005|volume=47|issue=3|pages=485–510|doi=10.1111/j.1475-4754.2005.00215.x|doi-access=free}}</ref> The [[Rapa Nui]] people used tuff to make most of the ''[[moai]]'' statues in [[Easter Island]].<ref name="collins-2016-150-151">Richards, Colin. 2016. [https://books.google.com/books?id=FPQhDAAAQBAJ&dq=moai+construction&pg=PA149 "Making Moai: Reconsidering Concepts of Risk in the Construction of Megalithic Architecture in Rapa Nui (Easter Island)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114150457/https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=FPQhDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA149&dq=moai+construction&ots=j1xHNuEeze&sig=G8ncDnByQt0qat7itwXSXpSPY4M#v=onepage&q=moai%20construction&f=false |date=November 14, 2022 }}. ''Rapa Nui–Easter Island: Cultural and Historical Perspectives'', pp.150-151</ref>

Volcanic ash and weathered basalt produce some of the most fertile soil in the world, rich in nutrients such as iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus.<ref name="kiprop-2019">{{cite web|last1=Kiprop|first1=Joseph|date=January 18, 2019|title=Why Is Volcanic Soil Fertile?|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/why-is-volcanic-soil-fertile.html|access-date=November 27, 2020|website=WorldAtlas.com}}</ref> Volcanic activity is responsible for emplacing valuable mineral resources, such as metal ores.<ref name="kiprop-2019" /> It is accompanied by high rates of heat flow from Earth's interior. These can be tapped as [[geothermal power]].<ref name="kiprop-2019" />

Tourism associated with volcanoes is also a worldwide industry.<ref name=Thomaidis2021>{{cite journal|last1=Thomaidis|first1=K|last2=Troll|first2=VR|last3=Deegan|first3=FM|last4=Freda|first4=C|last5=Corsaro|first5=RA|last6=Behncke|first6=B|last7=Rafailidis|first7=S|title=A message from the 'underground forge of the gods': History and current eruptions at Mt Etna|journal=Geology Today|year=2021|volume=37|issue=4|pages=141–9|doi=10.1111/gto.12362|bibcode=2021GeolT..37..141T|s2cid=238802288|url=https://www.earth-prints.org/bitstream/2122/15268/3/Geology_Today_Mt.Etna.pdf}}</ref>

=== Safety considerations ===
Many volcanoes near human settlements are heavily monitored with the aim of providing adequate advance warnings of imminent eruptions to nearby populations. Also, a better modern-day understanding of volcanology has led to some better informed governmental and public responses to unanticipated volcanic activities. While the science of volcanology may not yet be capable of predicting the exact times and dates of eruptions far into the future, on suitably monitored volcanoes the monitoring of ongoing volcanic indicators is often capable of predicting imminent eruptions with advance warnings minimally of hours, and usually of days prior to any eruptions.<ref>[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/volcano-safety-tips Volcano Safety Tips] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725072141/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/volcano-safety-tips |date=July 25, 2022 }} National Geographic. By Maya Wei-Haas. 2015. Downloaded June 24, 2022.</ref> The diversity of volcanoes and their complexities mean that eruption forecasts for the foreseeable future will be based on [[Probability theory|probability]], and the application of [[risk management]]. Even then, some eruptions will have no useful warning. An example of this occurred in March 2017, when a tourist group was witnessing a presumed to be predictable Mount Etna eruption and the flowing lava came in contact with a snow accumulation causing a situational phreatic explosion causing injury to ten persons.<ref name=Thomaidis2021/> Other types of significant eruptions are known to give useful warnings of only hours at the most by seismic monitoring.<ref name=Castro2009/> The recent demonstration of a magma chamber with repose times of tens of thousands of years, with potential for rapid recharge so potentially decreasing warning times, under the youngest volcano in central Europe,<ref name=Cserép2023/> does not tell us if more careful monitoring will be useful.

Scientists are known to perceive risk, with its social elements, differently from local populations and those that undertake social risk assessments on their behalf, so that both disruptive false alarms and retrospective blame, when disasters occur, will continue to happen.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Donovan|first1=A|last2=Eiser|first2=JR|last3=Sparks|first3=RS|title=Scientists' views about lay perceptions of volcanic hazard and risk|journal=Journal of Applied Volcanology|year=2014|volume=3|issue=1|pages=1–14|doi=10.1186/s13617-014-0015-5|bibcode=2014JApV....3...15D|doi-access=free}}</ref>{{rp|pp=1–3}}

Thus in many cases, while volcanic eruptions may still cause major property destruction, the periodic large-scale loss of human life that was once associated with many volcanic eruptions, has recently been significantly reduced in areas where volcanoes are adequately monitored. This life-saving ability is derived via such volcanic-activity monitoring programs, through the greater abilities of local officials to facilitate timely evacuations based upon the greater modern-day knowledge of volcanism that is now available, and upon improved communications technologies such as cell phones. Such operations tend to provide enough time for humans to escape at least with their lives before a pending eruption. One example of such a recent successful volcanic evacuation was the [[Mount Pinatubo]] evacuation of 1991. This evacuation is believed to have saved 20,000 lives.<ref>[https://www.livescience.com/14603-pinatubo-eruption-20-anniversary.html Pinatubo: Why the Biggest Volcanic Eruption Wasn't the Deadliest] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719034051/https://www.livescience.com/14603-pinatubo-eruption-20-anniversary.html |date=July 19, 2022 }} LiveScience. By Stephanie Pappas. June 15, 2011. Downloaded July 25, 2022.</ref> In the case of [[Mount Etna]], a 2021 review found 77 deaths due to eruptions since 1536 but none since 1987.<ref name=Thomaidis2021/>

Citizens who may be concerned about their own exposure to risk from nearby volcanic activity should familiarize themselves with the types of, and quality of, volcano monitoring and public notification procedures being employed by governmental authorities in their areas.<ref>[https://www.courthousenews.com/about-to-blow-are-we-ready-for-the-next-volcanic-catastrophe/ About to blow: Are we ready for the next volcanic catastrophe?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817224316/https://www.courthousenews.com/about-to-blow-are-we-ready-for-the-next-volcanic-catastrophe/ |date=August 17, 2022 }} Courthouse News Service. By Candace Cheung. August 17, 2022. Downloaded August 17, 2022.</ref>

==Volcanoes on other celestial bodies==
{{see also|List of extraterrestrial volcanoes|Volcanism on the Moon|Volcanism on Mars|Volcanism on Io|Volcanism on Venus}}
[[File:Tvashtarvideo.gif|left|thumb|The [[Tvashtar Paterae|Tvashtar]] volcano erupts a plume 330&nbsp;km (205&nbsp;mi) above the surface of [[Jupiter]]'s moon [[Io (moon)|Io]].]]

Earth's [[Moon]] has no large volcanoes and no current volcanic activity, although recent evidence suggests it may still possess a partially molten core.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wieczorek|first1=Mark A.|last2=Jolliff|first2=Bradley L.|last3=Khan|first3=Amir|last4=Pritchard|first4=Matthew E.|last5=Weiss|first5=Benjamin P.|last6=Williams|first6=James G.|last7=Hood|first7=Lon L.|last8=Righter|first8=Kevin|last9=Neal|first9=Clive R.|last10=Shearer|first10=Charles K.|last11=McCallum|first11=I. Stewart|last12=Tompkins|first12=Stephanie|last13=Hawke|first13=B. Ray|last14=Peterson|first14=Chris|last15=Gillis|first15=Jeffrey J.|last16=Bussey|first16=Ben|title=The constitution and structure of the lunar interior|journal=[[Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry]]|date=January 1, 2006|volume=60|issue=1|pages=221–364|doi=10.2138/rmg.2006.60.3|bibcode=2006RvMG...60..221W|s2cid=130734866}}</ref> However, the Moon does have many volcanic features such as [[lunar mare|maria]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://volcano.oregonstate.edu/mare|title=Mare|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=January 4, 2012|website=Volcano World|publisher=Oregon State University|access-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref> (the darker patches seen on the Moon), [[rille]]s<ref>{{cite web|url=https://volcano.oregonstate.edu/sinuous-rilles|title=Sinuous Rilles|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=January 4, 2012|website=Volcano World|publisher=Oregon State University|access-date=November 17, 2023}}</ref> and [[lunar dome|domes]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Lunar Mystery: The Gruithuisen Domes|url=https://moon.nasa.gov/resources/482/a-lunar-mystery-the-gruithuisen-domes|access-date=January 6, 2024|website=Moon: NASA Science}}</ref>

The planet [[Venus]] has a surface that is 90% [[basalt]], indicating that volcanism played a major role in shaping its surface. The planet may have had a major global resurfacing event about 500 million years ago,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bindschadler|first1=D.L.|title=Magellan: A new view of Venus' geology and geophysics|journal=Reviews of Geophysics|year=1995|volume=33|issue=S1|pages=459–467|doi=10.1029/95RG00281|bibcode=1995RvGeo..33S.459B}}</ref> from what scientists can tell from the density of impact craters on the surface. [[Lava flows]] are widespread and forms of volcanism not present on Earth occur as well. Changes in the planet's atmosphere and observations of lightning have been attributed to ongoing volcanic eruptions, although there is no confirmation of whether or not Venus is still volcanically active. However, radar sounding by the Magellan probe revealed evidence for comparatively recent volcanic activity at Venus's highest volcano [[Maat Mons]], in the form of [[ash flow]]s near the summit and on the northern flank.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Robinson|first1=Cordula A.|last2=Thornhill|first2=Gill D.|last3=Parfitt|first3=Elisabeth A.|title=Large-scale volcanic activity at Maat Mons: Can this explain fluctuations in atmospheric chemistry observed by Pioneer Venus?|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research|year=1995|volume=100|issue=E6|pages=11755|doi=10.1029/95JE00147|bibcode=1995JGR...10011755R}}</ref> However, the interpretation of the flows as ash flows has been questioned.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mouginis-Mark|first1=Peter J.|title=Geomorphology and volcanology of Maat Mons, Venus|journal=Icarus|date=October 2016|volume=277|pages=433–441|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2016.05.022|bibcode=2016Icar..277..433M}}</ref>

[[File:Olympus Mons alt.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Olympus Mons]] ([[Latin]], "Mount Olympus"), located on the planet Mars, is the tallest known mountain in the [[Solar System]].]]
There are several extinct volcanoes on [[Mars]], four of which are vast shield volcanoes far bigger than any on Earth. They include [[Arsia Mons]], [[Ascraeus Mons]], [[Hecates Tholus]], [[Olympus Mons]], and [[Pavonis Mons]]. These volcanoes have been extinct for many millions of years,<ref name="ESAmarsvolcanoes">{{cite web|url=https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Glacial_volcanic_and_fluvial_activity_on_Mars_latest_images|title=Glacial, volcanic and fluvial activity on Mars: latest images|publisher=[[European Space Agency]]|access-date=July 21, 2024|date=February 25, 2005}}</ref> but the European ''[[Mars Express]]'' spacecraft has found evidence that volcanic activity may have occurred on Mars in the recent past as well.<ref name="ESAmarsvolcanoes"/>

[[Jupiter]]'s [[Natural satellite|moon]] [[Io (moon)|Io]] is the most volcanically active object in the Solar System because of [[tides|tidal]] interaction with Jupiter. It is covered with volcanoes that erupt [[sulfur]], [[sulfur dioxide]] and [[silicate]] rock, and as a result, [[Io (moon)|Io]] is constantly being resurfaced. Its lavas are the hottest known anywhere in the Solar System, with temperatures exceeding 1,800 K (1,500&nbsp;°C). In February 2001, the largest recorded volcanic eruptions in the Solar System occurred on Io.<ref>{{cite web|title=Exceptionally bright eruption on Io rivals largest in solar system|url=http://keckobservatory.org/recent/entry/exceptionally_bright_eruption_on_io_rivals_largest_in_solar_syatem/|website=W.M. Keck Observatory|date=November 13, 2002|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-date=August 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806235121/http://www.keckobservatory.org/recent/entry/exceptionally_bright_eruption_on_io_rivals_largest_in_solar_syatem|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Europa (moon)|Europa]], the smallest of Jupiter's [[Galilean moon]]s, also appears to have an active volcanic system, except that its volcanic activity is entirely in the form of water, which freezes into [[ice]] on the frigid surface. This process is known as [[cryovolcanism]], and is apparently most common on the moons of the outer planets of the [[Solar System]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Geissler|first=Paul|title=Chapter 44 – Cryovolcanism in the Outer Solar System|date=January 1, 2015|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123859389000444|encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (Second Edition)|pages=763–776|editor-last=Sigurdsson|editor-first=Haraldur|access-date=January 6, 2024|place=Amsterdam|publisher=Academic Press|doi=10.1016/b978-0-12-385938-9.00044-4|isbn=978-0-12-385938-9}}</ref>

In 1989, the ''[[Voyager 2]]'' spacecraft observed [[cryovolcano]]es (ice volcanoes) on [[Triton (moon)|Triton]], a [[Natural satellite|moon]] of [[Neptune]], and in 2005 the ''[[Cassini–Huygens]]'' probe photographed [[Enceladus (moon)#Cryovolcanism|fountains of frozen particles erupting from Enceladus]], a moon of [[Saturn]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pparc.ac.uk/Nw/enceladus.asp|title=Cassini Finds an Atmosphere on Saturn's Moon Enceladus|date=March 16, 2005|work=[[PPARC]]|access-date=July 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310211512/http://www.pparc.ac.uk/Nw/enceladus.asp|archive-date=March 10, 2007}}</ref><!-- replaced it above<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pparc.ac.uk/Nw/enceladus.asp|title=Cassini Finds an Atmosphere on Saturn's Moon Enceladus'|publisher=Pparc.ac.uk|access-date=October 24, 2010}}</ref> --><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2198.html|title=Enceladus, Saturn's Moon|last=Smith|first=Yvette|date=March 15, 2012|work=Image of the Day Gallery|publisher=[[NASA]]|access-date=July 4, 2014}}</ref> The ejecta may be composed of water, [[liquid nitrogen]], [[ammonia]], dust, or [[methane]] compounds. ''Cassini–Huygens'' also found evidence of a methane-spewing cryovolcano on the [[Saturn]]ian moon [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], which is believed to be a significant source of the methane found in its atmosphere.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7489|title=Hydrocarbon volcano discovered on Titan|date=June 8, 2005|work=New Scientist|access-date=October 24, 2010|archive-date=September 19, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919022956/http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7489|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is theorized that cryovolcanism may also be present on the [[Kuiper Belt Object]] [[Quaoar]].

A 2010 study of the [[exoplanet]] [[COROT-7b]], which was detected by [[transit method|transit]] in 2009, suggested that [[tidal heating]] from the host star very close to the planet and neighbouring planets could generate intense volcanic activity similar to that found on Io.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jaggard|first=Victoria|title="Super Earth" May Really Be New Planet Type: Super-Io|work=National Geographic web site daily news|publisher=[[National Geographic Society]]|date=February 5, 2010|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100205-new-type-planet-corot-7b-io/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209014528/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100205-new-type-planet-corot-7b-io/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 9, 2010|access-date=March 11, 2010}}</ref>

==History of volcano understanding==
{{Main|Volcanology#History}}

Volcanoes are not distributed evenly over the Earth's surface but active ones with significant impact were encountered early in human history, evidenced by footprints of [[hominina]] found in East African volcanic ash dated at 3.66 million years old.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Zaitsev|first1=AN|last2=Chakhmouradian|first2=AR|last3=Musiba|first3=C|title=Laetoli: The Oldest Known Hominin Footprints in Volcanic Ash|journal=Elements|year=2023|volume=19|issue=2|pages=104–10|doi=10.2138/gselements.19.2.104|bibcode=2023Eleme..19..104Z|s2cid=259423377}}</ref>{{rp|p=104}} The association of volcanoes with fire and disaster is found in many oral traditions and had religious and thus social significance before the first written record of concepts related to volcanoes. Examples are: (1) the stories in the Athabascan subcultures about humans living inside mountains and a woman who uses fire to escape from a mountain,<ref>,{{cite journal|last1=Fast|first1=PA|title=The volcano in Athabascan oral narratives|journal=Alaska Journal of Anthropology|year=2008|volume=6|issue=1–2|pages=131–40|url=https://www.alaskaanthropology.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/akanth-articles_261_v6_n12_Fast.pdf|access-date=November 11, 2023}}</ref>{{rp|p=135}} (2) [[Pele (deity)|Pele]]'s migration through the Hawarian island chain, ability to destroy forests and manifestations of the god's temper,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Swanson|first1=DA|title=Hawaiian oral tradition describes 400 years of volcanic activity at Kīlauea|journal=Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research|year=2008|volume=176|issue=3|pages=427–31|doi=10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2008.01.033|bibcode=2008JVGR..176..427S}}</ref> and (3) the association in Javanese folklore of a king resident in [[Mount Merapi]] volcano and a queen resident at a beach {{convert|50|km|abbr=on}} away on what is now known to be an earthquake fault that interacts with that volcano.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Troll|first1=VR|last2=Deegan|first2=FM|last3=Jolis|first3=EM|last4=Budd|first4=DA|last5=Dahren|first5=B|last6=Schwarzkopf|first6=LM|title=Ancient oral tradition describes volcano–earthquake interaction at Merapi volcano, Indonesia|journal=Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography|year=2015|volume=97|issue=1|pages=137–66|doi=10.1111/geoa.12099|bibcode=2015GeAnA..97..137T|s2cid=129186824}}</ref>

Many ancient accounts ascribe volcanic eruptions to [[supernatural]] causes, such as the actions of [[gods]] or [[demigod]]s. The earliest known such example is a neolithic goddess at [[Çatalhöyük]].<ref name=Chester2007>{{cite book|last1=Chester|first1=DK|last2=Duncan|first2=AM|chapter=Geomythology, theodicy, and the continuing relevance of religious worldviews on responses to volcanic eruptions|title=Living under the shadow: The cultural impacts of volcanic eruptions|year=2007|pages=203–24|chapter-url=https://assets.pubpub.org/dzhycvw5/41608048843389.pdf|editor-last1=Grattan|editor-first1=J|editor-last2=Torrence|editor-first2=R|publisher=Walnut Creek: Left Coast|isbn=9781315425177}}</ref>{{rp|p=203}} The Ancient Greek god [[Hephaistos]] and the concepts of the underworld are aligned to volcanoes in that Greek culture.<ref name=Thomaidis2021/>

However, others proposed more natural (but still incorrect) causes of volcanic activity. In the fifth century BC, [[Anaxagoras]] proposed eruptions were caused by a great wind.<ref name=Sigurdsson2000>{{cite book|last1=Sigurdsson|first1=H|last2=Houghton|first2=B|last3=Rymer|first3=H|last4=Stix|first4=J|last5=McNutt|first5=S|chapter=The history of volcanology|title=Encyclopedia of volcanoes|year=2000|pages=15–37|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=9780123859396}}</ref> By 65&nbsp;CE, [[Seneca the Younger]] proposed combustion as the cause,<ref name=Sigurdsson2000/> an idea also adopted by the [[Jesuit]] [[Athanasius Kircher]] (1602–1680), who witnessed eruptions of [[Mount Etna]] and [[Stromboli]], then visited the crater of [[Vesuvius]] and published his view of an Earth in ''[[Mundus Subterraneus]]'' with a central fire connected to numerous others depicting volcanoes as a type of safety valve.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Major|first1=RH|title=Athanasius Kircher|journal=Annals of Medical History|year=1939|volume=1|issue=2|pages=105–120|pmid=33943407|pmc=7939598}}</ref> Edward Jorden, in his work on mineral waters, challenged this view; in 1632 he proposed [[sulfur]] "fermentation" as a heat source within Earth,<ref name=Sigurdsson2000/> Astronomer [[Johannes Kepler]] (1571–1630) believed volcanoes were ducts for Earth's tears.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Micheal|last=Williams|date=November 2007|title=Hearts of fire|magazine=Morning Calm|publisher=[[Korean Air Lines]]|issue=11–2007|page=6}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=cited source reference – an article in "Morning Calm", a Korean airline's in-flight magazine for passengers – is probably not a reliable source of science history|date=November 2023}} In 1650, [[René Descartes]] proposed the core of Earth was incandescent and, by 1785, the works of Decartes and others were synthesized into geology by [[James Hutton]] in his writings about [[igneous intrusion]]s of magma.<ref name=Sigurdsson2000/> [[Lazzaro Spallanzani]] had demonstrated by 1794 that steam explosions could cause explosive eruptions and many geologists held this as the universal cause of explosive eruptions up to the [[1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera]] which allowed in one event differentiation of the concurrent [[phreatomagmatic]] and [[hydrothermal]] eruptions from dry explosive eruption, of, as it turned out, a basalt [[Dike (geology)|dyke]].<ref>{{cite book|first1=F.W.|last1=Hutton|title=Report on the Tarawera volcanic district|publisher=Government Printer|location=Wellington, New Zealand|url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Stout67-t17.html|year=1887|access-date=August 30, 2023|archive-date=August 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829102014/https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Stout67-t17.html|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|16–18}}<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Berryman|first1=Kelvin|last2=Villamor|first2=Pilar|last3=Nairn|first3=Ian.A.|last4=Begg|first4=John|last5=Alloway|first5=Brent V.|last6=Rowland|first6=Julie|last7=Lee|first7=Julie|last8=Capote|first8=Ramon|volume=427|date=July 1, 2022|title=Volcano-tectonic interactions at the southern margin of the Okataina Volcanic Centre, Taupō Volcanic Zone, New Zealand|doi=10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2022.107552|journal=Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research|page=107552|bibcode=2022JVGR..42707552B|s2cid=248111450|doi-access=free|hdl=2292/59681|hdl-access=free}}</ref>{{rp|4}} [[Alfred Lacroix]] built upon his other knowledge with his studies on the [[1902 eruption of Mount Pelée]],<ref name=Sigurdsson2000/> and by 1928 [[Arthur Holmes]] work had brought together the concepts of radioactive generation of heat, Earth's [[mantle (geology)|mantle]] structure, partial decompression melting of magma, and magma convection.<ref name=Sigurdsson2000/> This eventually led to the acceptance of plate tectonics.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arthur Holmes: Harnessing the Mechanics of Mantle Convection to the Theory of Continental Drift|url=https://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/essaybooks/earth/p_holmes.html|access-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Volcanoes}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* {{annotated link|List of extraterrestrial volcanoes}}
* [[List of volcanoes]]
* [[List of volcanic eruptions by death toll]]
* [[List of volcanic landforms]]
* {{annotated link|Maritime impacts of volcanic eruptions}}
* {{annotated link|Prediction of volcanic activity}}
* {{annotated link|Timeline of volcanism on Earth}}
* {{annotated link|Volcano Number}}
* {{annotated link|Volcano observatory}}
{{div col end}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
* Macdonald, Gordon A., and Agatin T. Abbott. (1970). <cite>Volcanoes in the Sea</cite>. University of Hawai{{okina}}i Press, Honolulu. 441 p.

* Ollier, Cliff. (1988). <cite>Volcanoes</cite>. Basil Blackwell, Oxford, UK, ISBN 0-631-15664-X (hardback), ISBN 0-631-15977-0 (paperback).
==Further reading==
* [[Haraldur Sigurðsson]], ed. (1999) ''Encyclopedia of Volcanoes''. Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-643140-X. This is a reference aimed at geologists, but many articles are accessible to non-professionals.
{{refbegin|30em}}
* Cas, R.A.F. and J.V. Wright, 1987. <cite>Volcanic Successions</cite>. Unwin Hyman Inc. 528p. ISBN 0-04-552022-4
* {{cite book|last1=Macdonald|first1=Gordon|last2=Abbott|first2=Agatin|title=Volcanoes in the Sea: The Geology of Hawaii|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|year=1970|isbn=978-0-870-22495-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/volcanoesinseage00macd}}
<!-- ----------------------------------------------------------
* {{cite book|last1=Marti|first1=Joan|last2=Ernst|first2=Gerald.|name-list-style=amp|title=Volcanoes and the Environment|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-521-59254-3}}
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for a
* {{cite book|last=Ollier|first=Cliff|title=Volcanoes|publisher=Australian National University Press|year=1969|isbn=978-0-7081-0532-0}}
discussion of different citation methods and how to generate
* {{cite book|editor-last=Sigurðsson|editor-first=Haraldur|title=The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes|publisher=Academic Press|year=2015|edition=2|isbn=978-0-12-385938-9}} This is a reference aimed at geologists, but many articles are accessible to non-professionals.
footnotes using the <ref>, </ref> and <reference /> tags
{{refend}}
----------------------------------------------------------- -->
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Volcanoes}}
{{external links|October 2006}}
{{commons|Volcano}}
{{Wikivoyage|Volcanoes}}
{{Library resources box}}
*[http://www.whoi.edu/institutes/doei/viewTopic.do?o=read&id=121 Volcano Information from the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute], [[Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]]
* [https://www.disasterassistance.gov/information/disaster-types/volcano U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency Volcano advice] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827114921/https://www.disasterassistance.gov/information/disaster-types/volcano |date=August 27, 2021 }}
*[http://www.platial.com/system/map/5815?total=253 Platial map of 253 volcanoes]--takes a minute to load all the markers
* [https://volcano.oregonstate.edu/ Volcano World]
*[http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Products/Pglossary/pglossary.html Glossary of Volcanic Terms from USGS]
* {{cite GVP}}
*[http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/glossary.html Volcanic and Geologic Terms] from [http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/ Volcano World]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3183047.stm Television program (BBC) on the prediction of Popocatepetl's 2000 eruption]
*[http://www.volcano.si.edu Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program]
*[http://volcanodb.com Volcano Database] - Statistics about all the most famous volcanoes
*[http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work Explore the geologic causes of an eruption]
*[http://science.howstuffworks.com/volcano.htm/printable ''How Volcanoes Work'' by Tom Harris]
*[http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/ How Volcanoes Work] - Educational resource on the science and processes behind volcanoes, intended for university students of geology, volcanology and teachers of earth science.
*[http://www.geonet.org.nz/volcanocam.html '''Volcano Cam''' Geonet's live pictures of 4 of New Zealand's volcanoes]
*[http://www.discover-indo.tierranet.com/volcano01.htm Indonesian Volcanoes] Discover some of the larger Indonesian volcanos.
*[http://facweb.bhc.edu/academics/science/harwoodr/GEOL101/Labs/VolcanicMaterials/ Volcanic Materials Identification]
*[http://www.maniacworld.com/erupting-volcano.htm Erupting Volcano - Pyroclastic Flow] - Video
*[http://www.projectshum.org/NaturalDisasters/volcano.html Natural Disasters - Volcano] Great research site for kids.
*[http://www.volcanolive.com/ Volcano Live - John Seach]
*[http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19025554.900&feedId=online-news_rss20 Plants predict where rumbling volcanoes will blow]
*[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7454889662266170860&q Google Video: Erupting Volcano]


{{Earth's landforms}}
[[Image:DirkvdM irazu 1.jpg|thumb|590px|center|[[Volcán Irazú]], Costa Rica]]
{{List of volcanoes}}
{{Volcanoes}}


{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Volcanoes| ]]
[[Category:Geological hazards]]
[[Category:Volcanism]]
[[Category:Plate tectonics]]
[[Category:Plate tectonics]]
[[Category:Igneous rocks]]
[[Category:Volcanic landforms]]
[[Category:Volcanoes by status|*]]
[[Category:Volcanic rocks|*]]
[[Category:Volcanology]]
[[Category:Volcanology]]
[[Category:Geological processes]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
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[[Category:Geological hazards]]
[[Category:Climate forcing agents]]

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Revision as of 19:35, 26 December 2024

Augustine Volcano (Alaska) during its eruptive phase on January 24, 2006

A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.[1]

On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and because most of Earth's plate boundaries are underwater, most volcanoes are found underwater. For example, a mid-ocean ridge, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates whereas the Pacific Ring of Fire has volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates. Volcanoes resulting from divergent tectonic activity are usually non-explosive whereas those resulting from convergent tectonic activity cause violent eruptions.[2][3] Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the crust's plates, such as in the East African Rift, the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field, and the Rio Grande rift in North America. Volcanism away from plate boundaries most likely arises from upwelling diapirs from the core–mantle boundary called mantle plumes, 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) deep within Earth. This results in hotspot volcanism or intraplate volcanism, in which the plume may cause thinning of the crust and result in a volcanic island chain due to the continuous movement of the tectonic plate, of which the Hawaiian hotspot is an example.[4] Volcanoes are usually not created at transform tectonic boundaries where two tectonic plates slide past one another.

Volcanoes, based on their frequency of eruption or volcanism, can be defined as either active, dormant or extinct. Active volcanoes have a recent history of volcanism and are likely to erupt again, dormant ones have not erupted in a long time but may erupt later, while extinct ones are not capable of eruption at all. These categories aren't entirely uniform; they may overlap for certain examples.[2][5][6]

Large eruptions can affect atmospheric temperature as ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscure the Sun and cool Earth's troposphere. Historically, large volcanic eruptions have been followed by volcanic winters which have caused catastrophic famines.[7]

Other planets besides Earth have volcanoes. For example, volcanoes are very numerous on Venus.[8] Mars has significant volcanoes.[9] In 2009, a paper was published suggesting a new definition for the word 'volcano' that includes processes such as cryovolcanism. It suggested that a volcano be defined as 'an opening on a planet or moon's surface from which magma, as defined for that body, and/or magmatic gas is erupted.'[10]

This article mainly covers volcanoes on Earth. See § Volcanoes on other celestial bodies and cryovolcano for more information.

Etymology and Terminology

The word volcano (UK: /vɒlˈkeɪnəʊ/; and US /vɔlˈkeɪnoʊ/) originates from the early 17th century, derived from the Italian vulcano, a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands of Italy whose name in turn comes from latin volcānus or vulcānus referring to Vulcan, the god of fire in Roman mythology.[11][12] Volcanic action or phenomenon is called volcanism [Early 19th century: from volcano + -ism]. The study of volcanism and volcanoes is called volcanology [mid 19th century: from volcano + -logy], sometimes spelled vulcanology.[11]

Plate tectonics

Map showing the divergent plate boundaries (oceanic spreading ridges) and recent sub-aerial volcanoes (mostly at convergent boundaries)

According to the theory of plate tectonics, Earth's lithosphere, its rigid outer shell, is broken into sixteen larger and several smaller plates. These move continuously at a slow pace, due to convection in the underlying ductile mantle, and most volcanic activity on Earth takes place along plate boundaries, where plates are converging (and lithosphere is being destroyed) or are diverging (and new lithosphere is being created).[13]

During the development of geological theory, certain concepts that allowed the grouping of volcanoes in time, place, structure and composition have developed that ultimately have had to be explained in the theory of plate tectonics. For example, some volcanoes are polygenetic with more than one period of activity during their history; other volcanoes that become extinct after erupting exactly once are monogenetic (meaning "one life") and such volcanoes are often grouped together in a geographical region.[14]

Divergent plate boundaries

At the mid-ocean ridges, two tectonic plates diverge from one another as hot mantle rock creeps upwards beneath the thinned oceanic crust. The decrease of pressure in the rising mantle rock leads to adiabatic expansion and the partial melting of the rock, causing volcanism and creating new oceanic crust. Most divergent plate boundaries are at the bottom of the oceans, and so most volcanic activity on Earth is submarine, forming new seafloor. Black smokers (also known as deep sea vents) are evidence of this kind of volcanic activity. Where the mid-oceanic ridge is above sea level, volcanic islands are formed, such as Iceland.[15][3]

Convergent plate boundaries

Subduction zones are places where two plates, usually an oceanic plate and a continental plate, collide. The oceanic plate subducts (dives beneath the continental plate), forming a deep ocean trench just offshore. In a process called flux melting, water released from the subducting plate lowers the melting temperature of the overlying mantle wedge, thus creating magma. This magma tends to be extremely viscous because of its high silica content, so it often does not reach the surface but cools and solidifies at depth. When it does reach the surface, however, a volcano is formed. Thus subduction zones are bordered by chains of volcanoes called volcanic arcs. Typical examples are the volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire, such as the Cascade Volcanoes or the Japanese Archipelago, or the eastern islands of Indonesia.[16][2]

Hotspots

Hotspots are volcanic areas thought to be formed by mantle plumes, which are hypothesized to be columns of hot material rising from the core-mantle boundary. As with mid-ocean ridges, the rising mantle rock experiences decompression melting which generates large volumes of magma. Because tectonic plates move across mantle plumes, each volcano becomes inactive as it drifts off the plume, and new volcanoes are created where the plate advances over the plume. The Hawaiian Islands are thought to have been formed in such a manner, as has the Snake River Plain, with the Yellowstone Caldera being part of the North American plate currently above the Yellowstone hotspot.[17][4] However, the mantle plume hypothesis has been questioned.[18]

Continental rifting

Sustained upwelling of hot mantle rock can develop under the interior of a continent and lead to rifting. Early stages of rifting are characterized by flood basalts and may progress to the point where a tectonic plate is completely split.[19][20] A divergent plate boundary then develops between the two halves of the split plate. However, rifting often fails to completely split the continental lithosphere (such as in an aulacogen), and failed rifts are characterized by volcanoes that erupt unusual alkali lava or carbonatites. Examples include the volcanoes of the East African Rift.[21]

Volcanic features

Video of lava agitating and bubbling in the volcanic eruption of Litli-Hrútur (Fagradalsfjall), Iceland, 2023

A volcano needs a reservoir of molten magma (e.g. a magma chamber), a conduit to allow magma to rise through the crust, and a vent to allow the magma to escape above the surface as lava. The erupted volcanic material (lava and tephra) that is deposited around the vent is known as a volcanic edifice, typically a volcanic cone or mountain.[2][22]

The most common perception of a volcano is of a conical mountain, spewing lava and poisonous gases from a crater at its summit; however, this describes just one of the many types of volcano. The features of volcanoes are varied. The structure and behaviour of volcanoes depend on several factors. Some volcanoes have rugged peaks formed by lava domes rather than a summit crater while others have landscape features such as massive plateaus. Vents that issue volcanic material (including lava and ash) and gases (mainly steam and magmatic gases) can develop anywhere on the landform and may give rise to smaller cones such as Puʻu ʻŌʻō on a flank of Kīlauea in Hawaii. Volcanic craters are not always at the top of a mountain or hill and may be filled with lakes such as with Lake Taupō in New Zealand. Some volcanoes can be low-relief landform features, with the potential to be hard to recognize as such and be obscured by geological processes.[2][23][24]

Other types of volcano include mud volcanoes, which are structures often not associated with known magmatic activity; and cryovolcanoes (or ice volcanoes), particularly on some moons of Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune. Active mud volcanoes tend to involve temperatures much lower than those of igneous volcanoes except when the mud volcano is actually a vent of an igneous volcano.

Fissure vents

Lakagigar fissure vent in Iceland, the source of the major world climate alteration of 1783–84, has a chain of volcanic cones along its length.

Volcanic fissure vents are generally found at diverging plate boundaries, they are flat, linear fractures through which basaltic lava emerges. These kinds of volcanoes are non-explosive and the basaltic lava tends to have a low viscosity and solidifies slowly leading to a gentle sloping basaltic lava plateau. They often relate or constitute shield volcanoes[2][25]

Shield volcanoes

Skjaldbreiður, a shield volcano whose name means "broad shield"

Shield volcanoes, so named for their broad, shield-like profiles, are formed by the eruption of low-viscosity basaltic or andesitic lava that can flow a great distance from a vent. They generally do not explode catastrophically but are characterized by relatively gentle effusive eruptions.[2] Since low-viscosity magma is typically low in silica, shield volcanoes are more common in oceanic than continental settings. The Hawaiian volcanic chain is a series of shield cones, and they are common in Iceland, as well.[25] Olympus Mons, an extinct martian shield volcano is the largest known volcano in the Solar System.[26]

Lava domes

Lava domes, also called dome volcanoes, have steep convex sides built by slow eruptions of highly viscous rhyolitic lava.[2] They are sometimes formed within the crater of a previous volcanic eruption, as in the case of Mount St. Helens, but can also form independently, as in the case of Lassen Peak. Like stratovolcanoes, they can produce violent, explosive eruptions, but the lava generally does not flow far from the originating vent.

Cryptodomes

Cryptodomes are formed when viscous lava is forced upward causing the surface to bulge. The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was an example; lava beneath the surface of the mountain created an upward bulge, which later collapsed down the north side of the mountain.

Cinder cones

Izalco volcano, the youngest volcano in El Salvador. Izalco erupted almost continuously from 1770 (when it formed) to 1958, earning it the nickname of "Lighthouse of the Pacific".

Cinder cones result from eruptions of mostly small pieces of scoria and pyroclastics (both resemble cinders, hence the name of this volcano type) that build up around the vent. These can be relatively short-lived eruptions that produce a cone-shaped hill perhaps 30 to 400 metres (100 to 1,300 ft) high. Most cinder cones erupt only once and some may be found in monogenetic volcanic fields that may include other features that form when magma comes into contact with water such as maar explosion craters and tuff rings.[27] Cinder cones may form as flank vents on larger volcanoes, or occur on their own. Parícutin in Mexico and Sunset Crater in Arizona are examples of cinder cones. In New Mexico, Caja del Rio is a volcanic field of over 60 cinder cones.

Based on satellite images, it has been suggested that cinder cones might occur on other terrestrial bodies in the Solar system too; on the surface of Mars and the Moon.[28][29][30][31]

Stratovolcanoes (composite volcanoes)

Cross-section through a stratovolcano (vertical scale is exaggerated):
  1. Large magma chamber
  2. Bedrock
  3. Conduit (pipe)
  4. Base
  5. Sill
  6. Dike
  7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
  8. Flank
  9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
  10. Throat
  11. Parasitic cone
  12. Lava flow
  13. Vent
  14. Crater
  15. Ash cloud

Stratovolcanoes (composite volcanoes) are tall conical mountains composed of lava flows and tephra in alternate layers, the strata that gives rise to the name. They are also known as composite volcanoes because they are created from multiple structures during different kinds of eruptions, the main conduit bringing magma to the surface branches into multiple secondary conduits and occasional laccoliths or sills, the branching conduits may form parasitic cones on the previous slope.[2] Classic examples include Mount Fuji in Japan, Mayon Volcano in the Philippines, and Mount Vesuvius and Stromboli in Italy.

Ash produced by the explosive eruption of stratovolcanoes has historically posed the greatest volcanic hazard to civilizations. The lavas of stratovolcanoes are higher in silica, and therefore much more viscous, than lavas from shield volcanoes. High-silica lavas also tend to contain more dissolved gas. The combination is deadly, promoting explosive eruptions that produce great quantities of ash, as well as pyroclastic surges like the one that destroyed the city of Saint-Pierre in Martinique in 1902. They are also steeper than shield volcanoes, with slopes of 30–35° compared to slopes of generally 5–10°, and their loose tephra are material for dangerous lahars.[32] Large pieces of tephra are called volcanic bombs. Big bombs can measure more than 1.2 metres (4 ft) across and weigh several tons.[33]

Supervolcanoes

Mt. Vesuvius, Bay of Naples, Italy

A supervolcano is defined as a volcano that has experienced one or more eruptions that produced over 1,000 cubic kilometres (240 cu mi) of volcanic deposits in a single explosive event.[34] Such eruptions occur when a very large magma chamber full of gas-rich, silicic magma is emptied in a catastrophic caldera-forming eruption. Ash flow tuffs emplaced by such eruptions are the only volcanic product with volumes rivalling those of flood basalts.[35]

Supervolcano eruptions, while the most dangerous type, are very rare; four are known from the last million years, and about 60 historical VEI 8 eruptions have been identified in the geologic record over millions of years. A supervolcano can produce devastation on a continental scale, and severely cool global temperatures for many years after the eruption due to the huge volumes of sulfur and ash released into the atmosphere.

Because of the enormous area they cover, and subsequent concealment under vegetation and glacial deposits, supervolcanoes can be difficult to identify in the geologic record without careful geologic mapping.[36] Known examples include Yellowstone Caldera in Yellowstone National Park and Valles Caldera in New Mexico (both western United States); Lake Taupō in New Zealand; Lake Toba in Sumatra, Indonesia; and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.

Caldera volcanoes

Crater lake, a volcanic lake in Oregon.

Volcanoes that, though large, are not large enough to be called supervolcanoes, may also form calderas (collapsed crater) in the same way. There may be active or dormant cones inside of the caldera or even a lake, such lakes are called Volcanogenic lakes, or simply, volcanic lakes.[37][2]

Submarine volcanoes

Satellite images of the January 15, 2022, eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai

Submarine volcanoes are common features of the ocean floor. Volcanic activity during the Holocene Epoch has been documented at only 119 submarine volcanoes, but there may be more than one million geologically young submarine volcanoes on the ocean floor.[38][39] In shallow water, active volcanoes disclose their presence by blasting steam and rocky debris high above the ocean's surface. In the deep ocean basins, the tremendous weight of the water prevents the explosive release of steam and gases; however, submarine eruptions can be detected by hydrophones and by the discoloration of water because of volcanic gases. Pillow lava is a common eruptive product of submarine volcanoes and is characterized by thick sequences of discontinuous pillow-shaped masses which form underwater. Even large submarine eruptions may not disturb the ocean surface, due to the rapid cooling effect and increased buoyancy in water (as compared to air), which often causes volcanic vents to form steep pillars on the ocean floor. Hydrothermal vents are common near these volcanoes, and some support peculiar ecosystems based on chemotrophs feeding on dissolved minerals. Over time, the formations created by submarine volcanoes may become so large that they break the ocean surface as new islands or floating pumice rafts.

In May and June 2018, a multitude of seismic signals were detected by earthquake monitoring agencies all over the world. They took the form of unusual humming sounds, and some of the signals detected in November of that year had a duration of up to 20 minutes. An oceanographic research campaign in May 2019 showed that the previously mysterious humming noises were caused by the formation of a submarine volcano off the coast of Mayotte.[40]

Subglacial volcanoes

Subglacial volcanoes develop underneath ice caps. They are made up of lava plateaus capping extensive pillow lavas and palagonite. These volcanoes are also called table mountains, tuyas,[41] or (in Iceland) mobergs.[42] Very good examples of this type of volcano can be seen in Iceland and in British Columbia. The origin of the term comes from Tuya Butte, which is one of the several tuyas in the area of the Tuya River and Tuya Range in northern British Columbia. Tuya Butte was the first such landform analysed and so its name has entered the geological literature for this kind of volcanic formation.[43] The Tuya Mountains Provincial Park was recently established to protect this unusual landscape, which lies north of Tuya Lake and south of the Jennings River near the boundary with the Yukon Territory.

Hydrothermal features

Hydrothermal features like geysers, fumaroles, mud pools, mud volcanoes, hot springs and acidic hot springs involve water as well as geothermal or magmatic activity. Such features are common around volcanoes and are often indicative of volcanism.[2][44]

Mud volcanoes

Mud volcano at Gobustan

Mud volcanoes or mud domes are conical structures created by eruption of liquids and gases, particularly mud (slurries), water and gases, although several activities may contribute. The largest mud volcanoes are 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) in diameter and reach 700 metres (2,300 ft) high.[45][46] Mud volcanoes can be seen off the shore of Indonesia, on the island of Baratang, in Balochistan and in central asia.

Fumarole

Fumaroles are vents on the surface from which hot steam and volcanic gases erupt due to the presence of superheated groundwater, these may indicate volcanic activity. Fumaroles erupting sulphurous gases are also often called solfataras.[47][2]

Geysers

Castle geyser eruption, Yellowstone National Park.

Geysers are springs which will occasionally erupt and discharge hot water and steam. Geysers may indicate ongoing magmatism, water underground is heated by hot rocks and steam pressure builds up before being released along with a jet of hot water. Almost half of all active geysers are present in Yellowstone National Park, US.[2][48]

Erupted material

Timelapse of San Miguel (volcano) degassing in 2022. El Salvador is home to 20 Holocene volcanoes, 3 of which have erupted in last 100yrs[49]
Pāhoehoe lava flow on Hawaii. The picture shows overflows of a main lava channel.
Litli-Hrútur (Fagradalsfjall) eruption 2023. View from an aeroplane
The Stromboli stratovolcano off the coast of Sicily has erupted continuously for thousands of years, giving rise to its nickname "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean".

The material that is expelled in a volcanic eruption can be classified into three types:

  1. Volcanic gases, a mixture made mostly of steam, carbon dioxide, and a sulfur compound (either sulfur dioxide, SO2, or hydrogen sulfide, H2S, depending on the temperature)
  2. Lava, the name of magma when it emerges and flows over the surface
  3. Tephra, particles of solid material of all shapes and sizes ejected and thrown through the air[50][51]

Volcanic gases

The concentrations of different volcanic gases can vary considerably from one volcano to the next. Water vapour is typically the most abundant volcanic gas, followed by carbon dioxide[52] and sulfur dioxide. Other principal volcanic gases include hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen fluoride. A large number of minor and trace gases are also found in volcanic emissions, for example hydrogen, carbon monoxide, halocarbons, organic compounds, and volatile metal chlorides.

Lava flows

Mount Rinjani eruption in 1994, in Lombok, Indonesia

The form and style of an eruption of a volcano is largely determined by the composition of the lava it erupts. The viscosity (how fluid the lava is) and the amount of dissolved gas are the most important characteristics of magma, and both are largely determined by the amount of silica in the magma. Magma rich in silica is much more viscous than silica-poor magma, and silica-rich magma also tends to contain more dissolved gases.

Lava can be broadly classified into four different compositions:[53]

  • If the erupted magma contains a high percentage (>63%) of silica, the lava is described as felsic. Felsic lavas (dacites or rhyolites) are highly viscous and are erupted as domes or short, stubby flows.[54] Lassen Peak in California is an example of a volcano formed from felsic lava and is actually a large lava dome.[55]
Because felsic magmas are so viscous, they tend to trap volatiles (gases) that are present, which leads to explosive volcanism. Pyroclastic flows (ignimbrites) are highly hazardous products of such volcanoes since they hug the volcano's slopes and travel far from their vents during large eruptions. Temperatures as high as 850 °C (1,560 °F)[56] are known to occur in pyroclastic flows, which will incinerate everything flammable in their path, and thick layers of hot pyroclastic flow deposits can be laid down, often many meters thick.[57] Alaska's Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, formed by the eruption of Novarupta near Katmai in 1912, is an example of a thick pyroclastic flow or ignimbrite deposit.[58] Volcanic ash that is light enough to erupt high into the Earth's atmosphere as an eruption column may travel hundreds of kilometres before it falls back to ground as a fallout tuff. Volcanic gases may remain in the stratosphere for years.[59]
Felsic magmas are formed within the crust, usually through the melting of crust rock from the heat of underlying mafic magmas. The lighter felsic magma floats on the mafic magma without significant mixing.[60] Less commonly, felsic magmas are produced by extreme fractional crystallization of more mafic magmas.[61] This is a process in which mafic minerals crystallize out of the slowly cooling magma, which enriches the remaining liquid in silica.
  • If the erupted magma contains 52–63% silica, the lava is of intermediate composition or andesitic. Intermediate magmas are characteristic of stratovolcanoes.[62] They are most commonly formed at convergent boundaries between tectonic plates, by several processes. One process is the hydration melting of mantle peridotite followed by fractional crystallization. Water from a subducting slab rises into the overlying mantle, lowering its melting point, particularly for the more silica-rich minerals. Fractional crystallization further enriches the magma in silica. It has also been suggested that intermediate magmas are produced by the melting of sediments carried downwards by the subducted slab.[63] Another process is magma mixing between felsic rhyolitic and mafic basaltic magmas in an intermediate reservoir before emplacement or lava flow.[64]
  • If the erupted magma contains <52% and >45% silica, the lava is called mafic (because it contains higher percentages of magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe)) or basaltic. These lavas are usually hotter and much less viscous than felsic lavas. Mafic magmas are formed by partial melting of the dry mantle, with limited fractional crystallization and assimilation of crustal material.[65]
Mafic lavas occur in a wide range of settings. These include mid-ocean ridges; Shield volcanoes (such the Hawaiian Islands, including Mauna Loa and Kilauea), on both oceanic and continental crust; and as continental flood basalts.
  • Some erupted magmas contain ≤45% silica and produce ultramafic lava. Ultramafic flows, also known as komatiites, are very rare; indeed, very few have been erupted at Earth's surface since the Proterozoic, when the planet's heat flow was higher. They are (or were) the hottest lavas, and were probably more fluid than common mafic lavas, with a viscosity less than a tenth that of hot basalt magma.[66]

Mafic lava flows show two varieties of surface texture: ʻAʻa (pronounced [ˈʔaʔa]) and pāhoehoe ([paːˈho.eˈho.e]), both Hawaiian words. ʻAʻa is characterized by a rough, clinkery surface and is the typical texture of cooler basalt lava flows. Pāhoehoe is characterized by its smooth and often ropey or wrinkly surface and is generally formed from more fluid lava flows. Pāhoehoe flows are sometimes observed to transition to ʻaʻa flows as they move away from the vent, but never the reverse.[67]

More silicic lava flows take the form of block lava, where the flow is covered with angular, vesicle-poor blocks. Rhyolitic flows typically consist largely of obsidian.[68]

Tephra

Light-microscope image of tuff as seen in thin section (long dimension is several mm): the curved shapes of altered glass shards (ash fragments) are well preserved, although the glass is partly altered. The shapes were formed around bubbles of expanding, water-rich gas.

Tephra is made when magma inside the volcano is blown apart by the rapid expansion of hot volcanic gases. Magma commonly explodes as the gas dissolved in it comes out of solution as the pressure decreases when it flows to the surface. These violent explosions produce particles of material that can then fly from the volcano. Solid particles smaller than 2 mm in diameter (sand-sized or smaller) are called volcanic ash.[50][51]

Tephra and other volcaniclastics (shattered volcanic material) make up more of the volume of many volcanoes than do lava flows. Volcaniclastics may have contributed as much as a third of all sedimentation in the geologic record. The production of large volumes of tephra is characteristic of explosive volcanism.[69]

Dissection

Through natural processes, mainly erosion, so much of the solidified erupted material that makes up the mantle of a volcano may be stripped away that its inner anatomy becomes apparent. Using the metaphor of biological anatomy, such a process is called "dissection".[70] When the volcano is extinct, a plug forms on its vent, over time due to erosion, the volcanic cone slowly erodes away leaving the resistant lava plug intact.[2] Cinder Hill, a feature of Mount Bird on Ross Island, Antarctica, is a prominent example of a dissected volcano. Volcanoes that were, on a geological timescale, recently active, such as for example Mount Kaimon in southern Kyūshū, Japan, tend to be undissected. Devils Tower in Wyoming is a famous example of exposed volcanic plug.

Types of volcanic eruptions

Schematic of volcano injection of aerosols and gases

Eruption styles are broadly divided into magmatic, phreatomagmatic (hydrovolcanic), and phreatic eruptions.[71] The intensity of explosive volcanism is expressed using the volcanic explosivity index (VEI), which ranges from 0 for Hawaiian-type eruptions to 8 for supervolcanic eruptions:[72][73]

  • Magmatic eruptions are driven primarily by gas release due to decompression.[71] Low-viscosity magma with little dissolved gas produces relatively gentle effusive eruptions. High-viscosity magma with a high content of dissolved gas produces violent explosive eruptions. The range of observed eruption styles is expressed from historical examples.
  • Hawaiian eruptions are typical of volcanoes that erupt mafic lava with a relatively low gas content. These are almost entirely effusive, producing local lava fountains and highly fluid lava flows but relatively little tephra. They are named after the Hawaiian volcanoes. The eruption column from these eruptions don't exceed 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in height.
  • Strombolian eruptions are characterized by moderate viscosities and dissolved gas levels. They are characterized by frequent but short-lived eruptions that can produce eruptive columns hundreds of meters high, which can also be seen in a gas slug. Their primary product is scoria. They are named after Stromboli.
  • Vulcanian eruptions are characterized by yet higher viscosities and partial crystallization of magma, which is often intermediate in composition. Eruptions take the form of short-lived explosions for several hours, which destroy a central dome and eject large lava blocks and bombs. This is followed by an effusive phase that rebuilds the central dome. Vulcanian eruptions are named after Vulcano. Eruption columns from these eruptions don't exceed 20 kilometres (12 mi) in height.
  • Peléan eruptions are more violent still, being characterized by dome growth and collapse that produces various kinds of pyroclastic flows. They are named after Mount Pelée.
  • Plinian eruptions are characterized by sustained huge eruption columns whose collapse produces catastrophic pyroclastic flows. They are named after Pliny the Younger, who chronicled the Plinian eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
  • Ultra-Plinian eruptions are the largest of all volcanic eruptions are more intense, have a higher eruption rate than Plinian ones, form higher eruption columns and may form large calderas. These eruptions produce rhyolitic lava, tephra, pumice and thick pyroclastic flows that cover vast areas and may produce widespread ash-fall deposits. Examples are Mt. Mazama and Yellowstone.
  • Phreatomagmatic eruptions (hydrovolcanic) are characterized by interaction of rising magma with groundwater. They are driven by the resulting rapid buildup of pressure in the superheated groundwater.
  • Phreatic eruptions are characterized by superheating of groundwater that comes in contact with hot rock or magma. They are distinguished from phreatomagmatic eruptions because the erupted material is all country rock; no magma is erupted.

Volcanic activity

Fresco with Mount Vesuvius behind Bacchus and Agathodaemon, as seen in Pompeii's House of the Centenary

As of December 2022, the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program database of volcanic eruptions in the Holocene Epoch (the last 11,700 years) lists 9,901 confirmed eruptions from 859 volcanoes. The database also lists 1,113 uncertain eruptions and 168 discredited eruptions for the same time interval.[74][75]

Volcanoes vary greatly in their level of activity, with individual volcanic systems having an eruption recurrence ranging from several times a year to once in tens of thousands of years.[76] Volcanoes are informally described as erupting, active, dormant, or extinct, but the definitions of these terms are not entirely uniform among volcanologists. The level of activity of most volcanoes falls upon a graduated spectrum, with much overlap between categories, and does not always fit neatly into only one of these three separate categories.[5]

Erupting

The USGS defines a volcano as "erupting" whenever the ejection of magma from any point on the volcano is visible, including visible magma still contained within the walls of the summit crater.

Active

While there is no international consensus among volcanologists on how to define an active volcano, the USGS defines a volcano as active whenever subterranean indicators, such as earthquake swarms, ground inflation, or unusually high levels of carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide are present.[77][78]

Dormant and reactivated

Narcondam Island, India, is classified as a dormant volcano by the Geological Survey of India.

The USGS defines a dormant volcano as any volcano that is not showing any signs of unrest such as earthquake swarms, ground swelling, or excessive noxious gas emissions, but which shows signs that it could yet become active again.[78] Many dormant volcanoes have not erupted for thousands of years, but have still shown signs that they may be likely to erupt again in the future.[79][80]

In an article justifying the re-classification of Alaska's Mount Edgecumbe volcano from "dormant" to "active", volcanologists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory pointed out that the term "dormant" in reference to volcanoes has been deprecated over the past few decades and that "[t]he term "dormant volcano" is so little used and undefined in modern volcanology that the Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (2000) does not contain it in the glossaries or index",[81] however the USGS still widely employs the term.

Previously a volcano was often considered to be extinct if there were no written records of its activity. Such a generalization is inconsistent with observation and deeper study, as has occurred recently with the unexpected eruption of the Chaitén volcano in 2008.[82] Modern volcanic activity monitoring techniques, and improvements in the modelling of the factors that produce eruptions, have helped the understanding of why volcanoes may remain dormant for a long time, and then become unexpectedly active again. The potential for eruptions, and their style, depend mainly upon the state of the magma storage system under the volcano, the eruption trigger mechanism and its timescale.[83]: 95  For example, the Yellowstone volcano has a repose/recharge period of around 700,000 years, and Toba of around 380,000 years.[84] Vesuvius was described by Roman writers as having been covered with gardens and vineyards before its unexpected eruption of 79 CE, which destroyed the towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii.

Accordingly, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between an extinct volcano and a dormant (inactive) one. Long volcano dormancy is known to decrease awareness.[83]: 96  Pinatubo was an inconspicuous volcano, unknown to most people in the surrounding areas, and initially not seismically monitored before its unanticipated and catastrophic eruption of 1991. Two other examples of volcanoes that were once thought to be extinct, before springing back into eruptive activity were the long-dormant Soufrière Hills volcano on the island of Montserrat, thought to be extinct until activity resumed in 1995 (turning its capital Plymouth into a ghost town) and Fourpeaked Mountain in Alaska, which, before its September 2006 eruption, had not erupted since before 8000 BCE.

Extinct

Capulin Volcano National Monument in New Mexico, US

Extinct volcanoes are those that scientists consider unlikely to erupt again because the volcano no longer has a magma supply. Examples of extinct volcanoes are many volcanoes on the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain in the Pacific Ocean (although some volcanoes at the eastern end of the chain are active), Hohentwiel in Germany, Shiprock in New Mexico, US, Capulin in New Mexico, US, Zuidwal volcano in the Netherlands, and many volcanoes in Italy such as Monte Vulture. Edinburgh Castle in Scotland is located atop an extinct volcano, which forms Castle Rock. Whether a volcano is truly extinct is often difficult to determine. Since "supervolcano" calderas can have eruptive lifespans sometimes measured in millions of years, a caldera that has not produced an eruption in tens of thousands of years may be considered dormant instead of extinct. An individual volcano in a monogenetic volcanic field can be extinct but that does not mean a completely new volcano might not erupt close by with little or no warning as its field may have an active magma supply.

Volcanic-alert level

The three common popular classifications of volcanoes can be subjective and some volcanoes thought to have been extinct have erupted again. To help prevent people from falsely believing they are not at risk when living on or near a volcano, countries have adopted new classifications to describe the various levels and stages of volcanic activity.[85] Some alert systems use different numbers or colours to designate the different stages. Other systems use colours and words. Some systems use a combination of both.

Decade volcanoes

Koryaksky volcano towering over Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on Kamchatka Peninsula, Far Eastern Russia

The Decade Volcanoes are 16 volcanoes identified by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) as being worthy of particular study in light of their history of large, destructive eruptions and proximity to populated areas. They are named Decade Volcanoes because the project was initiated as part of the United Nations-sponsored International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (the 1990s). The 16 current Decade Volcanoes are:

The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing Project, an initiative of the Deep Carbon Observatory, monitors nine volcanoes, two of which are Decade volcanoes. The focus of the Deep Earth Carbon Degassing Project is to use Multi-Component Gas Analyzer System instruments to measure CO2/SO2 ratios in real-time and in high-resolution to allow detection of the pre-eruptive degassing of rising magmas, improving prediction of volcanic activity.[86]

Volcanoes and humans

Solar radiation graph 1958–2008, showing how the radiation is reduced after major volcanic eruptions
Sulfur dioxide concentration over the Sierra Negra Volcano, Galapagos Islands, during an eruption in October 2005

Volcanic eruptions pose a significant threat to human civilization. However, volcanic activity has also provided humans with important resources.

Hazards

There are many different types of volcanic eruptions and associated activity: phreatic eruptions (steam-generated eruptions), explosive eruptions of high-silica lava (e.g., rhyolite), effusive eruptions of low-silica lava (e.g., basalt), sector collapses, pyroclastic flows, lahars (debris flows) and volcanic gas emissions. These can pose a hazard to humans. Earthquakes, hot springs, fumaroles, mud pots and geysers often accompany volcanic activity.

Volcanic gases can reach the stratosphere, where they form sulfuric acid aerosols that can reflect solar radiation and lower surface temperatures significantly.[87] Sulfur dioxide from the eruption of Huaynaputina may have caused the Russian famine of 1601–1603.[88] Chemical reactions of sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere can also damage the ozone layer, and acids such as hydrogen chloride (HCl) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) can fall to the ground as acid rain. Excessive fluoride salts from eruptions have poisoned livestock in Iceland on multiple occasions.[89]: 39–58  Explosive volcanic eruptions release the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and thus provide a deep source of carbon for biogeochemical cycles.[90]

Ash thrown into the air by eruptions can present a hazard to aircraft, especially jet aircraft where the particles can be melted by the high operating temperature; the melted particles then adhere to the turbine blades and alter their shape, disrupting the operation of the turbine. This can cause major disruptions to air travel.

Comparison of major United States prehistoric eruptions (VEI 7 and 8) with major historical volcanic eruptions in the 19th and 20th century (VEI 5, 6 and 7). From left to right: Yellowstone 2.1 Ma, Yellowstone 1.3 Ma, Long Valley 6.26 Ma, Yellowstone 0.64 Ma . 19th century eruptions: Tambora 1815, Krakatoa 1883. 20th century eruptions: Novarupta 1912, St. Helens 1980, Pinatubo 1991.

A volcanic winter is thought to have taken place around 70,000 years ago after the supereruption of Lake Toba on Sumatra island in Indonesia.[91] This may have created a population bottleneck that affected the genetic inheritance of all humans today.[92] Volcanic eruptions may have contributed to major extinction events, such as the End-Ordovician, Permian-Triassic, and Late Devonian mass extinctions.[93]

The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora created global climate anomalies that became known as the "Year Without a Summer" because of the effect on North American and European weather.[94] The freezing winter of 1740–41, which led to widespread famine in northern Europe, may also owe its origins to a volcanic eruption.[95]

Benefits

Although volcanic eruptions pose considerable hazards to humans, past volcanic activity has created important economic resources. Tuff formed from volcanic ash is a relatively soft rock, and it has been used for construction since ancient times.[96][97] The Romans often used tuff, which is abundant in Italy, for construction.[98] The Rapa Nui people used tuff to make most of the moai statues in Easter Island.[99]

Volcanic ash and weathered basalt produce some of the most fertile soil in the world, rich in nutrients such as iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus.[100] Volcanic activity is responsible for emplacing valuable mineral resources, such as metal ores.[100] It is accompanied by high rates of heat flow from Earth's interior. These can be tapped as geothermal power.[100]

Tourism associated with volcanoes is also a worldwide industry.[101]

Safety considerations

Many volcanoes near human settlements are heavily monitored with the aim of providing adequate advance warnings of imminent eruptions to nearby populations. Also, a better modern-day understanding of volcanology has led to some better informed governmental and public responses to unanticipated volcanic activities. While the science of volcanology may not yet be capable of predicting the exact times and dates of eruptions far into the future, on suitably monitored volcanoes the monitoring of ongoing volcanic indicators is often capable of predicting imminent eruptions with advance warnings minimally of hours, and usually of days prior to any eruptions.[102] The diversity of volcanoes and their complexities mean that eruption forecasts for the foreseeable future will be based on probability, and the application of risk management. Even then, some eruptions will have no useful warning. An example of this occurred in March 2017, when a tourist group was witnessing a presumed to be predictable Mount Etna eruption and the flowing lava came in contact with a snow accumulation causing a situational phreatic explosion causing injury to ten persons.[101] Other types of significant eruptions are known to give useful warnings of only hours at the most by seismic monitoring.[82] The recent demonstration of a magma chamber with repose times of tens of thousands of years, with potential for rapid recharge so potentially decreasing warning times, under the youngest volcano in central Europe,[83] does not tell us if more careful monitoring will be useful.

Scientists are known to perceive risk, with its social elements, differently from local populations and those that undertake social risk assessments on their behalf, so that both disruptive false alarms and retrospective blame, when disasters occur, will continue to happen.[103]: 1–3 

Thus in many cases, while volcanic eruptions may still cause major property destruction, the periodic large-scale loss of human life that was once associated with many volcanic eruptions, has recently been significantly reduced in areas where volcanoes are adequately monitored. This life-saving ability is derived via such volcanic-activity monitoring programs, through the greater abilities of local officials to facilitate timely evacuations based upon the greater modern-day knowledge of volcanism that is now available, and upon improved communications technologies such as cell phones. Such operations tend to provide enough time for humans to escape at least with their lives before a pending eruption. One example of such a recent successful volcanic evacuation was the Mount Pinatubo evacuation of 1991. This evacuation is believed to have saved 20,000 lives.[104] In the case of Mount Etna, a 2021 review found 77 deaths due to eruptions since 1536 but none since 1987.[101]

Citizens who may be concerned about their own exposure to risk from nearby volcanic activity should familiarize themselves with the types of, and quality of, volcano monitoring and public notification procedures being employed by governmental authorities in their areas.[105]

Volcanoes on other celestial bodies

The Tvashtar volcano erupts a plume 330 km (205 mi) above the surface of Jupiter's moon Io.

Earth's Moon has no large volcanoes and no current volcanic activity, although recent evidence suggests it may still possess a partially molten core.[106] However, the Moon does have many volcanic features such as maria[107] (the darker patches seen on the Moon), rilles[108] and domes.[109]

The planet Venus has a surface that is 90% basalt, indicating that volcanism played a major role in shaping its surface. The planet may have had a major global resurfacing event about 500 million years ago,[110] from what scientists can tell from the density of impact craters on the surface. Lava flows are widespread and forms of volcanism not present on Earth occur as well. Changes in the planet's atmosphere and observations of lightning have been attributed to ongoing volcanic eruptions, although there is no confirmation of whether or not Venus is still volcanically active. However, radar sounding by the Magellan probe revealed evidence for comparatively recent volcanic activity at Venus's highest volcano Maat Mons, in the form of ash flows near the summit and on the northern flank.[111] However, the interpretation of the flows as ash flows has been questioned.[112]

Olympus Mons (Latin, "Mount Olympus"), located on the planet Mars, is the tallest known mountain in the Solar System.

There are several extinct volcanoes on Mars, four of which are vast shield volcanoes far bigger than any on Earth. They include Arsia Mons, Ascraeus Mons, Hecates Tholus, Olympus Mons, and Pavonis Mons. These volcanoes have been extinct for many millions of years,[113] but the European Mars Express spacecraft has found evidence that volcanic activity may have occurred on Mars in the recent past as well.[113]

Jupiter's moon Io is the most volcanically active object in the Solar System because of tidal interaction with Jupiter. It is covered with volcanoes that erupt sulfur, sulfur dioxide and silicate rock, and as a result, Io is constantly being resurfaced. Its lavas are the hottest known anywhere in the Solar System, with temperatures exceeding 1,800 K (1,500 °C). In February 2001, the largest recorded volcanic eruptions in the Solar System occurred on Io.[114] Europa, the smallest of Jupiter's Galilean moons, also appears to have an active volcanic system, except that its volcanic activity is entirely in the form of water, which freezes into ice on the frigid surface. This process is known as cryovolcanism, and is apparently most common on the moons of the outer planets of the Solar System.[115]

In 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft observed cryovolcanoes (ice volcanoes) on Triton, a moon of Neptune, and in 2005 the Cassini–Huygens probe photographed fountains of frozen particles erupting from Enceladus, a moon of Saturn.[116][117] The ejecta may be composed of water, liquid nitrogen, ammonia, dust, or methane compounds. Cassini–Huygens also found evidence of a methane-spewing cryovolcano on the Saturnian moon Titan, which is believed to be a significant source of the methane found in its atmosphere.[118] It is theorized that cryovolcanism may also be present on the Kuiper Belt Object Quaoar.

A 2010 study of the exoplanet COROT-7b, which was detected by transit in 2009, suggested that tidal heating from the host star very close to the planet and neighbouring planets could generate intense volcanic activity similar to that found on Io.[119]

History of volcano understanding

Volcanoes are not distributed evenly over the Earth's surface but active ones with significant impact were encountered early in human history, evidenced by footprints of hominina found in East African volcanic ash dated at 3.66 million years old.[120]: 104  The association of volcanoes with fire and disaster is found in many oral traditions and had religious and thus social significance before the first written record of concepts related to volcanoes. Examples are: (1) the stories in the Athabascan subcultures about humans living inside mountains and a woman who uses fire to escape from a mountain,[121]: 135  (2) Pele's migration through the Hawarian island chain, ability to destroy forests and manifestations of the god's temper,[122] and (3) the association in Javanese folklore of a king resident in Mount Merapi volcano and a queen resident at a beach 50 km (31 mi) away on what is now known to be an earthquake fault that interacts with that volcano.[123]

Many ancient accounts ascribe volcanic eruptions to supernatural causes, such as the actions of gods or demigods. The earliest known such example is a neolithic goddess at Çatalhöyük.[124]: 203  The Ancient Greek god Hephaistos and the concepts of the underworld are aligned to volcanoes in that Greek culture.[101]

However, others proposed more natural (but still incorrect) causes of volcanic activity. In the fifth century BC, Anaxagoras proposed eruptions were caused by a great wind.[125] By 65 CE, Seneca the Younger proposed combustion as the cause,[125] an idea also adopted by the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), who witnessed eruptions of Mount Etna and Stromboli, then visited the crater of Vesuvius and published his view of an Earth in Mundus Subterraneus with a central fire connected to numerous others depicting volcanoes as a type of safety valve.[126] Edward Jorden, in his work on mineral waters, challenged this view; in 1632 he proposed sulfur "fermentation" as a heat source within Earth,[125] Astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) believed volcanoes were ducts for Earth's tears.[127][better source needed] In 1650, René Descartes proposed the core of Earth was incandescent and, by 1785, the works of Decartes and others were synthesized into geology by James Hutton in his writings about igneous intrusions of magma.[125] Lazzaro Spallanzani had demonstrated by 1794 that steam explosions could cause explosive eruptions and many geologists held this as the universal cause of explosive eruptions up to the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera which allowed in one event differentiation of the concurrent phreatomagmatic and hydrothermal eruptions from dry explosive eruption, of, as it turned out, a basalt dyke.[128]: 16–18 [129]: 4  Alfred Lacroix built upon his other knowledge with his studies on the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée,[125] and by 1928 Arthur Holmes work had brought together the concepts of radioactive generation of heat, Earth's mantle structure, partial decompression melting of magma, and magma convection.[125] This eventually led to the acceptance of plate tectonics.[130]

See also

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