VOLCANISM

By Dr Vipan Goyal
 Volcanism
• A volcano is a vent in the
earth’s crust from which
molten rock material
(magma), explosive
bursts of gases and
volcanic ashes erupt.
 Causes of Volcanism
• Volcanic activity is connected with crustal disturbances,
closely related with regions that have been intensely folded
or faulted.
• It creates convectional currents under the earth surface
which creates intense pressure and Magma will thrust
upward to the surface which cool & solidifies.
• If it occurs within crust as Plutonic rocks resulting in
intrusive landforms
• If it reach the surface & solidify, form extrusive landforms
 Lava types in Volcanism

Andesitic or Acidic or Composite or Stratovolcanic lava

Basic or Basaltic or Shield lava

 Andesitic or Acidic or Composite or
Stratovolcanic lava
• These lavas are highly viscous
• They are light-colored and have a high percentage
of silica.
• They flow slowly and seldom travel far before
solidifying. The resultant cone is therefore steep
sided.
• The rapid solidifying of lava in the vent obstructs
the flow of the out-pouring lava, resulting in loud
explosions, throwing out many volcanic bombs or
pyroclasts.
• The word andesite is derived from the Andes
Mountains in South America, where andesite is
common.
 Basic or Basaltic or Shield lava
• These are the hottest lavas and are highly fluid.
• Rich in iron and magnesium but poor in silica.
• They flow out of volcanic vent quietly and
are not very explosive.
• They affect extensive areas, spreading out
as thin sheets over great distances before they
solidify
• Example : Deccan Plateau in India
 Distribution of Volcanoes across the World

• Around 15% of world’s volcanoes are found along the

constructive or divergent plate margins and 80% are
associated with destructive or convergent plate boundaries.
• Maximum around the Pacific Ocean then Mid continent belt (
across the Mediterranean Sea, Alpine-Himalayan belt and in
the Atlantic and Indian Oceans) and then in Mid-Atlantic belt
 Pacific Ring of Fire
• Circum-Pacificregion, popularly
termed the ‘Pacific Ring of
Fire’, has the greatest
concentration of active
volcanoes. Volcanic belt and
earthquake belt closely overlap
along the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’.
• ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ is
estimated to include two-
thirds of the world’s volcanoes.
 Regions with active volcanism along
‘Pacific Ring of Fire’
• Aleutian Islands into Kamchatka,
Japan,
• the Philippines, and Indonesia (Java
and Sumatra in particular),
• Pacific islands of Solomon, New
Hebrides, Tonga and North Island,
New Zealand.
• Andes to Central America
(particularly Guatemala, Costa Rica
and Nicaragua), Mexico and right up
to Alaska.
 Along the Atlantic coast

• St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean

• Cape Verde Islands in the central Atlantic Ocean.
• Canary Islands of NW Africa
• Volcanoes of Iceland and the Azores are active which is a
super-structural part of the Mid Atlantic Ridge, and marks the
boundary between the North-American Plate and the
Eurasian Plate and creates a north-south oriented belt of
seismic and volcanic activity.
 Great Rift region
• In Africa some volcanoes are found
along the East African Rift Valley,
e.g. Mt. Kilimanjaro (in
Tanzania) and Mt. Kenya, both
probably extinct.
• The only active volcano of West
Africa is Mt. Cameroon (near the
Gulf of Guinea. )
 Mediterranean volcanism
• Volcanoes of the Mediterranean
region are mainly associated
with the Alpine folds, e.g.
Mt. Vesuvius
• Mt. Stromboli : Because it has
been active for much of the last
2,000 years and its eruptions
are visible for long distances at
night, it is known as the
"Lighthouse of the
Mediterranean".
 Mediterranean volcanism
• The volcanism of this broad region,
stretching from Spain to the
Caucasus, is largely the result of
convergence between the Eurasian
Plate and the northward-moving
African Plate.
• This type of volcanism is mainly
due to breaking up of
Mediterranean plate into multiple
plates due to interaction of African
and Eurasian plate.
 Volcanoes in India
• There are no volcanoes in the
Himalayan region or in the
Indian peninsula.
• Barren Island is active volcano
in Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.
• Narcondam, is probably extinct
in Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.
 Types of Volcanoes
Active Volcano
• Keeps on ejecting volcanic material at frequent intervals
• Example –Mt. Etna (Italy),
• Mt. Stromboli (Sicily – largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, near Italy)

Dormant Volcano
• One in which eruption has not occurred for a long time but can occur any time in future
• Mt. Mauna Kea in Hawaii
•
Extinct Volcano
• No eruption has occurred in historic times & possibility of future eruption is also remote
• Mt. Popa (Myanmar).
• Vesuvius (Bay of Naples near Italy)
 Volcanic Landforms
• Volcanic landforms are divided into extrusive and intrusive
landforms based on weather magma cools within the crust or
above the crust.
• Rocks formed by cooling of magma within the crust are
called ‘Plutonic rocks’.
• Rocks formed by cooling of lava above the surface are
called ‘Igneous rocks’.
• In general, the term ‘Igneous rocks’ is used to refer all rocks of
volcanic origin.
 Extrusive Volcanic Landforms
• Extrusive landforms are formed from material thrown out during
volcanic activity.
• Some volcanos may have greatly enlarged depressions like cauldron
known as Calderas
• Volcanic dust or ash (finer particles) that emerges out of volcano
travels round the world & falls as black snow, which can bury house
& people.
• The coarser fragmental rocks are collectively called as Pyroclasts
which include cinders, pumice & volcanic bombs and dust and gases
such as nitrogen compounds, sulphur compounds and minor
amounts of chlorine, hydrogen and argon.
 Intrusive Volcanic Landforms
• Intrusive landforms are
formed when magma cools
within the crust [Plutonic
rocks (intrusive igneous
rock)].
• The intrusive activity of
volcanoes gives rise to various
forms.
 Batholiths
• These are large rock masses
formed due to cooling down
and solidification of hot
magma inside the earth These
are granitic
• Batholiths form the core of
huge mountains and may be
exposed on surface after
erosion.
 Laccoliths
• These are large dome-
shaped intrusive bodies
connected by a pipe-like
conduit from below.
• These are basically intrusive
counterparts of an exposed
domelike batholith.
 Lapolith

• It develops into a saucer shape,

concave to the sky body, it is called
Lapolith.
 Phacolith

• A wavy mass of intrusive

rocks, at times, is found at
the base of synclines or at
the top of anticline in
folded igneous country.
 Sills

• These are solidified horizontal lava layers

inside the earth.
• The thinner ones are called sheets while
the thick horizontal deposits are called
sills.
 Dykes

• When the lava makes its way

through cracks and the fissures
developed in the land, develop a
wall-like structure and it solidifies
almost perpendicular to the
ground.
 Conical Vent and Fissure Vent
• A conical vent is a narrow cylindrical
vent and are common in andesitic
(composite or stratovolcano)
volcanism leading to formation of
layers, and this makes the mounts
appear as composite volcanoes.
• A fissure vent, also known as a
volcanic fissure or eruption fissure,
is a narrow, linear volcanic vent are
common in basaltic volcanism.
 Shield Type Volcanic Landforms
• These volcanoes are mostly made up
of basalt, a type of lava that is very
fluid when erupted.
• These volcanoes are not steep.
• They become explosive if somehow
water gets into the vent; otherwise,
they are less explosive.
• Example: Mauna Loa (Hawaii).
 Caldera Lake
• After the eruption of magma
has ceased, the crater
frequently turns into a lake
at a later time. This lake is
called a ‘caldera’.
• E.g. Lake Toba, Indonesia,
the largest volcanic crater
lake in the world.
• Lonar in Maharashtra is an example of meteor crater lake and
not volcanic caldera.
 Cinder cone

• A cinder cone is a steep

conical hill of loose
pyroclastic fragments, that
has been built around a
volcanic vent.
 Geysers and Hot Springs
• Almost all the world’s geysers are confined
to three major areas: Iceland, New Zealand
and Yellowstone Park of U.S.A.
• Iceland has thousands of hot springs. Some
of them have been harnessed to heat
houses, swimming pools and for other
domestic purposes.
• Hot springs and geysers have become
tourist attractions e.g. in Japan and Hawaii.
 Geysers
• A spring characterized by intermittent
discharge of water ejected turbulently and
accompanied by steam
• Examples include Iceland; New Zealand &
Yellowstone park of USA
• Under the influence of intense heat the
water in the capillaries and narrow roots in
the porous rock undergoes intense
expansion and gets converted to steam
resulting in high pressure.
 Hot Springs
• A spring that is produced by the
emergence of geothermal heated
groundwater from the Earth crust
• Is more common than geysers
• The water rises to surface without any
explosion
• Such springs contain dissolved minerals
which may be of medical value
• Examples Include Iceland, Japan &
Hawaii
• The heat from the earth’s interior in areas of volcanic activity is used to
generate geothermal electricity.
• Countries producing geothermal power include USA, Russia, Japan, Italy,
New Zealand and Mexico.

• The Puga valley in Ladakh region and Manikaran (Himachal Pradesh) are
promising spots in India for the generation of geothermal electricity.
Thank You