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module 5&6
Volcanoes
45
Geology
Undergraduate 3
10/09/2008

Additional Geology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
volcano
Definition
cone shaped hill or mountain formed at a vent from which molten rock erupts
Term
magma
Definition
molten rock
Term
lava
Definition
when magma reaches the surface
Term
melting temperature
Definition
controls when a rock becomes magma and depends on pressure and the availability of water
Term
magma chambers
Definition
large masses of molten magma that rise through Earth's crust
Term
viscosity
Definition
how fluid magma is
Term
basalt
Definition
low viscosity (fluid), black, magnesium, iron, calcium rich. 1100 to 1200 degrees. mostly lava flows
Term
rhyolite
Definition
high viscosity, pale color, potassium and silica rich, 800 to 900 degrees, more water, mostly ash
Term
andesite
Definition
medium viscosity, dark colors, lava flows, ash, broken fragments
Term
volatiles
Definition
dissolved gas a volcano contains
Term
fissure
Definition
crack in floor of the valley
Term
pillow basalt
Definition
formed in water, basalt cylindres
Term
cinder cones
Definition
cone shaped piles of basalt cinders tens or hundreds or meters high
Term
lava flow
Definition
magma spills out
Term
crater
Definition
depression created as ash blasts out
Term
pahoehoe
Definition
lava rich in steam and gases, ropy form
Term
aa
Definition
less steam and gases, clinkery surface
Term
pyroclastic material
Definition
fragments of solidified magma
Term
pyroclastic flow
Definition
a flow of pyroclastic material, collapse on volcano flank and spills downslope
Term
lahar
Definition
mudflow
Term
volcanic explosivity index
Definition
quantifies eruption size, volume, violence
Term
phreatic eruptin
Definition
violent steam driven explosions driven by water in the ground
Term
phreatomagmatic eruption
Definition
steam dominates and magma is not erupted
Term
strombolian eruption
Definition
steam bubbles in the magma blow it into cinders and bomb size blocks that fall around the vent and tumble down the steep slopes to form a cindercone
Term
vulcanian eruptions
Definition
ash falls may dominate, pyroclastic and lateral blast may follow
Term
Pelean eruptions
Definition
ash columns that collaspe to form incandescent pyroclastic flows
Term
Plinian eruption
Definition
silica rich ash falls accompany incinerating pyroclastic flows
Term
caldera
Definition
magma collapses to form one
Term
eruptive vent
Definition
depression or crater forms where the vent is excavated by the violent eruption
Term
shield volcanoes
Definition
gently sloping pile of thin flows, basalt
Term
stratovolcano
Definition
large, steep sided cone over a subduction zone, also called composite volcanoes
Term
lava domes
Definition
rhyolitic volcanoes characterized by their small to moderate size, high magma viscosity, steep flanks and low to moderate volatile content
Term
continental calderas
Definition
rhyolite volcanoes characterized by high viscosity, high volatile content, gently sloping flanks and ash content
Term
resurgent dome
Definition
magma that continues to rise beneath the filled caldera
Term
pyroclastic flow
Definition
hot volcanic ash and steam that pours downslope because it is to dense to rise
Term
surge
Definition
high speed ash rich shock wave
Term
welded ash
Definition
hard rock sheets
Term
volcanic ash
Definition
composed of bits of pumice less than 2 millimeters across, light enough to drift some distance on the wind
Term
volcanic weather
Definition
eruptions generate their own weather
Term
mudflows
Definition
caused when ash combines with water to pour down the flanks at high speed and with a consistency similar to wet concrete
Term
exsolve
Definition
gasses come out of solution
Term
paleovolcanology
Definition
interpreting deposits from prehistoric eruptions and reconstructing a record using age dates on plant material
Term
tuff
Definition
ash deposits form
Term
harmonic tremors
Definition
low frequency rolling ground movement that precedes many eruptions
Term
tiltmeters
Definition
measure summit elevations and slope steepness associated with eruptions
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