Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

Types of Volcano

The 2 main types of volcano are shield volcanoes and composite volcanoes.

Shield volcanoes

Shield volcanoes

  • Found at divergent tectonic plate margins or hotspots (like in the Pacific).
  • Not particularly explosive.
  • They release 'basaltic lava' when the volcano erupts. Basaltic lava is like a liquid that flows gradually, creating a volcano with a gentle gradient (rather than a steep slope).
  • Shield volcanoes do not produce any ash.
Composite volcanoes

Composite volcanoes

  • Found at convergent tectonic plate boundaries.
  • Erupt explosively.
  • Instead of basaltic lava, composite volcanoes erupt andesitic lava.
    • Andesitic lava is thicker than basaltic lava because it has more silica in it.
    • Because andesitic lava is thicker, it travels less far and composite volcanoes have steeper sides, forming a cone shape.
  • Mount Pinatubo, Mount Vesuvius in Italy and Mount Fuji in Japan are examples.
Jump to other topics
1

Physical Geography

1.1

River Environments

1.2

Coastal Environments

1.3

Hazardous Environments - Tropical Cyclones

1.4

Hazardous Environments - Earthquakes & Volcanoes

2

Human Geography

3

Global Issues

Practice questions on Types of Volcanoes

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
Answer all questions on Types of Volcanoes

Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium

  • Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions

  • Mini-mock exams based on your study history

  • Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books

Get started with Seneca Premium