Types of Volcanoes
Geography: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 1.4.8
Types of Volcano
The 2 main types of volcano are shield volcanoes and composite 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
- 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.
What are the differences between Shield and Composite volcanoes?
Test yourself on Types of Volcanoes
Which type of volcano erupts explosively & produces andesitic lava?
Which type of volcano produces basaltic lava and does NOT erupt explosively?
Which of the following is NOT a type of volcano?
Toggle until all answers are correct: Which of the following is true of shield volcanoes?