Volcanoes of the World

By Cameron Piggott

Volcanoes play a major part in constructing and shaping our planet.  You are about to go on a journey showing the different types of volcanoes that are found.  Be ready to become volcanologists as you discover the volcanoes around the world. 

The first stop is Hawaii.  Hawaii was made by volcanoes creating land and the island.  The Hawaiian volcanoes are known as shield volcanoes.  A shield volcano gets its name from the flat shape.  Shield volcanoes are characterized as quiet eruptions as the lava slowly oozes out of the volcano.  There are two main types of lava that come out of shield volcanoes, Pahoehoe and Aa.     

The next volcano we will explore is Mt. St Helens, in Washington.  Mt. St Helens is an example of a cinder cone volcano.  Cinder cone volcanoes are known for their violent and explosive eruptions.  The ash and cinder that is shot out of the volcano is known as pyroclastic flow.  When too much pressure is built up, the gasses in the magma explode out of the volcano.         

The last types of volcanoes are known as composite volcanoes.  Composite volcanoes are a combination of quiet shield volcanoes and explosive cinder cone volcanoes.  As we travel to Italy let’s observe the composite volcano Mt. Vesuvius.  In 79 AD, the city of Pompeii was completely destroyed by a Mt. Vesuvius eruption.        

You have learned about the three main types of volcanoes that are found on Earth.  Studying volcanoes are very important in learning how the Earth forms.  Volcanoes can create new land and just as quickly destroy entire habitats.  Volcanoes can change entire climates and cause mass extinctions.  To really know the creation of the Earth is to know volcanoes.