These magma plumes rise to the surface and form chains of volcanoes. Composite volcano magma contains more silica, SiO 2, than that of a shield volcano and is therefore stickier (more viscous). This stickiness plugs up the volcano, causing pressure to build-up. The result is an explosive, dangerous eruption.
It results in a biased sample, a non-random sample of a population (or non-human factors) in which all individuals, or instances, were not equally likely to have been selected. If this is not accounted for, results can be erroneously attributed to the phenomenon under study rather than to the method of sampling.
The mathematical procedures whereby we convert information about the sample into intelligent guesses about the population fall under the rubric of inferential statistics. A sample is typically a small subset of the population. In the case of voting attitudes, we would sample a few thousand Americans drawn from the hundreds of millions that make up the country. In choosing a sample, it is therefore crucial that it not over-represent one kind of citizen at the expense of others.