Volcanology

VOLCANOLOGY
John Rhey A. Benedicto

• Study of volcanoes, lava, magma, and related
geological, geophysical and geochemical
phenomena
• Derived from the Latin word Vulcan,

Vulcan was the ancient Roman god of fire
WHO
Volcanologist
Tools and Instruments Used
1) Seismometers and Seismographs
- detect and record earthquakes
2) EDM, Leveling, GPS, tilt (Electronic Distance
Measurement)
- measure ground deformation
3) COSPEC (correlation spectrometer)
- detect and measure volcanic gases
4) VLF, EM-31 (Very Low Frequency , Electromagnetic
ground conductivity mapping)
- determine how much lava is moving underground
5) Cameras , Satellite Imagers , Gas Mask etc.
Arturo Alcaraz
• (1916-2001) was a Pilipino volcanologist who
specialized in geothermal energy development.
Born in Manila, Alcaraz is best-known as the
Philippines' "Father of Geothermal Energy
Development" due to his contributions to studies
about Philippine volcanology and the energy
derived from volcanic sources. His main contribution
was the study and establishment of geothermal
power plants in the Philippines. In the 1980s, the
Philippines attained the second-highest geothermal
generating capacity in the world, in great part due
to Alcaraz's contributions.
Maurice and Katia Krafft
• French volcanologists who devoted their lives to
documenting volcanoes and specifically volcanic
eruptions in still photos and film. The Krafft's died on
3 June 1991 when they were hit by a pyroclastic
flow at Unzen volcano in Japan.
WHAT
Volcano
• An opening in the Earth’s crust that allows molten
rock, gases, and debris to escape to the surface.
• Magma is composed of molten rock and is stored in
the Earth's crust.
• Lava is magma that reaches the surface of our
planet through a volcano vent.
• There are 4 major types of volcanoes :
1) Cinder Cone Volcanoes
2) Composite Volcanoes
3) Shield Volcanoes
4) Lava Domes
Cinder Cone Volcanoes
• These are the simplest type of volcano. They occur
when particles and blobs of lava are ejected from
a volcanic vent. The lava is blown violently into the
air, and the pieces rain down around the vent. Over
time, this builds up a circular or oval-shaped cone,
with a bowl-shaped crater at the top. Cinder cone
volcanoes rarely grow larger than about 1,000 feet
above their surroundings.
Paricutin Volcano
FACTS
• Elevation: 1,353 foot (424m) above the valley. 9,186
feet ( 2,800m) above sea level.
• Area: Lava field covers 10 square miles (25 square
km).
• Eruption: 1943 to 1952.
• Location: Near the destroyed town of Paricutin in
the state of Michoacán, Mexico.
• Other: It continued to grow and grow and in a year
the volcano had reached 336 meters. The final
height that the volcano reached by the end of its
life was 424 meters.
Taal Volcano
FACTS
• Elevation: 311 m (1,020 ft)
• Area: 23 square kilometres (8.9 sq mi) with the
center of the island occupied by the 2-kilometre
(1.2 mi) main crater.
• Location: Talisay and San Nicolas Batangas.
• Other: Known as the smallest volcano in the whole
world.
Composite Volcanoes
• Composite volcanoes, or stratovolcanoes make up
some of the world’s most memorable mountains:
Mount Rainier, Mount Fuji, and Mount Cotopaxi, for
example. These volcanoes have a conduit system
inside them that channels magma from deep within
the Earth to the surface. They can have clusters of
vents, with lava breaking through walls, or issuing
from fissures on the sides of the mountain. With all
this material coming out, they can grow thousands
of meters tall. As we’ve seen with the famous Mount
Saint Helens, composite volcanoes can explode
violently.
Mount Fuji
FACTS
• Elevation: 3,776.24 m (12,389.2 ft)
• Area: Base diameter of almost 50 km and
culminates in a 500 m wide and 250 m deep summit
crater.
• Location: Central region, Honshu, Japan.
• Other: A cultural site on UNESCO's World Heritage
List.
Mayon Volcano
FACTS
• Elevation: 2,463 m (8,081 ft)
• Area: Base 80 miles (130 km) in circumference.
• Eruption: 13 January 2018.
• Location: Albay Province, Bicol.
• Other: “Perfect Cone”
Shield Volcanoes
• These are large, broad volcanoes that look like
shields from above – hence the name. The lava that
pours out of shield volcanoes is thin, so it can travel
for great distances down the shallow slopes of the
volcano. These volcanos build up slowly over time,
with hundreds of eruptions, creating many layers.
They’re not likely to explode catastrophically.
Perhaps the best known shield volcanoes are the
ones that make up the Hawaiian Islands, especially
Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.
Mauna Loa Volcano
FACTS
• Elevation: 4,170 m (13,680 ft)
• Area: 6 square miles (15 square km) and a depth of
600 feet (180 metres).
• Eruption: 1984
• Location: Hawaii, USA.
• Other: World’s largest active volcano.
Taal Volcano
Lava Domes
• Volcanic or lava domes are created by small
masses of lava which are too viscous (thick) to flow
very far. Unlike shield volcanoes, with low-viscosity
lava, the magma from volcanic domes just pile up
over and around the vent. The dome grows by
expansion of the lava within, and the mountain
forms from material spilling off the sides of the
growing dome. Lava domes can explode violently,
releasing a huge amount of hot rock and ash.
Katla Volcano
FACTS
• Elevation: 1,512 m (4,961 ft)
• Area: The system has an area of 595 sq km (230 sq
mi).
• Eruption: 1918
• Location: The southernmost glacier in Iceland
• Other: The Katla volcanic system was the source of
one of the largest known flood basalt eruptions in
Iceland
Mount Bulusan
FACTS
• Elevation: 1,565 m (5,135 ft)
• Area: Covers a land area of 3,672 hectares
• Eruption: 2016
• Location: Sorsogon province, Bicol
• Other: The volcano forms part of the Bicol Volcanic
Chain which stretches from Camarines Norte in the
north to Sorsogon in the south.
WHERE
• Sixty percent of all active volcanoes occur at the
boundaries between tectonic plates. Most
volcanoes are found along a belt, called the “Ring
of Fire” that encircles the Pacific Ocean. Some
volcanoes, like those that form the Hawaiian Islands,
occur in the interior of plates at areas called “hot
spots.”
WHEN
• The lower density of the magma relative to the
surrounding rocks causes it to rise (like air bubbles in
syrup). It will rise to the surface or to a depth that is
determined by the density of the magma and the
weight of the rocks above it. As the magma rises,
bubbles start to form from the gas dissolved in the
magma. The gas bubbles exert tremendous
pressure. This pressure helps to bring the magma to
the surface and forces it in the air, sometimes to
great heights.
HOW
• To harness the geothermal energy, deep holes are
drilled into the earth (much like when drilling for oil)
until a significant geothermal hot spot is found.
When the heat source has been discovered, a pipe
is attached deep down inside the hole which allows
hot steam from deep within the earth’s crust to rise
up to the surface.
• The pressurized steam is then channel into a turbine
which begins to turn under the large force of the
steam. This turbine is linked to the generator and so
the generator also begins to turn, generating
electricity. We then pump cold water down a new
pipe which is heated by the earth and then sent
back up the first pipe to repeat the process.

Volcanology

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VOLCANOLOGY

John Rhey A. Benedicto

• Derived from the Latin word Vulcan,

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