Volcanic Landforms

Extrusive & Intrusive

Introduction to Volcanic landforms

Extrusive (above the earth's surface) Vent eruptions
classic volcanoes

Intrusive (formed in the earth's crust Batholith

slow cooling magma in the earth's crust

Fissure Eruptions
mid-atlantic ridge

Leinster Batholith
Wicklow & Dublin Mts Granite batholith exposed by weathering

Hot Spots
weak point in earth's crust Hawaiian islands

Extrusive landforms
Vent Eruptions
Cone Shaped Volcanoes Dome shaped volcanoes

Fissure Eruptions
Mid-Atlantic Ridge Antrim Plateau in Ireland
Mount Vesuvius - Cone Shaped Volcano (Classic volcano shape)

Hot Spots
Hawaiian islands Not near plate boundary

What are vent eruptions?

Eruptions through a vent Occur at destructive boundaries (subduction zones) Volcano made of lava and ash Crater on top - filled with water or cooled rock

Crater on Mount Vesuvius

Cone Shaped & Dome Shaped Volcanoes

Cone Shaped Volcanoes
Made up of layers of lava and ash & cinders Lava glues with ash & cinders Steep cone shape builds up Mount Vesuvius

Dome Shaped Volcanoes

Mound shaped volcano - made of slow moving lava that cannot flow far Slow moving lava due to high viscosity (very thick & high silica content)

Cone Shaped Volcano in the Philippines

Dome Shaped Volcano - Mt St Helens (USA)

Fissure Eruptions
Fissure eruption are caused by crack in earth's crust Fissure can be many kms long Main example is Mid-Atlantic Ridge Fissure eruptions produce basic lava (low silica content and very runny) Lava can spread over 50km Antrim Plateau in Ireland (made of basalt & includes Giant's Causeway Mid-Atlantic Ridge - includes Iceland (made of basalt)

Fissure Eruptions

Antrim Plateau

Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland

More on the Antrim Plateau

Fissure Eruption Formed 65 million years ago due to separating plates (North American & Eurasian plate separating) Basalt Plateau (high flat topped land) extending over Antrim & Derry Basic lava (low silica & gas content) flowed onto the surface due to plate divergence Includes Giant's Causeway - rapid cooling of lava led to shrinking and formation of hexagonal shape

Hot-Spots
Hawaii Islands Caused by intense heat from the mantle Causes break in the crust that allow lave through Basic lava -very runny Hot spot remains in the same place Plate above the hot spot moves This causes a chain of volcanic islands to form

Hawaii Hotspot - the hotspot remains stationary. As the pacific plate moves north, new volcanoes are formed. The oldest islands are now furthest from the hotspot.

Intrusive Landforms
Intrusive - formed by magma that does not reach the surface Main intrusive landform is a batholith Example: Leinster Batholith (Granite Rock)

Leinster Batholith (Granite Rock)

The Leinster Batholith

Large area - includes Dublin & Wicklow Mts Formed 400 million years ago as magma was injected into crust Magma cooled slowly to form granite Heat from magma changed surrounding rocks into metamorphics (Quartzite & Schist) Weathering & Erosion over millions of years of the over-lying rock have exposed this granite Leinster Batholith now form the granite Wicklow & Dublin Mts
Slow cooling magma in earth's crust

Diagram of Batholith