Tuesday, February 15, 2011

How the volcanoes on Hawaii were formed?

Hawaii is positioned in the pacific 'ring of fire' which refers to the borders of the pacific tectonic plate. The mantle of the earths core is constantly moving and shifting creating outlets for the hot molten rock and gasse's beneath the surface of the earth. The molten rock or lava finds its way to the surface through cracks in these plates especially where they border other plates, creating a buildup of lava that eventually emerged from the ocean floor, creating the Hawaiian islands and other volcanic islands in the Pacific ocean. Some of these volcanoes are among the most active in the world.
''Volcanoes in Hwaii are formed by hot spots. Hot spots are areas of constant volcano activity. They are derived from unusually hot areas in the mantle. The overlapping mantle forms plumes of magma that rise and form volcanoes.''
Extra:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRfEGvp6wDU&feature=fvwrel

Parts of volcano:
  • Magma Chamber – A magma chamber is a large underground pool of molten rock sitting underneath the Earth’s crust. This magma is less dense than the surrounding mantle and so it seeps up to the surface through cracks and flaws in the crust. When it reaches the surface, it results in a volcanic eruption.
  • Lava – Lava is the rock expelled from a volcano during an eruption. When it first comes out, the lava can have a temperature higher than 700 degrees C. It then flows downhill from the eruption point until it cools and hardens.
  • Main Vent – A volcano’s main vent is the point in the Earth’s crust where hot magma has reached the surface. The familiar cone-shaped volcano builds up as ash, rock and lava ejected during eruptions fall back to Earth around the vent.
  • Crater – A volcanic crater is a circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. A volcano’s vents are located at the bottom of the crater.
  • Pyroclastic Flow – Pyroclastic flows are fast moving currents of hot gas and rock with travel down hill from a volcano, reaching speeds of 700 km/hour. The gas can reach temperatures of more than 1,000 degrees C, and is one of the greatest dangers from volcanic eruptions.
  • Ash Cloud – Volcanic ash consists of small pieces of pulverized rock and glass created during volcanic eruptions. These fragments are so small, and heated to such a temperature that they can be carried in the air for many kilometers.
  • Volcanic Bombs – Volcanic bombs are chunks of lava blasted into the air which solidify before they reach the ground. Some bombs can be extremely large, measuring 5-6 meters in diameter and landing more than 500 meters from the volcanic vent.
  • Secondary Vent – On large volcanoes, magma will reach the surface through several different vents, and not just the main vent. This can form cones, eject lava, and cause destruction.
  • Secondary Cone – Secondary cones build up around secondary vents on larger volcanoes.

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