Where do most volcanoes form?

Why would they

form at this location?
What is the relationship between the locations of
earthquakes and volcanoes?
Look at #9. What is different? How would a
volcano form here?

What is a volcano?
A vent or fissure in
Earths surface
through which
magma and gases
are expelled
Lava vs. Magma
o Magma: liquid rock
produced under Earths
surface
o Lava: magma that flows
onto Earths surface

Where do volcanoes
form?
Subduction zones
o Convergent boundary

Divergent boundaries

Hot Spots

Volcanoes at Subduction
Zones
Oceanic and Continental
Collision

Oceanic plate is DENSER

so it subducts
Trench forms at boundary
Continental plate buckles
and forms mountains on
the edge of the continent
Oceanic plate melts
Magma rises to surface to
form volcanoes on LAND

Oceanic and Oceanic

Collision

Denser of the two plates

gets subducted
Trench forms at boundary
Subducted plate melts
Magma rises to surface to
form volcanoes on OCEAN
FLOOR
Creates island arcs (Chain
of volcanic islands)

Volcanoes at Divergent
Boundaries
Occur at Mid-Ocean
Ridges
New crust forms as
magma rises to fill the
gap created by
diverging plates
Magma erupts to form
volcanoes on SEA
FLOOR
Most are unnoticed
(deep underwater)
Example: Iceland

Volcanoes at Hot Spots

Hawaii

Hot spot under Pacific Plate

Hot spot: Magma rises
through the crust
Chain of volcanoes form as
plate moves over hot spot
Hawaii is the youngest
active volcanic island
Loihi will be next

Yellowstone

Hot spot under North

American plate
Chain of volcanoes form as
plate moves over hot spot
Last major eruption
640,000 years ago

new

Explosive

Quiet

high

low

quiet
explosive