Magma - Molten rock beneath Earth's surface.

Parasitic Cone - A small cone-shaped volcano formed by an

accumulation of volcanic debris.
Sill - A flat piece of rock formed when magma hardens in a crack in a
volcano.
Vent - An opening in Earth's surface through which volcanic materials
escape.
Flank - The side of a volcano.
Lava - Molten rock that erupts from a volcano that solidifies as it cools.
Crater - Mouth of a volcano - surrounds a volcanic vent.
Conduit An underground passage magma travels through.
Summit - Highest point; apex
Throat - Entrance of a volcano. The part of the conduit that ejects lava
and volcanic ash.

Ash - Fragments of lava or rock smaller than 2 mm in size that are

blasted into the air by volcanic explosions.
Ash Cloud - A cloud of ash formed by volcanic explosions.

There are 3 different types of volcanoes:

1. Active - eruptions can be anytime and often.
2. Dormant - has been a while since it has erupted, but could at
anytime.
3. Extinct, meaning it hasn't erupted in a very long, long time so it
probably won't ever again.
Active volcano
volcano that is erupting or has erupted within historical time and is considered likely
to do so in the future.
Ash
Fine particles of rock dust blown from an explosion vent.
Ashfall
Volcanic ash that has fallen through the air from an eruption cloud.
Vent
A vent is an opening at the Earth's surface of a volcanic conduit.
Composite Volcano
A steep volcanic cone built by both lava flows and pyroclastic eruptions.
Compound Volcano
A volcano that consists of a complex of two or more vents, or a volcano that has an
associated volcanic dome, either in its crater or on its flanks. Examples are Vesuvius
and Mont Pelee.
Conduit
passage (pipe) followed by magma in a volcano.
Crater
A steep-sided, usually circular depression formed by either explosion or collapse at
a volcanic vent.
Dormant volcano

A volcano which is presently inactive but which may erupt again.

Eruption
The process by which solid, liquid, and gaseous materials are ejected into the
earth's atmosphere and onto the earth's surface by volcanic activity.
Fault
A crack or fracture in the earth's surface.
Fissures
Elongated fractures or cracks on the slopes of a volcano.
Geysers
Springs that throw boiling water high in the air. They are caused by volcanic heat
warming trapped ground water.
Hot Spot
A volcanic center, 60 to 120 miles across and persistent for at least a few tens of
million of years, that is thought to be the surface expression of a persistent rising
plume of hot mantle material.
Lava
Magma which has reached the surface through a volcanic eruption. Streams of
liquid rock that flow from a crater or fissure.
Lava Flow
An outpouring of lava onto the land surface from a vent or fissure.
Magma
Molten rock beneath the surface of the earth.
Magma chamber (Magna reservoir)
The subterranean cavity containing the gas-rich liquid magma which feeds a
volcano.
Mantle
The zone of the earth below the crust and above the core.
Ring of Fire
The regions of mountain-building earthquakes and volcanoes which surround the
Pacific Ocean.
Stratovolcano
A volcano composed of both lava flows and pyroclastic material.
Vent
The opening at the earth's surface through which volcanic materials issue forth.
Volcanic eruption
When hot rocks and lava burst from a volcano.

Volcano
A vent in the surface of the Earth through which magma and associated gases and
ash erupt; also, the form or structure, usually conical, that is produced by the
ejected material.
Vulcan
Roman god of fire and the forge, after whom volcanoes are named.

Shapes of Volcanoes
How many different shapes of volcano are there?
The type of magma in the earth creates four different types volcanoes:
shield volcanoes
composite volcanoes
cinder cones
lava domes
Shield Volcano - flat
If the magma is runny, the gas can escape easily and there will not be an explosion. The
magma just comes out of the mountain and flows down the sides.
Shield volcanoes are shaped like a bowl or shield in the middle with long gentle slopes made
by the lava flows.
Examples include the volcanoes in Hawaii and Mount Etna.
Composite Volcano - tall and thin
If the magma is thick and sticky (like honey), the gas cannot escape, so it builds up and up
until it explodes sending out huge clouds of burning rock and gas.
Composite volcanoes are steep-sided volcanoes composed of many layers of volcanic rocks,
usually made from thick sticky lava, ash and rock debris (broken pieces).
Composite volcanoes are also known as strato-volcanoes.
Examples include Mount Fuji in Japan, Mount Cotopaxi in Ecuador, Mount Shasta and
Lassen in California, Mount Hood in Oregon, Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier in
Washington and Mt. Etna in Italy

Cinder cones
Cinder cones are circular or oval cones built from erupting lava that breaks into small
pieces as it shoots into the air. As small pieces fall back to the ground, they cool and form
cinders around the vent.
Lava domes
Lava domes are formed when erupting lava is too thick to flow and makes a steep-sided
mound as the lava piles up near the volcanic vent.