Volcano Information

Do you know what a volcano is? If you don't know, then I'm about to tell you. A volcano is an opening in the Earth's surface made up of rock, lava ,and molten rock. There are three main types of volcanoes ,and they are Shield Volcano, Composite or Strato Volcano, and Cinder or Scoria Cone.

A Shield Volcano

A Shield is sort of like a hill that emits lava. Something unique about it's eruption is it flows across land very slowly. It's relatively gentle. Shield Volcanoes can be very big. Example: Mt .Kilauea

Composite or Strato Volcano

A Strato volcano that explosively emits gases, ash, and a stiff substance called silica lava. Composite volcanoes are made up of layers  lava and magma. Strato volcanoes can kill people more than any other volcano because of it's heavy and powerful mudflows .Ex: Mt. Helens

Cinder Cone

A cinder cone volcano is a cone-shaped volcano  whose steep sides are formed by loose, fragmented cinders that fall to the Earth close to the vent. The lava goes through a vent. As the gas- filled lava  erupts into the air, the lava fragments into pieces and forms cinders. This is how it got it's name. Cinder cones are mostly ash.

More information

The name molten rock that erupts from volcanoes is called lava. The name of an opening through which molten rock and gases escape is called a vent. The name of the bowl-like opening of a volcano is called a crater.

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