Misplaced Pages

#509490

111-693: Nyamuragira , also known as Nyamulagira , is an active shield volcano in the Virunga Mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , situated about 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Lake Kivu . The name is derived from the Kinyarwanda Bantu verb Kuragira nyamu , meaning to herd animals ; nyamu means animal or cows . It has been described as Africa's most active volcano and has erupted over 40 times since 1885. As well as eruptions from

222-452: A combination of these processes. Other mechanisms, such as melting from a meteorite impact , are less important today, but impacts during the accretion of the Earth led to extensive melting, and the outer several hundred kilometers of the early Earth was probably a magma ocean . Impacts of large meteorites in the last few hundred million years have been proposed as one mechanism responsible for

333-442: A consequence of their particular magmatic composition. Of these four forms, shield volcanoes erupt the least viscous lavas. Whereas stratovolcanoes and lava domes are the product of highly viscous flows, and cinder cones are constructed of explosively eruptive tephra , shield volcanoes are the product of gentle effusive eruptions of highly fluid lavas that produce, over time, a broad, gently sloped eponymous "shield". Although

444-420: A depth of 2,488 m (8,163 ft). The temperature of this magma was estimated at 1,050 °C (1,920 °F). Temperatures of deeper magmas must be inferred from theoretical computations and the geothermal gradient. Most magmas contain some solid crystals suspended in the liquid phase. This indicates that the temperature of the magma lies between the solidus , which is defined as the temperature at which

555-427: A dissolved water content in excess of 10%. Water is somewhat less soluble in low-silica magma than high-silica magma, so that at 1,100 °C and 0.5 GPa , a basaltic magma can dissolve 8% H 2 O while a granite pegmatite magma can dissolve 11% H 2 O . However, magmas are not necessarily saturated under typical conditions. Carbon dioxide is much less soluble in magmas than water, and frequently separates into

666-406: A distinct fluid phase even at great depth. This explains the presence of carbon dioxide fluid inclusions in crystals formed in magmas at great depth. Viscosity is a key melt property in understanding the behaviour of magmas. Whereas temperatures in common silicate lavas range from about 800 °C (1,470 °F) for felsic lavas to 1,200 °C (2,190 °F) for mafic lavas, the viscosity of

777-545: A far greater distance than those of other eruptive types before solidifying, forming extremely wide but relatively thin magmatic sheets often less than 1 m (3 ft) thick. Low volumes of such lavas layered over long periods of time are what slowly constructs the characteristically low, broad profile of a mature shield volcano. Also unlike other eruptive types, Hawaiian eruptions often occur at decentralized fissure vents , beginning with large "curtains of fire" that quickly die down and concentrate at specific locations on

888-457: A further 13 km (8 mi) below the waterline and into the crust, approximately 80,000 km (19,000 cu mi) of rock. Kīlauea , another Hawaiian shield volcano, is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, with its most recent eruption occurring in 2021. The Galápagos Islands are an isolated set of volcanoes, consisting of shield volcanoes and lava plateaus, about 1,100 km (680 mi) west of Ecuador. They are driven by

999-435: A high charge (the high-field-strength elements, or HSFEs), which include such elements as zirconium , niobium , hafnium , tantalum , the rare-earth elements , and the actinides . Potassium can become so enriched in melt produced by a very low degree of partial melting that, when the magma subsequently cools and solidifies, it forms unusual potassic rock such as lamprophyre , lamproite , or kimberlite . When enough rock

1110-546: A hypothetical magma formed entirely from melted silica, NBO/T would be 0, while in a hypothetical magma so low in network formers that no polymerization takes place, NBO/T would be 4. Neither extreme is common in nature, but basalt magmas typically have NBO/T between 0.6 and 0.9, andesitic magmas have NBO/T of 0.3 to 0.5, and rhyolitic magmas have NBO/T of 0.02 to 0.2. Water acts as a network modifier, and dissolved water drastically reduces melt viscosity. Carbon dioxide neutralizes network modifiers, so dissolved carbon dioxide increases

1221-474: A layer that appears to contain silicate melt and that stretches for at least 1,000 kilometers within the middle crust along the southern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Granite and rhyolite are types of igneous rock commonly interpreted as products of the melting of continental crust because of increases in temperature. Temperature increases also may contribute to the melting of lithosphere dragged down in

SECTION 10

#1732855570510

1332-420: A magma. In practice, it is difficult to unambiguously identify primary magmas, though it has been suggested that boninite is a variety of andesite crystallized from a primary magma. The Great Dyke of Zimbabwe has also been interpreted as rock crystallized from a primary magma. The interpretation of leucosomes of migmatites as primary magmas is contradicted by zircon data, which suggests leucosomes are

1443-416: A new lava lake appeared at the volcano for the first time in 75 years. The previous lava lake at the volcano was emptied in the 1938 lava flow. The formation of the new lake occurred between June and August 2014. It reached a depth of 500 metres (1,600 ft). The eruption did not affect the communities in the area but left a lot of ash and air pollution. Sulfate aerosols formed by volcanic sulfur dioxide from

1554-572: A prominent feature on these volcanoes and account for their seemingly random volcanic structure. They are fueled by the movement of the Pacific Plate over the Hawaii hotspot and form a long chain of volcanoes, atolls , and seamounts 2,600 km (1,616 mi) long with a total volume of over 750,000 km (179,935 cu mi). The chain includes Mauna Loa, a shield volcano which stands 4,170 m (13,680 ft) above sea level and reaches

1665-425: A rock type commonly enriched in incompatible elements. Bowen's reaction series is important for understanding the idealised sequence of fractional crystallisation of a magma. Magma composition can be determined by processes other than partial melting and fractional crystallization. For instance, magmas commonly interact with rocks they intrude, both by melting those rocks and by reacting with them. Assimilation near

1776-440: A single point. The main shield then forms, burying the smaller ones formed by the early eruptions with its lava. Icelandic shields are mostly small (~15 km (4 cu mi)), symmetrical (although this can be affected by surface topography), and characterized by eruptions from summit calderas. They are composed of either tholeiitic olivine or picritic basalt . The tholeiitic shields tend to be wider and shallower than

1887-567: A solidified crust. Most basalt lavas are of ʻAʻā or pāhoehoe types, rather than block lavas. Underwater, they can form pillow lavas , which are rather similar to entrail-type pahoehoe lavas on land. Ultramafic magmas, such as picritic basalt, komatiite , and highly magnesian magmas that form boninite , take the composition and temperatures to the extreme. All have a silica content under 45%. Komatiites contain over 18% magnesium oxide, and are thought to have erupted at temperatures of 1,600 °C (2,910 °F). At this temperature there

1998-407: A subduction zone. When rocks melt, they do so over a range of temperature, because most rocks are made of several minerals , which all have different melting points. The temperature at which the first melt appears (the solidus) is lower than the melting temperature of any one of the pure minerals. This is similar to the lowering of the melting point of ice when it is mixed with salt. The first melt

2109-439: A tetrahedral arrangement around the much smaller silicon ion. This is called a silica tetrahedron . In a magma that is low in silicon, these silica tetrahedra are isolated, but as the silicon content increases, silica tetrahedra begin to partially polymerize, forming chains, sheets, and clumps of silica tetrahedra linked by bridging oxygen ions. These greatly increase the viscosity of the magma. The tendency towards polymerization

2220-638: A typical viscosity of 3.5 × 10 cP (3,500 Pa⋅s) at 1,200 °C (2,190 °F). This is slightly greater than the viscosity of smooth peanut butter . Intermediate magmas show a greater tendency to form phenocrysts . Higher iron and magnesium tends to manifest as a darker groundmass , including amphibole or pyroxene phenocrysts. Mafic or basaltic magmas have a silica content of 52% to 45%. They are typified by their high ferromagnesian content, and generally erupt at temperatures of 1,100 to 1,200 °C (2,010 to 2,190 °F). Viscosities can be relatively low, around 10 to 10 cP (10 to 100 Pa⋅s), although this

2331-633: A viscosity of about 1 cP (0.001 Pa⋅s). Because of this very high viscosity, felsic lavas usually erupt explosively to produce pyroclastic (fragmental) deposits. However, rhyolite lavas occasionally erupt effusively to form lava spines , lava domes or "coulees" (which are thick, short lava flows). The lavas typically fragment as they extrude, producing block lava flows . These often contain obsidian . Felsic lavas can erupt at temperatures as low as 800 °C (1,470 °F). Unusually hot (>950 °C; >1,740 °F) rhyolite lavas, however, may flow for distances of many tens of kilometres, such as in

SECTION 20

#1732855570510

2442-456: Is Nyamuragira . Eruptions at the shield volcano are generally centered within the large summit caldera or on the numerous fissures and cinder cones on the volcano's flanks. Lava flows from the most recent century extend down the flanks more than 30 km (19 mi) from the summit, reaching as far as Lake Kivu . Erta Ale in Ethiopia is another active shield volcano and one of the few places in

2553-638: Is a shield volcano on the southwestern part of Isabela Island and is one of the most active in the Galapagos, with the last eruption between May and June 2008. The Geophysics Institute at the National Polytechnic School in Quito houses an international team of seismologists and volcanologists whose responsibility is to monitor Ecuador's numerous active volcanoes in the Andean Volcanic Belt and

2664-409: Is added to the rock, the temperature remains at 1274 °C until either the anorthite or diopside is fully melted. The temperature then rises as the remaining mineral continues to melt, which shifts the melt composition away from the eutectic. For example, if the content of anorthite is greater than 43%, the entire supply of diopside will melt at 1274 °C., along with enough of the anorthite to keep

2775-444: Is called the eutectic and has a composition that depends on the combination of minerals present. For example, a mixture of anorthite and diopside , which are two of the predominant minerals in basalt , begins to melt at about 1274 °C. This is well below the melting temperatures of 1392 °C for pure diopside and 1553 °C for pure anorthite. The resulting melt is composed of about 43 wt% anorthite. As additional heat

2886-531: Is common in Hawaiʻi; most Hawaiian eruptions begin with a so-called "wall of fire" along a major fissure line before centralizing to a small number of points. This accounts for their asymmetrical shape, whereas Icelandic volcanoes follow a pattern of central eruptions dominated by summit calderas , causing the lava to be more evenly distributed or symmetrical. Most of what is currently known about shield volcanic eruptive character has been gleaned from studies done on

2997-410: Is concentrated in a thin layer in the toothpaste next to the tube, and only here does the toothpaste behave as a fluid. Thixotropic behavior also hinders crystals from settling out of the magma. Once the crystal content reaches about 60%, the magma ceases to behave like a fluid and begins to behave like a solid. Such a mixture of crystals with melted rock is sometimes described as crystal mush . Magma

3108-456: Is driven out of the oceanic lithosphere in subduction zones , and it causes melting in the overlying mantle. Hydrous magmas with the composition of basalt or andesite are produced directly and indirectly as results of dehydration during the subduction process. Such magmas, and those derived from them, build up island arcs such as those in the Pacific Ring of Fire . These magmas form rocks of

3219-417: Is expressed as NBO/T, where NBO is the number of non-bridging oxygen ions and T is the number of network-forming ions. Silicon is the main network-forming ion, but in magmas high in sodium, aluminium also acts as a network former, and ferric iron can act as a network former when other network formers are lacking. Most other metallic ions reduce the tendency to polymerize and are described as network modifiers. In

3330-493: Is in the Nord-Kivu Province. It is 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north-north-west of Nyiragongo, the volcano which caused extensive damage to the city of Goma in its 2002 eruption. Nyamuragira has a volume of 500 cubic kilometres (120 cu mi), and covers an area of 1,500 square kilometres (580 sq mi). It has a low shield profile and contrasts with adjacent steep-sided Nyiragongo volcano. Nyamuragira volcano

3441-466: Is magma extruded onto the surface, are almost all in the range 700 to 1,400 °C (1,300 to 2,600 °F), but very rare carbonatite magmas may be as cool as 490 °C (910 °F), and komatiite magmas may have been as hot as 1,600 °C (2,900 °F). Magma has occasionally been encountered during drilling in geothermal fields, including drilling in Hawaii that penetrated a dacitic magma body at

Nyamuragira - Misplaced Pages Continue

3552-647: Is melted before the heat supply is exhausted. Pegmatite may be produced by low degrees of partial melting of the crust. Some granite -composition magmas are eutectic (or cotectic) melts, and they may be produced by low to high degrees of partial melting of the crust, as well as by fractional crystallization . Most magmas are fully melted only for small parts of their histories. More typically, they are mixes of melt and crystals, and sometimes also of gas bubbles. Melt, crystals, and bubbles usually have different densities, and so they can separate as magmas evolve. As magma cools, minerals typically crystallize from

3663-416: Is melted, the small globules of melt (generally occurring between mineral grains) link up and soften the rock. Under pressure within the earth, as little as a fraction of a percent of partial melting may be sufficient to cause melt to be squeezed from its source. Melt rapidly separates from its source rock once the degree of partial melting exceeds 30%. However, usually much less than 30% of a magma source rock

3774-544: Is not a shield volcano. Shield volcanoes feature a gentle (usually 2° to 3°) slope that gradually steepens with elevation (reaching approximately 10°) before flattening near the summit, forming an overall upwardly convex shape. These slope characteristics have a correlation with age of the forming lava, with in the case of the Hawaiian chain, steepness increasing with age, as later lavas tend to be more alkali so are more viscous, with thicker flows, that travel less distance from

3885-615: Is practically no polymerization of the mineral compounds, creating a highly mobile liquid. Viscosities of komatiite magmas are thought to have been as low as 100 to 1000 cP (0.1 to 1 Pa⋅s), similar to that of light motor oil. Most ultramafic lavas are no younger than the Proterozoic , with a few ultramafic magmas known from the Phanerozoic in Central America that are attributed to a hot mantle plume . No modern komatiite lavas are known, as

3996-545: Is produced by melting of the mantle or the crust in various tectonic settings, which on Earth include subduction zones , continental rift zones , mid-ocean ridges and hotspots . Mantle and crustal melts migrate upwards through the crust where they are thought to be stored in magma chambers or trans-crustal crystal-rich mush zones. During magma's storage in the crust, its composition may be modified by fractional crystallization , contamination with crustal melts, magma mixing, and degassing. Following its ascent through

4107-399: Is relatively smooth and flows with a ropey texture, and ʻaʻā flows which are denser, more viscous (and thus slower moving) and blockier. These lava flows can be anywhere between 2 and 20 m (10 and 70 ft) thick. ʻAʻā lava flows move through pressure— the partially solidified front of the flow steepens because of the mass of flowing lava behind it until it breaks off, after which

4218-482: Is responsible for a large portion of the sulfur dioxide released into the atmosphere by volcanoes. At dawn on 2 January 2010 Nyamuragira began spewing out lava flows. There are no settlements close to the volcano, but wildlife officials feared that the eruption may threaten the chimpanzees in the area. Another danger was that the lava could have flowed into the southern sector of Virunga National Park , where there are settlements and villages. Extensive lava flows from

4329-448: Is still many orders of magnitude higher than water. This viscosity is similar to that of ketchup . Basalt lavas tend to produce low-profile shield volcanoes or flood basalts , because the fluidal lava flows for long distances from the vent. The thickness of a basalt lava, particularly on a low slope, may be much greater than the thickness of the moving lava flow at any one time, because basalt lavas may "inflate" by supply of lava beneath

4440-459: Is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma (sometimes colloquially but incorrectly referred to as lava ) is found beneath the surface of the Earth , and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural satellites . Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and gas bubbles . Magma

4551-413: Is typically also viscoelastic , meaning it flows like a liquid under low stresses, but once the applied stress exceeds a critical value, the melt cannot dissipate the stress fast enough through relaxation alone, resulting in transient fracture propagation. Once stresses are reduced below the critical threshold, the melt viscously relaxes once more and heals the fracture. Temperatures of molten lava, which

Nyamuragira - Misplaced Pages Continue

4662-408: Is typically the most abundant magmatic gas, followed by carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide . Other principal magmatic gases include hydrogen sulfide , hydrogen chloride , and hydrogen fluoride . The solubility of magmatic gases in magma depends on pressure, magma composition, and temperature. Magma that is extruded as lava is extremely dry, but magma at depth and under great pressure can contain

4773-474: The Galápagos hotspot , and are between approximately 4.2 million and 700,000 years of age. The largest island, Isabela , consists of six coalesced shield volcanoes, each delineated by a large summit caldera. Española , the oldest island, and Fernandina , the youngest, are also shield volcanoes, as are most of the other islands in the chain. The Galápagos Islands are perched on a large lava plateau known as

4884-666: The Mid-Atlantic Ridge , a divergent tectonic plate boundary in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Iceland is the site of about 130 volcanoes of various types. Icelandic shield volcanoes are generally of Holocene age, between 5,000 and 10,000 years old. The volcanoes are also very narrow in distribution, occurring in two bands in the West and North Volcanic Zones. Like Hawaiian volcanoes, their formation initially begins with several eruptive centers before centralizing and concentrating at

4995-744: The Purico complex in Chile ; an example of a felsic shield is the Ilgachuz Range in British Columbia , Canada. Shield volcanoes are similar in origin to vast lava plateaus and flood basalts present in various parts of the world. These are eruptive features which occur along linear fissure vents and are distinguished from shield volcanoes by the lack of an identifiable primary eruptive center. Active shield volcanoes experience near-continuous eruptive activity over extremely long periods of time, resulting in

5106-666: The Snake River Plain of the northwestern United States. Intermediate or andesitic magmas contain 52% to 63% silica, and are lower in aluminium and usually somewhat richer in magnesium and iron than felsic magmas. Intermediate lavas form andesite domes and block lavas, and may occur on steep composite volcanoes , such as in the Andes . They are also commonly hotter, in the range of 850 to 1,100 °C (1,560 to 2,010 °F)). Because of their lower silica content and higher eruptive temperatures, they tend to be much less viscous, with

5217-591: The Solar System , including Olympus Mons on Mars and Sapas Mons on Venus . The term 'shield volcano' is taken from the German term Schildvulkan , coined by the Austrian geologist Eduard Suess in 1888 and which had been calqued into English by 1910. Shield volcanoes are distinguished from the three other major volcanic types— stratovolcanoes , lava domes , and cinder cones —by their structural form,

5328-491: The University of Houston 's William Sager announced the discovery of Tamu Massif , an enormous extinct submarine volcano, approximately 450 by 650 km (280 by 400 mi) in area, which dwarfs all previously known volcanoes on Earth. However, the extents of the volcano have not been confirmed. Although Tamu Massif was initially believed to be a shield volcano, Sanger and his colleagues acknowledged in 2019 that Tamu Massif

5439-458: The calc-alkaline series, an important part of the continental crust . With low density and viscosity, hydrous magmas are highly buoyant and will move upwards in Earth's mantle. The addition of carbon dioxide is relatively a much less important cause of magma formation than the addition of water, but genesis of some silica-undersaturated magmas has been attributed to the dominance of carbon dioxide over water in their mantle source regions. In

5550-453: The convection of solid mantle, it will cool slightly as it expands in an adiabatic process , but the cooling is only about 0.3 °C per kilometer. Experimental studies of appropriate peridotite samples document that the solidus temperatures increase by 3 °C to 4 °C per kilometer. If the rock rises far enough, it will begin to melt. Melt droplets can coalesce into larger volumes and be intruded upwards. This process of melting from

5661-421: The 1976–1979 Viking mission . The principal difference between the volcanoes of Mars and those on Earth is in terms of size; Martian volcanoes range in size up to 14 mi (23 km) high and 370 mi (595 km) in diameter, far larger than the 6 mi (10 km) high, 74 mi (119 km) wide Hawaiian shields. The highest of these, Olympus Mons , is the tallest known mountain on any planet in

SECTION 50

#1732855570510

5772-404: The 2010 eruption can be seen on satellite photographs reaching 25 kilometres (16 mi) south-west to Lake Kivu, about 22 kilometres (14 mi) north-west and 35 kilometres (22 mi) north-north-east. The volcano erupted again on 5 November 2011. That eruption produced a 400-metre (1,300 ft) high column of lava, and it is said to have been its largest eruption in 100 years. In 2014,

5883-472: The Earth's mantle has cooled too much to produce highly magnesian magmas. Some silicic magmas have an elevated content of alkali metal oxides (sodium and potassium), particularly in regions of continental rifting , areas overlying deeply subducted plates , or at intraplate hotspots . Their silica content can range from ultramafic ( nephelinites , basanites and tephrites ) to felsic ( trachytes ). They are more likely to be generated at greater depths in

5994-465: The Earth's upper crust, but this varies widely by region, from a low of 5–10 °C/km within oceanic trenches and subduction zones to 30–80 °C/km along mid-ocean ridges or near mantle plumes . The gradient becomes less steep with depth, dropping to just 0.25 to 0.3 °C/km in the mantle, where slow convection efficiently transports heat. The average geothermal gradient is not normally steep enough to bring rocks to their melting point anywhere in

6105-555: The Galapagos Islands. La Cumbre is an active shield volcano on Fernandina Island that has been erupting since April 11, 2009. The Galápagos islands are geologically young for such a big chain, and the pattern of their rift zones follows one of two trends, one north-northwest, and one east–west. The composition of the lavas of the Galápagos shields are strikingly similar to those of the Hawaiian volcanoes. Curiously, they do not form

6216-527: The Galápagos Platform. This platform creates a shallow water depth of 360 to 900 m (1,181 to 2,953 ft) at the base of the islands, which stretch over a 174 mi (280 km) diameter. Since Charles Darwin 's visit to the islands in 1835 during the second voyage of HMS Beagle , there have been over 60 recorded eruptions in the islands, from six different shield volcanoes. Of the 21 emergent volcanoes, 13 are considered active. Cerro Azul

6327-476: The anorthite is melted. If the anorthite content of the mixture is less than 43%, then all the anorthite will melt at the eutectic temperature, along with part of the diopside, and the remaining diopside will then gradually melt as the temperature continues to rise. Because of eutectic melting, the composition of the melt can be quite different from the source rock. For example, a mixture of 10% anorthite with diopside could experience about 23% partial melting before

6438-508: The central Mexican Michoacán–Guanajuato volcanic field average 340 m (1,100 ft) in height and 4,100 m (13,500 ft) in width, with an average slope angle of 9.4° and an average volume of 1.7 km (0.4 cu mi). Rift zones are a prevalent feature on shield volcanoes that is rare on other volcanic types. The large, decentralized shape of Hawaiian volcanoes as compared to their smaller, symmetrical Icelandic cousins can be attributed to rift eruptions. Fissure venting

6549-458: The crust or upper mantle, so magma is produced only where the geothermal gradient is unusually steep or the melting point of the rock is unusually low. However, the ascent of magma towards the surface in such settings is the most important process for transporting heat through the crust of the Earth. Rocks may melt in response to a decrease in pressure, to a change in composition (such as an addition of water), to an increase in temperature, or to

6660-603: The crust, magma may feed a volcano and be extruded as lava, or it may solidify underground to form an intrusion , such as a dike , a sill , a laccolith , a pluton , or a batholith . While the study of magma has relied on observing magma after its transition into a lava flow , magma has been encountered in situ three times during geothermal drilling projects , twice in Iceland (see Use in energy production ) and once in Hawaii. Magma consists of liquid rock that usually contains suspended solid crystals. As magma approaches

6771-455: The crystallization process would not change the overall composition of the melt plus solid minerals. This situation is described as equillibrium crystallization . However, in a series of experiments culminating in his 1915 paper, Crystallization-differentiation in silicate liquids , Norman L. Bowen demonstrated that crystals of olivine and diopside that crystallized out of a cooling melt of forsterite , diopside, and silica would sink through

SECTION 60

#1732855570510

6882-464: The eruptions were observed as far away as over the central Amazon rain forest in South America. By 2018, the lava lake had hardened and the activity appeared to have stopped. Eruptive activity continues during 2021 at the summit caldera. In 2021, a lava lake appeared at the volcano based on a June 11 satellite image. On July 26, 2024, lava began to overflow the northern caldera rim and flowed towards

6993-399: The eutectic temperature of 1274 °C. This shifts the remaining melt towards its eutectic composition of 43% diopside. The eutectic is reached at 1274 °C, the temperature at which diopside and anorthite begin crystallizing together. If the melt was 90% diopside, the diopside would begin crystallizing first until the eutectic was reached. If the crystals remained suspended in the melt,

7104-512: The extensive basalt magmatism of several large igneous provinces. Decompression melting occurs because of a decrease in pressure. It is the most important mechanism for producing magma from the upper mantle. The solidus temperatures of most rocks (the temperatures below which they are completely solid) increase with increasing pressure in the absence of water. Peridotite at depth in the Earth's mantle may be hotter than its solidus temperature at some shallower level. If such rock rises during

7215-410: The general mass behind it moves forward. Though the top of the flow quickly cools down, the molten underbelly of the flow is buffered by the solidifying rock above it, and by this mechanism, ʻaʻā flows can sustain movement for long periods of time. Pāhoehoe flows, in contrast, move in more conventional sheets, or by the advancement of lava "toes" in snaking lava columns. Increasing viscosity on the part of

7326-461: The gradual build-up of edifices that can reach extremely large dimensions. With the exclusion of flood basalts, mature shields are the largest volcanic features on Earth. The summit of the largest subaerial volcano in the world, Mauna Loa , lies 4,169 m (13,678 ft) above sea level , and the volcano, over 60 mi (100 km) wide at its base, is estimated to contain about 80,000 km (19,000 cu mi) of basalt. The mass of

7437-420: The importance of each mechanism being a topic of continuing research. The change of rock composition most responsible for the creation of magma is the addition of water. Water lowers the solidus temperature of rocks at a given pressure. For example, at a depth of about 100 kilometers, peridotite begins to melt near 800 °C in the presence of excess water, but near 1,500 °C in the absence of water. Water

7548-633: The lava or shear stress on the part of local topography can morph a pāhoehoe flow into an ʻaʻā one, but the reverse never occurs. Although most shield volcanoes are by volume almost entirely Hawaiian and basaltic in origin, they are rarely exclusively so. Some volcanoes, such as Mount Wrangell in Alaska and Cofre de Perote in Mexico, exhibit large enough swings in their historical magmatic eruptive characteristics to cast strict categorical assignment in doubt; one geological study of de Perote went so far as to suggest

7659-476: The magma completely solidifies, and the liquidus , defined as the temperature at which the magma is completely liquid. Calculations of solidus temperatures at likely depths suggests that magma generated beneath areas of rifting starts at a temperature of about 1,300 to 1,500 °C (2,400 to 2,700 °F). Magma generated from mantle plumes may be as hot as 1,600 °C (2,900 °F). The temperature of magma generated in subduction zones, where water vapor lowers

7770-408: The magma. Gabbro may have a liquidus temperature near 1,200 °C, and the derivative granite-composition melt may have a liquidus temperature as low as about 700 °C. Incompatible elements are concentrated in the last residues of magma during fractional crystallization and in the first melts produced during partial melting: either process can form the magma that crystallizes to pegmatite ,

7881-419: The mantle than subalkaline magmas. Olivine nephelinite magmas are both ultramafic and highly alkaline, and are thought to have come from much deeper in the mantle of the Earth than other magmas. Tholeiitic basalt magma Rhyolite magma Some lavas of unusual composition have erupted onto the surface of the Earth. These include: The concentrations of different gases can vary considerably. Water vapor

7992-424: The melt at different temperatures. This resembles the original melting process in reverse. However, because the melt has usually separated from its original source rock and moved to a shallower depth, the reverse process of crystallization is not precisely identical. For example, if a melt was 50% each of diopside and anorthite, then anorthite would begin crystallizing from the melt at a temperature somewhat higher than

8103-438: The melt at the eutectic composition. Further heating causes the temperature to slowly rise as the remaining anorthite gradually melts and the melt becomes increasingly rich in anorthite liquid. If the mixture has only a slight excess of anorthite, this will melt before the temperature rises much above 1274 °C. If the mixture is almost all anorthite, the temperature will reach nearly the melting point of pure anorthite before all

8214-449: The melt deviated from the eutectic, which has the composition of about 43% anorthite. This effect of partial melting is reflected in the compositions of different magmas. A low degree of partial melting of the upper mantle (2% to 4%) can produce highly alkaline magmas such as melilitites , while a greater degree of partial melting (8% to 11%) can produce alkali olivine basalt. Oceanic magmas likely result from partial melting of 3% to 15% of

8325-402: The melt on geologically relevant time scales. Geologists subsequently found considerable field evidence of such fractional crystallization . When crystals separate from a magma, then the residual magma will differ in composition from the parent magma. For instance, a magma of gabbroic composition can produce a residual melt of granitic composition if early formed crystals are separated from

8436-429: The melting temperature, may be as low as 1,060 °C (1,940 °F). Magma densities depend mostly on composition, iron content being the most important parameter. Magma expands slightly at lower pressure or higher temperature. When magma approaches the surface, its dissolved gases begin to bubble out of the liquid. These bubbles had significantly reduced the density of the magma at depth and helped drive it toward

8547-481: The more abundant elements in the source rock. The ions of these elements fit rather poorly in the structure of the minerals making up the source rock, and readily leave the solid minerals to become highly concentrated in melts produced by a low degree of partial melting. Incompatible elements commonly include potassium , barium , caesium , and rubidium , which are large and weakly charged (the large-ion lithophile elements, or LILEs), as well as elements whose ions carry

8658-415: The most abundant chemical elements in the Earth's crust, with smaller quantities of aluminium , calcium , magnesium , iron , sodium , and potassium , and minor amounts of many other elements. Petrologists routinely express the composition of a silicate magma in terms of the weight or molar mass fraction of the oxides of the major elements (other than oxygen) present in the magma. Because many of

8769-755: The most prominent ones are situated along the Snake River in Idaho and the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon, where they have been measured to be over 1 mi (2 km) in thickness. Calderas are a common feature on shield volcanoes. They are formed and reformed over the volcano's lifespan. Long eruptive periods form cinder cones, which then collapse over time to form calderas. The calderas are often filled up by progressive eruptions, or formed elsewhere, and this cycle of collapse and regeneration takes place throughout

8880-506: The northwest. This was accompanied by a large increase in effusive lava output. The flow advanced 5km in the first day. Shield volcano Shield volcanoes are found wherever fluid, low- silica lava reaches the surface of a rocky planet. However, they are most characteristic of ocean island volcanism associated with hot spots or with continental rift volcanism. They include the largest active volcanoes on Earth, such as Mauna Loa . Giant shield volcanoes are found on other planets of

8991-537: The picritic shields. They do not follow the pattern of caldera growth and destruction that other shield volcanoes do; caldera may form, but they generally do not disappear. Bingöl Mountains are one of the shield volcanoes in Turkey . In East Africa, volcanic activity is generated by the development of the East African Rift and from nearby hotspots. Some volcanoes interact with both. Shield volcanoes are found near

9102-439: The presence of carbon dioxide, experiments document that the peridotite solidus temperature decreases by about 200 °C in a narrow pressure interval at pressures corresponding to a depth of about 70 km. At greater depths, carbon dioxide can have more effect: at depths to about 200 km, the temperatures of initial melting of a carbonated peridotite composition were determined to be 450 °C to 600 °C lower than for

9213-630: The properties of a magma (such as its viscosity and temperature) are observed to correlate with silica content, silicate magmas are divided into four chemical types based on silica content: felsic , intermediate , mafic , and ultramafic . Felsic or silicic magmas have a silica content greater than 63%. They include rhyolite and dacite magmas. With such a high silica content, these magmas are extremely viscous, ranging from 10 cP (10 Pa⋅s) for hot rhyolite magma at 1,200 °C (2,190 °F) to 10 cP (10 Pa⋅s) for cool rhyolite magma at 800 °C (1,470 °F). For comparison, water has

9324-411: The rate of flow is proportional to the shear stress . Instead, a typical magma is a Bingham fluid , which shows considerable resistance to flow until a stress threshold, called the yield stress, is crossed. This results in plug flow of partially crystalline magma. A familiar example of plug flow is toothpaste squeezed out of a toothpaste tube. The toothpaste comes out as a semisolid plug, because shear

9435-502: The rift and off the coast of Africa, although stratovolcanoes are more common. Although sparsely studied, the fact that all of its volcanoes are of Holocene age reflects how young the volcanic center is. One interesting characteristic of East African volcanism is a penchant for the formation of lava lakes ; these semi-permanent lava bodies, extremely rare elsewhere, form in about 9% of African eruptions. The most active shield volcano in Africa

9546-405: The roof of a magma chamber and fractional crystallization near its base can even take place simultaneously. Magmas of different compositions can mix with one another. In rare cases, melts can separate into two immiscible melts of contrasting compositions. When rock melts, the liquid is a primary magma . Primary magmas have not undergone any differentiation and represent the starting composition of

9657-405: The same composition with no carbon dioxide. Magmas of rock types such as nephelinite , carbonatite , and kimberlite are among those that may be generated following an influx of carbon dioxide into mantle at depths greater than about 70 km. Increase in temperature is the most typical mechanism for formation of magma within continental crust. Such temperature increases can occur because of

9768-442: The same lavas ranges over seven orders of magnitude, from 10 cP (10 Pa⋅s) for mafic lava to 10 cP (10 Pa⋅s) for felsic magmas. The viscosity is mostly determined by composition but is also dependent on temperature. The tendency of felsic lava to be cooler than mafic lava increases the viscosity difference. The silicon ion is small and highly charged, and so it has a strong tendency to coordinate with four oxygen ions, which form

9879-563: The same volcanic "line" associated with most hotspots. They are not alone in this regard; the Cobb–Eickelberg Seamount chain in the North Pacific is another example of such a delineated chain. In addition, there is no clear pattern of age between the volcanoes, suggesting a complicated, irregular pattern of creation. How the islands were formed remains a geological mystery, although several theories have been proposed. Located over

9990-424: The seafloor. The Hawaiian and Galápagos shields, and other hotspot shields like them, are constructed of oceanic island basalt. Their lavas are characterized by high levels of sodium , potassium , and aluminium . Features common in shield volcanism include lava tubes . Lava tubes are cave-like volcanic straights formed by the hardening of overlaying lava. These structures help further the propagation of lava, as

10101-402: The site of one of the longest-lasting rift eruptions in known history. The Hawaiian shield volcanoes are not located near any plate boundaries ; the volcanic activity of this island chain is distributed by the movement of the oceanic plate over an upwelling of magma known as a hotspot . Over millions of years, the tectonic movement that moves continents also creates long volcanic trails across

10212-522: The solar system. Venus has over 150 shield volcanoes which are much flatter, with a larger surface area than those found on Earth, some having a diameter of more than 700 km (430 mi). Although the majority of these are long extinct it has been suggested, from observations by the Venus Express spacecraft , that many may still be active. Magmatic Magma (from Ancient Greek μάγμα ( mágma )  'thick unguent ')

10323-404: The source rock. Some calk-alkaline granitoids may be produced by a high degree of partial melting, as much as 15% to 30%. High-magnesium magmas, such as komatiite and picrite , may also be the products of a high degree of partial melting of mantle rock. Certain chemical elements, called incompatible elements , have a combination of ionic radius and ionic charge that is unlike that of

10434-489: The summit vents. In height they are typically about one twentieth their width. Although the general form of a "typical" shield volcano varies little worldwide, there are regional differences in their size and morphological characteristics. Typical shield volcanoes found in California and Oregon measure 3 to 4 mi (5 to 6 km) in diameter and 1,500 to 2,000 ft (500 to 600 m) in height, while shield volcanoes in

10545-504: The summit, there have been numerous eruptions from the flanks of the volcano, creating new smaller volcanoes that have lasted only for a short time (e.g. Murara from late 1976 to 1977). Recent eruptions occurred on 2 January 2010, 8 November 2011 and 23 May 2021. Nyamuragira volcano is an active volcano near the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, situated about 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Lake Kivu. It

10656-468: The surface and the overburden pressure drops, dissolved gases bubble out of the liquid, so that magma near the surface consists of materials in solid, liquid, and gas phases . Most magma is rich in silica . Rare nonsilicate magma can form by local melting of nonsilicate mineral deposits or by separation of a magma into separate immiscible silicate and nonsilicate liquid phases. Silicate magmas are molten mixtures dominated by oxygen and silicon ,

10767-401: The surface in the first place. The temperature within the interior of the earth is described by the geothermal gradient , which is the rate of temperature change with depth. The geothermal gradient is established by the balance between heating through radioactive decay in the Earth's interior and heat loss from the surface of the earth. The geothermal gradient averages about 25 °C/km in

10878-1000: The surface wells up), such as the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain and the Galápagos Islands , or over more conventional rift zones, such as the Icelandic shields and the shield volcanoes of East Africa. Although shield volcanoes are not usually associated with subduction , they can occur over subduction zones. Many examples are found in California and Oregon, including Prospect Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park , as well as Pelican Butte and Belknap Crater in Oregon. Many shield volcanoes are found in ocean basins , such as Kīlauea in Hawaii, although they can be found inland as well—East Africa being one example of this. The largest and most prominent shield volcano chain in

10989-440: The surrounding heat, and hit the ground still hot, accumulating into spatter cones . If eruptive rates are high enough, they may even form splatter-fed lava flows. Hawaiian eruptions are often extremely long-lived; Puʻu ʻŌʻō , a cinder cone of Kīlauea , erupted continuously from January 3, 1983, until April 2018. Flows from Hawaiian eruptions can be divided into two types by their structural characteristics: pāhoehoe lava which

11100-420: The term "compound shield-like volcano" instead. Most mature shield volcanoes have multiple cinder cones on their flanks, the results of tephra ejections common during incessant activity and markers of currently and formerly active sites on the volcano. An example of these parasitic cones is at Puʻu ʻŌʻō on Kīlauea —continuous activity ongoing since 1983 has built up a 2,290 ft (698 m) tall cone at

11211-513: The term is generally applied to basaltic shields, it has also at times been applied to rarer scutiform volcanoes of differing magmatic composition—principally pyroclastic shields , formed by the accumulation of fragmentary material from particularly powerful explosive eruptions, and rarer felsic lava shields formed by unusually fluid felsic magmas. Examples of pyroclastic shields include Billy Mitchell volcano in Papua New Guinea and

11322-613: The upward intrusion of magma from the mantle. Temperatures can also exceed the solidus of a crustal rock in continental crust thickened by compression at a plate boundary . The plate boundary between the Indian and Asian continental masses provides a well-studied example, as the Tibetan Plateau just north of the boundary has crust about 80 kilometers thick, roughly twice the thickness of normal continental crust. Studies of electrical resistivity deduced from magnetotelluric data have detected

11433-462: The upward movement of solid mantle is critical in the evolution of the Earth. Decompression melting creates the ocean crust at mid-ocean ridges , making it by far the most important source of magma on Earth. It also causes volcanism in intraplate regions, such as Europe, Africa and the Pacific sea floor. Intraplate volcanism is attributed to the rise of mantle plumes or to intraplate extension, with

11544-467: The viscosity. Higher-temperature melts are less viscous, since more thermal energy is available to break bonds between oxygen and network formers. Most magmas contain solid crystals of various minerals, fragments of exotic rocks known as xenoliths and fragments of previously solidified magma. The crystal content of most magmas gives them thixotropic and shear thinning properties. In other words, most magmas do not behave like Newtonian fluids, in which

11655-400: The volcano is so great that it has slumped the crust beneath it a further 8 km (5 mi). Accounting for this subsidence and for the height of the volcano above the sea floor , the "true" height of Mauna Loa from the start of its eruptive history is about 17,170 m (56,000 ft). Mount Everest , by comparison, is 8,848 m (29,029 ft) in height. In 2013, a team led by

11766-465: The volcano's lifespan. Interactions between water and lava at shield volcanoes can cause some eruptions to become hydrovolcanic . These explosive eruptions are drastically different from the usual shield volcanic activity and are especially prevalent at the waterbound volcanoes of the Hawaiian Isles . Shield volcanoes are found worldwide. They can form over hotspots (points where magma from below

11877-442: The volcano's rift zones. Central-vent eruptions, meanwhile, often take the form of large lava fountains (both continuous and sporadic), which can reach heights of hundreds of meters or more. The particles from lava fountains usually cool in the air before hitting the ground, resulting in the accumulation of cindery scoria fragments; however, when the air is especially thick with pyroclasts , they cannot cool off fast enough because of

11988-433: The volcanoes of Hawaiʻi Island , by far the most intensively studied of all shields because of their scientific accessibility; the island lends its name to the slow-moving, effusive eruptions typical of shield volcanism, known as Hawaiian eruptions . These eruptions, the least explosive of volcanic events, are characterized by the effusive emission of highly fluid basaltic lavas with low gaseous content . These lavas travel

12099-479: The walls of the tube insulate the lava within. Lava tubes can account for a large portion of shield volcano activity; for example, an estimated 58% of the lava forming Kīlauea comes from lava tubes. In some shield volcano eruptions, basaltic lava pours out of a long fissure instead of a central vent, and shrouds the countryside with a long band of volcanic material in the form of a broad plateau . Plateaus of this type exist in Iceland, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho;

12210-717: The world is the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain, a chain of hotspot volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean. The volcanoes follow a distinct evolutionary pattern of growth and death. The chain contains at least 43 major volcanoes, and Meiji Seamount at its terminus near the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench is 85 million years old. The youngest part of the chain is Hawaii, where the volcanoes are characterized by frequent rift eruptions, their large size (thousands of km in volume), and their rough, decentralized shape. Rift zones are

12321-682: The world with a permanent lava lake, which has been active since at least 1967, and possibly since 1906. Other volcanic centers include Menengai , a massive shield caldera, and Mount Marsabit in Kenya. Shield volcanoes are not limited to Earth; they have been found on Mars , Venus , and Jupiter's moon, Io . The shield volcanoes of Mars are very similar to the shield volcanoes on Earth. On both planets, they have gently sloping flanks, collapse craters along their central structure, and are built of highly fluid lavas. Volcanic features on Mars were observed long before they were first studied in detail during

#509490