Menu Close

How do volcanoes formed at hotspots differ from other volcanoes?

How do volcanoes formed at hotspots differ from other volcanoes?

The melted rock, known as magma, often pushes through cracks in the crust to form volcanoes. Hot spot volcanism is unique because it does not occur at the boundaries of Earth’s tectonic plates, where all other volcanism occurs. Instead it occurs at abnormally hot centers known as mantle plumes.

What is the formation of volcanoes?

A volcano is formed when hot molten rock, ash and gases escape from an opening in the Earth’s surface. The molten rock and ash solidify as they cool, forming the distinctive volcano shape shown here. As a volcano erupts, it spills lava that flows downslope. Hot ash and gases are thrown into the air.

How are the volcanoes different?

There are three main types of volcano – composite or strato, shield and dome. Composite volcanoes, sometimes known as strato volcanoes, are steep sided cones formed from layers of ash and [lava] flows. When composite volcanoes erupt they are explosive and pose a threat to nearby life and property.

Why do volcanoes form differently?

The magma becomes less dense. When it is less dense it rises. Each of the reasons for rising magma are a bit different, but each can form volcanoes.

How do volcanoes form over hotspots?

High heat and lower pressure at the base of the lithosphere (tectonic plate) facilitates melting of the rock. This melt, called magma, rises through cracks and erupts to form volcanoes. As the tectonic plate moves over the stationary hot spot, the volcanoes are rafted away and new ones form in their place.

How is a volcanic hotspot formed?

Hotspots occur when one of the Earth’s plates moves over an unusually hot part of the Earth’s mantle. These hot areas are usually relatively stationary and result in large amounts of magma rising up, piercing a hole in the plate to form a volcano. As the plates move, a series of volcanoes can form.

What are the different types of volcanoes and volcanic eruptions?

Volcanic eruptions may fall into six major types: Icelandic, Hawaiian, Strombolian, Vulcanian, Pelean, and Plinian. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

How do volcanoes and other landforms formed?

The viscosity of the lava that erupts from a volcano can lead to the creation of different volcanic landforms. This thin and runny lava can disperse over large areas, and as the lava cools and solidifies, it forms the large, flat plateaus of rock.

How are hot spot volcanoes different from volcanoes?

The difference between a hot spot volcano and the volcanoes from Ring of Fire can mainly be seen in the way of formation and functioning. The hot spot volcanoes are far away from any tectonic plate boundary and they manage to penetrate the crust over them and come out on the surface to usually create volcanic islands.

What happens when a volcano is cut off from the tectonic plate?

Attached to the tectonic plate below, the volcano moves and is eventually cut off from the hot spot. Without any source of heat, the volcano becomes extinct and cools. This cooling causes the rock of the volcano and the tectonic plate to become more dense.

How does a hotspot volcano rise from the mantle?

In much the same way that plumes rise buoyantly in a lava lamp, plumes of mantle magma (molten rock) are theorized to rise buoyantly from a source within Earth’s deep mantle. When such a plume rises into the shallow mantle, it partially melts and the melt may then rise to the surface where it can erupt as a hotspot volcano.

Why do volcanoes occur at divergent plate boundaries?

A volcanic eruption at Surtsey, a small island near Iceland. At divergent plate boundaries hot mantle rock rises into the space where the plates are moving apart. As the hot mantle rock convects upward it rises higher in the mantle. The rock is under lower pressure; this lowers the melting temperature of the rock and so it melts.