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Which Type of Volcano Doesn't Get Very Big or Tall Because It Is Susceptible to Erosion?

Volcanoes are breaks in the crust of the Earth where liquid rock (magma), gases and ash escape from inside our planet. The magma, crust and environment underneath volcanoes varies, resulting in a range of volcano types, with different shapes, eruption patterns and susceptibility to erosion. Cinder cone volcanoes are formed from loose fragments and are more vulnerable to erosion.
  1. Cinder Cone Volcanoes

    • Cinder cone volcanoes rarely grow more than a few thousand feet. They are simple types of volcano and are made of congealed lumps and particles of lava and ash. A buildup of pressure below the surface of the volcano blasts the lava out into the air, breaking it up into small pieces. The pieces land around the blast crater and solidify loosely. This creates a low cone formed of loose rock with a large blast crater in the center.

    Water Erosion

    • Because cinder cone volcanoes are loosely packed, gaps exist between the rocks where water and ice can penetrate. Volcanoes made from flowing lava have fewer gaps for water to penetrate. Over time water has a significant erosive effect. Minerals are leached from the rocks. Water in the rock gaps expands to form ice and melt repetitively; this weakens and breaks up the rocks. Rainwater and snow melt then wash loose rocks and particles away so they collide with other rocks, eroding them. This reduces height faster on these volcanoes than on volcanoes formed from liquid lava flows, such as composite volcanoes.

    Plant Erosion

    • Seeds also find their way into the gaps between the rocks of cinder cone volcanoes. As the seeds grow, the roots erode the rocks by widening gaps in the rock and splitting rocks into smaller pieces. Smaller rocks and wider gaps result in more opportunities for the implantation of seeds and the penetration of water into the rock, speeding up the process.

    Volcanic Domes

    • Cinder cone volcanoes are not the only types of volcanoes that are kept relatively small because of erosion. Volcanic or lava domes are made from small, round formations of lava that expand outward. As the formations expand, the outer edges crack and shatter, and the loose rocks fall down the sides.


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