VOLCANO, an opening in the earth's crust, through which heated matter is brought, permanently or temporarily, from the interior of the earth to the surface, where it usually forms a hill, more or less conical in shape, and generally with a hollow or crater at the top.
The volcanoes of central France are regarded as extinct, inasmuch as no authentic historical record of any eruption is known, but there are not wanting signs that in some parts of this volcanic region the subterranean forces may yet be slumbering rather than dead.
Most of the lavas from the volcanoes of South America consist of hypersthene-andesite, and it is notable that the fragmental ejectamenta from the eruptions of St Vincent and Martinique in 1902 and from Krakatoa in 1883 were evidently derived from a magma of this Pacific type.
A dormantvolcano is a volcano which is not currently erupting, but is believed to still be capable of erupting in the future.
Volcanoes can be dormant for hundreds or thousands of years and are usually eroded and warn down, due to the lack of eruptions.
The eruptions from a dormantvolcano are usually very violent, because the plug inside the volcano stops the lava from coming out of the vent for a very long time and builds pressure.
Feeds |
Contact