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Wikipedia portal for content related to Volcanoes

## The Volcanoes portal

Sabancaya volcano erupting, Peru in 2017A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. The process that forms volcanoes is called volcanism.

On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and because most of Earth's plate boundaries are underwater, most volcanoes are found underwater. For example, a mid-ocean ridge, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates whereas the Pacific Ring of Fire has volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the crust's plates, such as in the East African Rift and the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field and Rio Grande rift in North America. Volcanism away from plate boundaries has been postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs from the core–mantle boundary, 3,000 kilometers (1,900 mi) deep within Earth. This results in hotspot volcanism, of which the Hawaiian hotspot is an example. Volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another.

Large eruptions can affect atmospheric temperature as ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscure the Sun and cool Earth's troposphere. Historically, large volcanic eruptions have been followed by volcanic winters which have caused catastrophic famines.

Other planets besides Earth have volcanoes. For example, volcanoes are very numerous on Venus. In 2009, a paper was published suggesting a new definition for the word 'volcano' that includes processes such as cryovolcanism. It suggested that a volcano be defined as 'an opening on a planet or moon's surface from which magma, as defined for that body, and/or magmatic gas is erupted.'

This article mainly covers volcanoes on Earth. See § Volcanoes on other celestial bodies and cryovolcano for more information. (Full article...)

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## Selected article - show another

Location in the Marshall Islands

Limalok (formerly known as Harrie or Harriet) is a Cretaceous-Paleocene guyot/tablemount in the southeastern Marshall Islands, one of a number of seamounts (a type of underwater volcanic mountain) in the Pacific Ocean. It was probably formed by a volcanic hotspot in present-day French Polynesia. Limalok lies southeast of Mili Atoll and Knox Atoll, which rise above sea level, and is joined to each of them through a volcanic ridge. It is located at a depth of 1,255 metres (4,117 ft) and has a summit platform with an area of 636 square kilometres (246 sq mi).

Limalok is formed by basaltic rocks and was probably a shield volcano at first; the Macdonald, Rarotonga, Rurutu and Society hotspots may have been involved in its formation. After volcanic activity ceased, the volcano was eroded and thereby flattened, and a carbonate platform formed on it during the Paleocene and Eocene. These carbonates were chiefly produced by red algae, forming an atoll or atoll-like structure with reefs. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

* 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
* Amchitka
* Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
* Lōʻihi Seamount
* Enceladus
* Mauna Loa
* Geology of the Lassen volcanic area
* Mount Tambora
* Mount Cayley volcanic field
* Metacomet Ridge
* The Volcano (British Columbia)
* List of volcanoes in Indonesia
* Surtsey
* Cerro Azul (Chile volcano)
* Nevado del Ruiz
* Mono–Inyo Craters
* Upper and Lower Table Rock
* Ubinas
* 1257 Samalas eruption
* Metacomet Ridge
* Calabozos
* Cerro Azul (Chile volcano)
* Armero tragedy
* 2007–2008 Nazko earthquakes
* Amchitka
* Payún Matrú
* Taapaca
* Resolution Guyot
* Volcanology of Io
* List of largest volcanic eruptions
* 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami
* List of volcanoes in the Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain

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## Did you know

* ... that the Ionian volcano Pele, encircled by its own reddish plume deposit (pictured), was named after a volcano goddess in Hawaiian mythology?
* ... that some of the thrust horses in Montana's Adel Mountains Volcanic Field fold some of the intrusions, while others are cut by them?
* ... that although no eruptions from the Segula Volcano have been recorded, there are lava flows on it which may only be a few hundred years old?
* ... that although in theory a common mineral below the earth's surface, coyoteite has been found at the surface only in one volcanic pipe?
* ... that the submarine volcanoes of the Vance Seamounts are pocketed by multiple calderas, many of which have been almost erased by newer flows?
* ... that the eight volcanoes of the President Jackson Seamounts are heavily pocketed by 29 calderas and pit craters?
* ... that the Ionian volcano Tupan Patera, whose activity was first detected by Galileo in 1996, was named after the thunder god of the Tupí-Guaraní indigenous peoples in Brazil?
* ... that the Ionian volcano Tawhaki Patera and the nearby valley Tawhaki Vallis are both named after the Māori lightning deity, Tāwhaki?

More did you know facts

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## General images

The following are images from various volcano-related articles on Wikipedia.

* Image 1TOMS sulfur dioxide from the June 15, 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)

* Image 2A major eruption of Gran Canaria took place around 14 million years ago. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)

* Image 32016 eruption of Mount Sinabung (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 4Eruption of mud at Dashgil mud volcano in Gobustan, Azerbaijan (from Volcanism)

* Image 5The high initial temperatures of silicate lavas mean that they emit visible light before cooling. (from Volcanism)

* Image 6Diagram of a Strombolian eruption. (key: 1. Ash plume 2\. Lapilli 3\. Volcanic ash rain 4. Lava fountain 5\. Volcanic bomb 6\. Lava flow 7\. Layers of lava and ash 8\. Stratum 9\. Dike 10\. Magma conduit 11\. Magma chamber 12\. Sill) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 7Diagram of a Plinian eruption. (key: 1. Ash plume 2\. Magma conduit 3\. Volcanic ash rain 4. Layers of lava and ash 5\. Stratum 6\. Magma chamber) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 8Pyroclastic flows at Mayon Volcano, Philippines, 1984 (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 9Galeras, Nariño, (Colombia). (from Decade Volcanoes)

* Image 10Cross section diagram of Earth showing some settings for volcanism on the planet (from Volcanism)

* Image 11Phreatic explosion captured at the Main Crater of Taal Volcano. Photo taken from the installed IP camera of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) monitoring the volcano. (from Decade Volcanoes)

* Image 12Diagram of a Surtseyan eruption. (key: 1. Water vapor cloud 2. Compressed ash 3\. Crater 4\. Water 5\. Layers of lava and ash 6\. Stratum 7\. Magma conduit 8\. Magma chamber 9\. Dike) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 13Diagram of a phreatic eruption. (key: 1. Water vapor cloud 2\. Magma conduit 3\. Layers of lava and ash 4\. Stratum 5\. Water table 6\. Explosion 7\. Magma chamber) (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 14Satellite animation of the initial ash plume and shockwave of the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai eruption and tsunami. The massive explosive eruption was hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. (from Volcanism)

* Image 15Ropey pahoehoe lava from Kilauea, Hawaiʻi (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 16Diagram of a Submarine eruption. (key: 1. Water vapor cloud 2\. Water 3\. Stratum 4\. Lava flow 5\. Magma conduit 6\. Magma chamber 7\. Dike 8\. Pillow lava) Click to enlarge. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 17Diagram of Peléan eruption. (key: 1. Ash plume 2\. Volcanic ash rain 3. Lava dome 4\. Volcanic bomb 5\. Pyroclastic flow 6\. Layers of lava and ash 7\. Stratum 8\. Magma conduit 9\. Magma chamber 10\. Dike) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 18Olympus Mons (Latin, "Mount Olympus"), located on the planet Mars, is the tallest known mountain in the Solar System. (from Volcanism)

* Image 19Herðubreið, a tuya in Iceland (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 20Building destroyed by eruptions at Mount Unzen, Japan (from Decade Volcanoes)

* Image 21Sulfur dioxide emissions by volcanoes. Mount Pinatubo: 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)

* Image 22Sarychev Peak: the sulphur dioxide cloud generated by the eruption on June 12, 2009 (in Dobson units). (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)

* Image 23A diagram of a Subglacial eruption. (key: 1. Water vapor cloud 2\. Crater lake 3\. Ice 4\. Layers of lava and ash 5\. Stratum 6\. Pillow lava 7\. Magma conduit 8\. Magma chamber 9\. Dike) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 24Colima Volcano eruption column, December 2016 (from Decade Volcanoes)

* Image 25The lava spine that developed after the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 26VEI and ejecta volume correlation (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)

* Image 27Diagram of a Hawaiian eruption. (key: 1. Ash plume 2\. Lava fountain 3\. Crater 4\. Lava lake 5\. Fumaroles 6\. Lava flow 7\. Layers of lava and ash 8\. Stratum 9\. Sill 10\. Magma conduit 11. Magma chamber 12\. Dike) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 28Tavurvur in Papua New Guinea erupting (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 29NASA, Global Dimming - El Chichon, VEI 5; Pinatubo, VEI 6\. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)

* Image 30Lava-flooded craters and large expanses of smooth volcanic plains on Mercury (from List of extraterrestrial volcanoes)

* Image 31Distribution of selected hotspots. The numbers in the figure are related to the listed hotspots on Hotspot (geology). (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)

* Image 32Diagram showing the scale of VEI correlation with total ejecta volume (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 33Lahar flows from the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, which totally destroyed Armero in Colombia (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 34A gentle, or effusive, volcanic eruption, in which liquid material (lava) gently flows from a vent, in this case in south-eastern Hawai’i island (from Volcanism)

* Image 3521 April 1990 eruptive column from Redoubt Volcano, as viewed to the west from the Kenai Peninsula (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 36Mount Lamington following the devastating 1951 eruption (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 37Teide, Tenerife (Spain). (from Decade Volcanoes)

* Image 38Location of Mount Pinatubo, showing area over which ash from the 1991 eruption fell. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)

* Image 39Diagrammatic representation of a plume on Enceladus (from Volcanism)

* Image 40An example of the lava arcs formed during Strombolian activity. This image is of Stromboli itself. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 41The final eruptions in the creation of Banks Peninsula in New Zealand occurred about 9 million years ago. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)

* Image 42Some of the eruptive structures formed during volcanic activity (counterclockwise): a Plinian eruption column, Hawaiian pahoehoe flows, and a lava arc from a Strombolian eruption (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 43Diagram of a Vulcanian eruption. (key: 1. Ash plume 2\. Lapilli 3\. Lava fountain 4\. Volcanic ash rain 5. Volcanic bomb 6\. Lava flow 7\. Layers of lava and ash 8\. Stratum 9\. Sill 10\. Magma conduit 11. Magma chamber 12\. Dike) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)

* Image 44Satellite measurements of ash and aerosol emissions from Mount Pinatubo. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)

* Image 45Some features of volcanism found in Earth's crust (from Volcanism)

* Image 46MLO transmission ratio - Solar radiation reduction due to volcanic eruptions (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)

## Selected biography - show another

George Julius Poulett Scrope

George Julius Poulett Scrope FRS (10 March 1797 - 19 January 1876) was an English geologist and political economist as well as a Member of Parliament and magistrate for Stroud in Gloucestershire.

While an undergraduate at Cambridge, through the influence of Edward Clarke and Adam Sedgwick he became interested in mineralogy and geology. During the winter of 1816–1817 he was at Naples, and was so keenly interested in Vesuvius that he renewed his studies of the volcano in 1818; and in the following year visited Etna and the Lipari Islands. In 1821 he married the daughter and heiress of William Scrope of Castle Combe, Wiltshire, and assumed her name; and he entered the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in 1833 as MP for Stroud, retaining his seat until 1868.

Meanwhile he began to study the volcanic regions of central France in 1821, and visited the Eifel district in 1823. In 1825 he published Considerations on Volcanos, leading to the establishment of a new theory of the Earth, and in the following year was elected FRS. This earlier work was subsequently amplified and issued under the title of Volcanos (1862); an authoritative text-book of which a second edition was published ten years later. In 1827 he issued his classic Memoir on the Geology of Central France, including the Volcanic formations of Auvergne, the Velay and the Vivarais, a quarto volume illustrated by maps and plates. The substance of this was reproduced in a revised and somewhat more popular form in The Geology and Extinct Volcanos of Central France (1858). These books were the first widely published descriptions of the Chaîne des Puys, a chain of over 70 small volcanoes in the Massif Central. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

* David A. Johnston
* William Hamilton (diplomat)
* Rosaly Lopes
* Harry Glicken
* Barry Voight
* Harry R. Truman
* Reid Blackburn
* Richard Robertson
* Claire Horwell
* Jack Souther
* Hazel Rymer
* Jenni Barclay
* Haroun Tazieff
* Catherine Hickson
* Bill Mathews
* Tempest Anderson
* Peter Francis (volcanologist)
* Bill McGuire (volcanologist)
* George Julius Poulett Scrope
* Arturo Alcaraz
* Katia and Maurice Krafft
* Berend George Escher

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## Selected picture

Grand Prismatic Spring

Credit: Carsten Steger

Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park. The spring is approximately 250 ft (76 m) by 300 ft (91 m) in size. The deep azure blue water in the center is sterile, and surrounded by a huge mat of algae and bacteria. The orange color is from the carotenoids they produce.

More selected pictures

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## Selected quote

> "We'll just look at you. If you looked scared then we'll panic."

> — Discovery channel crew, talking to volcanologist John Seach during filming at Yasur Volcano, 2000.

More selected quotes

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## Related portals

* Earth sciences
* Geography
* Mountains
* World

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## WikiProjects

WikiProjects

* WikiProject Volcanoes
* WikiProject Seamounts
* WikiProject Mountains

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## Volcanoes topics

* v
* t
* e

Volcanoes

Types|

* Caldera
* Cinder cone
* Complex volcano
* Cryovolcano
* Cryptovolcanic structure
* Fissure vent
* Lava cone
* Lava dome
* Maar
* Mud volcano
* Parasitic cone
* Pyroclastic cone
* Pyroclastic shield
* Rootless cone
* Shield volcano
* Somma volcano
* Stratovolcano
* Subglacial volcano
* Submarine volcano
* Supervolcano
* Tossol
* Volcanic cone
* Harmonic tremor

Volcanic rocks|

* Agglomerate
* Andesite
* Basalt
* Basaltic andesite
* Benmoreite
* Blairmorite
* Cinder
* Dacite
* Felsite
* Ignimbrite
* Komatiite
* Lapilli
* Latite
* Leucitite
* Nephelinite
* Obsidian
* Phonolite
* Phonotephrite
* Pumice
* Rhyodacite
* Rhyolite
* Tephra
* Tephriphonolite
* Trachyandesite
* Trachybasalt
* Trachyte
* Tuff
* Pyroclastic fall
* Pyroclastic flow

Lists and groups|

* Hotspot
* Lists of volcanoes
* Eruptions by death toll
* Decade Volcanoes
* Volcanic arc
* Volcanic belt
* Volcanic field
* monogenetic
* polygenetic

* Category
* Commons
* Portal
* WikiProject

* v
* t
* e

Volcano topics

Topics|

* Decade Volcanoes
* Prediction of volcanic activity
* Volcanic explosivity index
* Volcanic Seven Summits
* Volcanic winter
* Volcano Number
* Volcano observatory

Lists|

* Extraterrestrial volcanoes
* Large volume volcanic eruptions in the Basin and Range Province
* Large volcanic eruptions
* Largest volcanic eruptions
* Earth timeline
* Quaternary volcanic eruptions
* Volcanic eruption deaths

* v
* t
* e

Types of volcanic eruptions

Magmatic|

* Hawaiian
* Peléan
* Plinian
* Strombolian
* Vulcanian

Phreatomagmatic|

* Subglacial
* Submarine
* Surtseyan

Phreatic|

* Phreatic

Other classifications|

* Effusive
* Explosive
* Flank
* Lateral
* Limnic
* Subaerial

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## Subcategories

Select [►] to view subcategories

Volcanology

Volcanism

Volcanoes

Volcanologists

Volcanology by country

Volcanic belts

Glaciovolcanism

Volcanic hazards

Volcanic landforms

Volcano monitoring

Volcano observatories

Volcanic rocks

Volcano seismology

Volcanic winters

Volcanology stubs

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## Featured work and other approved content

Featured articles: 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens • 2007–2008 Nazko earthquakes • Amchitka • Armero tragedy • Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve • Cerro Azul (Chile volcano) • David A. Johnston • Enceladus (moon) • Geology of the Lassen volcanic area • Io (moon) • Kamaʻehuakanaloa Seamount • Mauna Kea • Mauna Loa • Metacomet Ridge • Mono-Inyo Craters • Mount Cayley volcanic field • Mount St. Helens • Mount Tambora • Nevado del Ruiz • Surtsey • The Volcano (British Columbia) • Triton (moon) • Upper and Lower Table Rock • Volcanism on Io • Volcano (South Park) • Yellowstone National Park

Featured lists: List of volcanoes in Indonesia • List of volcanoes in the Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain • List of largest volcanic eruptions

Featured pictures: There are currently  43 volcano-related Featured pictures. A full gallery can be seen here.

Good articles: Abyssal plain • Amak Volcano • Anahim hotspot • Axial Seamount • Ben Nevis • Bowie Seamount • Crater Lake • Davidson Seamount • Ferdinandea • Gareloi Volcano • Geyser • Glacier Peak • Hawaii hotspot • Hualālai • Kohala (mountain) • Lake Toba • Minoan eruption • Mount Adams (Washington) • Mount Bailey • Mount Baker • Mount Cleveland (Alaska) • Mount Edziza volcanic complex • Mount Garibaldi • Mount Hood • Mount Kenya • Mount Rainier • Mount Redoubt • Mount Tehama • Mount Thielsen • Mount Vesuvius • Peter I Island • Roxy Ann Peak • Rùm • Sakurajima • Sangay • Silverthrone Caldera • Staffa • Types of volcanic eruptions • Volcanic ash • Weh Island • Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field • Yamsay Mountain

Valued pictures: A gallery of volcano-related valued pictures can be seen here.

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## What you can do

Things you can do

* Add the {{WikiProject Volcanoes}} message box to talk pages of articles within the scope of this project, including appropriate assessments, if needed.
* Add appropriate volcano type categories to articles, and verify the accuracy of any existing categories. See the section "Categorization" below.
* Add {{infobox mountain}} to articles if needed and missing, and add volcano-related fields to existing infoboxes if these are missing.
* Expand volcano articles which are stubs, especially by adding photos and (most importantly) proper references.
* Help improve articles related to Hawaiian and Canadian volcanism by joining the Hawaiian and Canadian workgroups.
* Improve some of the project's most visible articles.

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