Volcanoes - Research Paper Example

As pressures from constricted inner layers proved too much to contain, they look for relief, hence, the formation of volcanoes. Moreover, initial volcanic construct is also attributed to tectonic plate motions--termed tectonic plates. This creates “zones of weakness in the crust,” paving way for molten magma to rise and manifest themselves through volcanic eruptions (Lopes & Lopes, 2005, p. 19). Basically, volcanoes originate from these procedures. In further discussions, there are several types of volcanoes identified: “shield, cinder cones, composite, domes, etc.

(“Volcano,” n.d.). All of them, as illustrated in Figure 2 (please see Appendix B), apply the basic principles of pressured gases and plate disruptions, but along the way, several phenomena account for features that are unique in each types. In this discussion, three types of volcanoes are presented in detailed account, exemplifying particular volcanoes as the paper progress: cinder cone (Paricutin volcano), composite volcano (Mount Rainier) and lava dome volcano (Mount Unzen). Although the danger posed by each of these types possesses similar intensity, in more ways, their individualized attributes make them profoundly different from one another.

As the simplest type of volcano, Paricutin volcano is a formation that fits the description of a cinder cone. Cinder cones are identified by the type of material emitted by volcanoes, where substances are of similar property with cinders seen at vents of volcanoes (Monroe & Wicander, 2008, p. 116). Named after the village of Paricutin in western Mexico, the volcano rises to about 2, 820 m and is prominent in “Michoacan and Guanajuato volcanic field.(that) belongs to Quaternary Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB).

” Specifically, it is flanked by Angaguan Hills at the northern area while in the south, the volcanic rise of Pico de Tancitaro is the nearest structure (Migon, 2010, pp. 59-60). As depicted in Figure 3