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*credits roll*

Three Main Types of Volcanoes

A stratovolcano (or composite volcano) is a conical volcano consisting of layers of solid lava flows mixed with layers of other rock. Strato Volcanoes make up around 60% of the Earth’s volcanoes. These volcanoes are characterized by andesite and dacite - lavas that are cooler and more viscous than basalt. These more viscous lavas allow gas pressures to build up to high levels – which causes violent, explosive eruptions. 

A cinder cone volcano doesn’t have any horizontal layers, and is instead a steep conical hill of tephra (volcanic debris) that accumulates around and downwind from the vent. In a cinder cone, lava erupts from a small vent in the crust and ‘sprays’ melted rock fragments into the air where they then fall back to earth in a pile. These rock fragments are glassy, gas-filled chunks of lava called cinders or scoria that cool rapidly as they sail through the air and land next to the vent opening, slowly accumulating in the geometric shape of a cone.