Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions
Animation
Pompeii, once buried by 6 m of volcanic debris from Mt. Vesuvius, was excavated by archaeologists in the late nineteenth century. Vesuvius rises in the distance. When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E., it was probably much larger, as depicted in this sketch. The dark pellets are hot volcanic bombs and lapilli. For more information, see page 112 and Figure 5.1 in your textbook.
A stratovolcano such as Japan’s Mount Fuji consists of alternating layers of ash and lava. This animation examines the processes by which a stratovolcano forms. For more information, see 5.3 The Architecture and Shape of Volcanoes on p. 118 and Figure 5.10c in your textbook.
Volcanic eruptions are a sight to behold and, in some cases, a hazard to fear. Beneath a volcano, magma formed in the upper mantle or the lower crust rises to fill a magma chamber near the Earth’s surface. When the pressure in this magma chamber becomes great enough, magma is forced upward through a conduit, or crack, to the ground surface and erupts. For more information, see the Geology at a Glance: Volcano on p. 122 in your textbook.