Magma Landforms
Volcanic landforms are natural features built in or on the earth's crust that are created by volcanoes, magma, or the aftermath of a volcano. Hardened magma can create landforms such as dikes, sills, batholiths, dome mountains, and volcanic necks. These features are made of rock, created when magma attempted to force its way to the surface but was blocked, hardened, and usually uncovered by destructive forces.
Dikes
Dikes are created when magma pushes its way across a rock face and then solidifies. The magma travels upward through rock layers.
Sills
Sills are made when magma forces its way in between weak spots and cracks in the rock, eventually hardening. When formed, they are usually connected to a dike that was making its way up through rock layers.
Batholiths
A batholith forms when a large pocket of magma cools down and solidifies inside of the Earth's crust. Batholiths are the center for many mountain ranges such as the Sierra Nevada. They are usually composed of igneous rock and could have been the magma chamber of a once active volcano.
Dome Mountains
A dome mountain is an exposed body of magma that has hardened into a dome-shape. Unlike a batholith, smaller bodies of magma are used to create these landforms. When the magma tries pushing upwards to the surface, horizontal layers of rock stop them. From there, the outer rock layers are molded up into a dome shape and worn away, finally exposing the dome mountain.
Volcanic Necks
Volcanic necks are formed when magma in the pipe of a volcano solidifies. After a while, destructive forces like wind erode the outer rock. Once the softer rock is worn away, the volcanic neck is revealed.
Volcanic landforms are natural features built in or on the earth's crust that are created by volcanoes, magma, or the aftermath of a volcano. Hardened magma can create landforms such as dikes, sills, batholiths, dome mountains, and volcanic necks. These features are made of rock, created when magma attempted to force its way to the surface but was blocked, hardened, and usually uncovered by destructive forces.
Dikes
Dikes are created when magma pushes its way across a rock face and then solidifies. The magma travels upward through rock layers.
Sills
Sills are made when magma forces its way in between weak spots and cracks in the rock, eventually hardening. When formed, they are usually connected to a dike that was making its way up through rock layers.
Batholiths
A batholith forms when a large pocket of magma cools down and solidifies inside of the Earth's crust. Batholiths are the center for many mountain ranges such as the Sierra Nevada. They are usually composed of igneous rock and could have been the magma chamber of a once active volcano.
Dome Mountains
A dome mountain is an exposed body of magma that has hardened into a dome-shape. Unlike a batholith, smaller bodies of magma are used to create these landforms. When the magma tries pushing upwards to the surface, horizontal layers of rock stop them. From there, the outer rock layers are molded up into a dome shape and worn away, finally exposing the dome mountain.
Volcanic Necks
Volcanic necks are formed when magma in the pipe of a volcano solidifies. After a while, destructive forces like wind erode the outer rock. Once the softer rock is worn away, the volcanic neck is revealed.
Lava and ash landforms
Shield Volcano
A shield volcano is a gently sloping mountain created by thin layers of lava from lava flows. They continue to flow upon past layers and build up coat after coat, eventually creating a landform known as a shield volcano.
Cinder Cone Volcano
A cinder cone volcano is is an explosive mountain shaped like a cone. Unlike a shield volcano, its sides are steep, made up of the ash, cinders, and bombs that pile around the vent.
Composite Volcano
Like a cinder cone volcano, composite volcanoes are cone-shaped and are built up by explosive eruptions that emit lava, volcanic ash, cinders, and bombs. The lava flow and ash from the explosions alternate in layers with each other to build up the mountain. Composite volcanoes are also known as stratovolcanoes.
Lava Plateau
A lava plateau is not like any of the volcanoes mentioned above, but is still a volcanic landform created by lava. It can take millions of years for lava plateaus to build up. Layer upon layer of thin, runny lava solidifies over and over again, coming out of multiple cracks in an area. The floods run far before stopping and cooling, but eventually create lava plateaus.
Calderas
A caldera is not actually a volcano, but can be a resulting feature on them. The term caldera is used to describe a hole full of lava, ash, and broken parts of the volcano that crumbled inward. These are formed after a very large explosion vacates all of the magma from inside of the volcano. The magma chamber, vent, and pipe are now emptied and turn the mountain into a hollow shell of what it used to be. With nothing supporting it, it collapses at the tip, creating a whole
A shield volcano is a gently sloping mountain created by thin layers of lava from lava flows. They continue to flow upon past layers and build up coat after coat, eventually creating a landform known as a shield volcano.
Cinder Cone Volcano
A cinder cone volcano is is an explosive mountain shaped like a cone. Unlike a shield volcano, its sides are steep, made up of the ash, cinders, and bombs that pile around the vent.
Composite Volcano
Like a cinder cone volcano, composite volcanoes are cone-shaped and are built up by explosive eruptions that emit lava, volcanic ash, cinders, and bombs. The lava flow and ash from the explosions alternate in layers with each other to build up the mountain. Composite volcanoes are also known as stratovolcanoes.
Lava Plateau
A lava plateau is not like any of the volcanoes mentioned above, but is still a volcanic landform created by lava. It can take millions of years for lava plateaus to build up. Layer upon layer of thin, runny lava solidifies over and over again, coming out of multiple cracks in an area. The floods run far before stopping and cooling, but eventually create lava plateaus.
Calderas
A caldera is not actually a volcano, but can be a resulting feature on them. The term caldera is used to describe a hole full of lava, ash, and broken parts of the volcano that crumbled inward. These are formed after a very large explosion vacates all of the magma from inside of the volcano. The magma chamber, vent, and pipe are now emptied and turn the mountain into a hollow shell of what it used to be. With nothing supporting it, it collapses at the tip, creating a whole