Chapter 5 Summary
Most volcanic activity is concentrated near plate boundaries. Volcanoes differ in eruptive style and in the kinds of dangers they present. Those along spreading ridges and at oceanic hot spots tend to be more placid, usually erupting a fluid, basaltic lava. Subduction-zone volcanoes are supplied by more-viscous, silica-rich, gas-charged andesitic or rhyolitic magma, so, in addition to lava, they may emit large quantities of pyroclastics and pyroclastic flows, and they may also erupt explosively. The type of volcanic structure built is directly related to the composition/physical properties of the magma. At present, volcanologists can detect the early signs that a volcano may erupt in the near future (such as bulging, increased seismicity, or increased thermal activity), but they cannot predict the exact timing or type of eruption. Individual volcanoes, however, show characteristic eruptive styles (as a function of magma type) and patterns of activity. Therefore, knowledge of a volcano's eruptive history allows anticipation of the general nature of eruptions and of the likelihood of renewed activity in the near future.
