Stratovolcano

thumb|upright=1.35|[[Mount Rainier, a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in the US state of Washington]]

thumb|upright=1.35|Exposed internal structure of alternating layers of [[lava and pyroclastic rock in the eroded Broken Top stratovolcano in Oregon]]

A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and explosive eruptions. Some have collapsed summit craters called calderas. The lava flowing from stratovolcanoes typically cools and solidifies before spreading far, due to high viscosity. The magma forming this lava is often felsic, having high to intermediate levels of silica (as in rhyolite, dacite, or andesite), with lesser amounts of less viscous mafic magma. Extensive felsic lava flows are uncommon, but can travel as far as .

The term composite volcano is used because strata are usually mixed and uneven instead of neat layers. They are among the most common types of volcanoes; more than 700 stratovolcanoes have erupted lava during the Holocene Epoch (the last 11,700 years), and many older, now extinct, stratovolcanoes erupted lava as far back as Archean times. Stratovolcanoes are typically found in subduction zones but they also occur in other geological settings. Two examples of stratovolcanoes famous for catastrophic eruptions are Krakatoa in Indonesia (which erupted in 1883 claiming 36,000 lives) and Mount Vesuvius in Italy (which erupted in 79 A.D killing an estimated 2,000 people). In modern times, Mount St. Helens (1980) in Washington State, US, and Mount Pinatubo (1991) in the Philippines have erupted catastrophically, but with fewer deaths. Zephyria Tholus is one of two mountains in the Aeolis region of Mars that have been proposed as possible stratovolcanoes.

Distribution

thumb|upright=1.5|Cross-section of subduction zone and associated stratovolcanoes

Stratovolcanoes are common at subduction zones, forming chains and clusters along plate tectonic boundaries where an oceanic crust plate is drawn under a continental crust plate (continental arc volcanism, e.g. Cascade Range, Andes, Campania) or another oceanic crust plate (island arc volcanism, e.g. Japan, Philippines, Aleutian Islands).

Stratovolcanoes also occur in some other geological settings, for example as a result of intraplate volcanism on oceanic islands far from plate boundaries. Examples are Teide in the Canary Islands, and Pico do Fogo in Cape Verde.

Stratovolcanoes have formed in continental rifts. Examples in the East African Rift are Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania, and Longonot in Kenya.

Formation

Subduction zone volcanoes form when hydrous minerals are pulled down into the mantle on the slab. These hydrous minerals, such as chlorite and serpentine, release their water into the mantle which decreases its melting point by . The release of water from hydrated minerals is termed "dewatering", and occurs at specific pressures and temperatures for each mineral, as the plate descends to greater depths. This allows the mantle to partially melt and generate magma. This is called flux melting. The magma then rises through the crust, incorporating silica-rich crustal rock, leading to a final intermediate composition. When the magma nears the top surface, it pools in a magma chamber within the crust below the stratovolcano.

The processes that trigger the final eruption remain a question for further research. Possible mechanisms include:

• Magma differentiation, in which the lightest, most silica-rich magma and volatiles such as water, halogens, and sulfur dioxide accumulate in the uppermost part of the magma chamber. This can dramatically increase pressures.
• Fractional crystallization of the magma. When anhydrous minerals such as feldspar crystallize out of the magma, this concentrates volatiles in the remaining liquid, which can lead to a second boiling that causes a gas phase (carbon dioxide or water) to separate from the liquid magma and raise magma chamber pressures.
• Injection of fresh magma into the magma chamber, which mixes and heats the cooler magma already present. This could force volatiles out of solution and lower the density of the cooler magma, both of which increase pressure. There is considerable evidence for magma mixing just before many eruptions, including magnesium-rich olivine crystals in freshly erupted silicic lava that show no reaction rim. This is possible only if the lava erupted immediately after mixing since olivine rapidly reacts with silicic magma to form a rim of pyroxene.
• Progressive melting of the surrounding country rock. Subduction-zone stratovolcanoes, such as Mount St. Helens, Mount Etna and Mount Pinatubo, typically erupt with explosive force because the magma is too viscous to allow easy escape of volcanic gases. As a consequence, the tremendous internal pressures of the trapped volcanic gases remain and intermingle in the pasty magma. Following the breaching of the vent and the opening of the crater, the magma degasses explosively. The magma and gases blast out with high speed and full force. It produced a large cloud of volcanic ash that affected global temperatures, lowering them as much as 0.5 °C.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD is the most famous example of a hazardous stratovolcano eruption. Pyroclastic surges completely smothered the nearby ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum with thick deposits of ash and pumice ranging from 6–7 meters deep. Pompeii had 10,000–20,000 inhabitants at the time of eruption. Mount Vesuvius is recognized as one of the most dangerous of the world's volcanoes, due to its capacity for powerful explosive eruptions coupled with the high population density of the surrounding Metropolitan Naples area (totaling about 3.6 million inhabitants).

Ash

thumb|Snow-like blanket of [[Mount Pinatubo's ashfall deposits in a parking lot on Clark Air Base (15 June 1991)]]

In addition to potentially affecting the climate, volcanic ash clouds from explosive eruptions pose a serious hazard to aviation. For example, during the 1982 eruption of Galunggung in Java, British Airways Flight 9 flew into the ash cloud, causing it to sustain temporary engine failure and structural damage. Although no crashes have happened due to ash, more than 60, mostly commercial aircraft, have been damaged. Some of these incidents resulted in emergency landings.

Lava

right|thumb|[[Mayon|Mayon Volcano in Philippines extruding lava flows during its eruption on 29 December 2009]]

Lava flows from stratovolcanoes are generally not a significant threat to humans or animals because the highly viscous lava moves slowly enough for everyone to evacuate. Most deaths attributed to lava are due to related causes such as explosions and asphyxiation from toxic gas. Lava flows can bury homes and farms in thick volcanic rock which greatly reduces property value. Lava is typically between 700 and 1,200 °C (1,300–2,200 °F).

Volcanic bombs

Volcanic bombs are masses of unconsolidated rock and lava that are ejected during an eruption. Volcanic bombs are classified as larger than 64mm (2.5 inches). Anything from 2 to 64mm is classified as lapilli. When erupted, volcanic bombs are still molten and partially cool and solidify on their descent. They can form ribbon or oval shapes that can also flatten on impact with the ground. Volcanic bombs are associated with Strombolian and Vulcanian eruptions and basaltic lava. Ejection velocities ranging from 200 to 400 m/s have been recorded causing volcanic bombs to be destructive. Depending on the abundance of volcanic debris the lahar can be fluid or thick like concrete. Lahars have the strength and speed to flatten structures and cause great bodily harm, gaining speeds up to dozens of kilometers per hour. SO₂ classified as a respiratory, skin, and eye irritant if come into contact with. It is known for its pungent egg smell and role in ozone depletion and has the potential to cause acid rain downwind of an eruption. The aerosols that formed from the sulfur dioxide (SO₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and other volcanic gases dispersed around the world. The SO₂ in this cloud combined with water (both of volcanic and atmospheric origin) and formed sulfuric acid, blocking a portion of the sunlight from reaching the troposphere. In the year following the eruption, most of the Northern Hemisphere experienced cooler temperatures during the summer. In the northern hemisphere, 1816 was known as the "Year Without a Summer". The eruption caused crop failures, food shortages, and floods that killed over 100,000 people across Europe, Asia, and North America.