Earth Science
1st EditionLutgens, Tarbuck
1,618 solutions
Earth Science
14th EditionTarbuck
957 solutions
Earth Science
14th EditionEdward J. Tarbuck
957 solutions
Glencoe Earth Science
1st EditionMcGraw-Hill Education
2,572 solutions
What can increase the explosive potential of magma beneath a volcano?
The amount of dissolved gas in the magma provides the driving force for explosive eruptions.
What increases the potential explosiveness of a volcanic eruption?
Explosive eruptions are favored by high gas content & high viscosity magmas (andesitic to rhyolitic magmas). The explosive bursting of bubbles fragments the magma into clots of liquid that cool as they fall through the air.
What makes magma more explosive?
More crystals in the magma enable more gas bubbles to form, and so they make an eruption more explosive. The rate at which pressure is reduced also affects the explosiveness. If magma moves slowly toward the surface, gases in the magma have more time to escape.
Which of the following factors tend to increase the violence of a volcanic eruption?
Three factors that affect magma viscosity are temperature, composition, and presence of dissolved gases. Explain how the viscosity of magma influences the explosiveness of a volcano. More viscous magmas tend to generate more explosive eruptions.