I got this picture from http://www2.edc.org/sciencequest/2001/SQ0110360/valcanoparts2.html. It is relevant because here I am talking about different parts and aspects of volcanoes.
The magma reservoir basically speaks for itself. It's a chamber way underneath the earth's surface, and holds gallons of magma, which sits there. This is also where the magma in an eruption comes from.
A vent is a tube that goes through the volcano, and this comes from the magma reservoir, straight to the top of the volcano. This allows magma to travel up from the magma reservoir during an eruption.
A crater is a circular (generally) opening in the top of the volcano. This is the top of the vent, the opening onto the top of the volcano. The sizes of craters are very different. They can range from huge openings, to very small, due to the lack of an eruption. Sometimes the crater size can grow, if the volcano erupts and the rock around the edge of the crater crumbles.
A summit is the very highest point of the volcano. Every volcano has one, no matter how small it is.
A dike is more or less a barrier. It is an obstacle that blocks things from getting by. These dikes range from very small sizes, to huge barriers.
Ash and lava layers cause the volcano to get it's cone-shape. As the volcano erupts, the materials come out of the crater. As these fall, they cool and harden, slowly creating these ash and lava layers. As many layers come out, they pile on top of each other, and the pressure pushes down on it, allowing the layers to stay where they are.
A parasitic cone is like another vent that is in the volcano. It is not like the main vent, is it a lot smaller then it, and does not come out of the main crater. It comes out of the side of the volcano, and occurs when there is a block in the main vent.
These are many of the typical features you may find in a volcano. Thanks for reading and stay posted for more!!
Steph
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