Olivia Grove

Technical Definition and Description of Active Volcanoes

English 317, Project 2
February 21, 2016

Volcanoes form over thousands to millions of years. Active volcanoes in the

Cascade Mountain Range in the Pacific Northwest are located in a very geologically
active region of the United States. The Juan de Fuca tectonic plate underneath the
Pacific Ocean is colliding with the North American plate, forming what is called a
convergent boundary. A convergent boundary happens when two plates build so
much pressure that one of them gets forced underneath the other. At this point in
time, the Juan de Fuca plate is being forced underneath the North American plate.
Located directly above the area of subduction is the Cascade Mountain Range in the
Pacific Northwest. When the plates press and grind against each other, it creates
high amounts of friction, which causes the thick crustal rock to melt and become
magma. The magma gets pushed upward, and can cause areas of land to bulge,
crack, and break. In the case of the Mount St. Helens in Washington, the Juan de
Fuca plate lurched underneath the N. American plate with magnificent force. This
lurch in the ground caused several moderate earthquakes that occurred all across
the Pacific Northwest. Earthquakes play a large role in volcanic activity. The
disturbance in the plates often forces magma further upward, causing a huge
increase in temperature and pressure as gases and molten rock collide with each
other. When this pressure becomes too great, the volcano will erupt with force that
is incomprehensible to human scale.
In the case of the Mount St. Helens eruption, the ash cloud was the greatest
danger, and not lava flow. The initial ash cloud can erupt several vertical miles into
the air. When it settles on the ground, several feet of fine, volcanic ash collects. This
is the biggest concern for residents who live near active volcanoes. The air quality
becomes severely unbreathable, as the fine ash particles can get into the lungs and
solidify. The other threat to safety is forest fires from potentially flowing lava. In
general, volcanic eruptions cause more damage to property than to lives. Mount St.
Helens has historically erupted approximately every 100 years. The degree to which
we can predict volcanoes is somewhat limited. They tend occur directly after an
earthquake. However, volcanologists can study the bulging and increasing in size of
volcanic domes, and an eruption can be detected days, weeks, or even months in
advance. There is usually enough time to evacuate everyone who may be affected
by the volcanic ash blast. A few days before Mount St. Helens erupted, officials were
able to evacuate residents days before the monstrous ash cloud eruption. Volcanoes
are typically feared among people who are not sure of their predictability. Although
they arent a huge threat, they should be treated with much precaution.

A. Oceanic Crust underneath Pacific Ocean

a. Tends to be thinner than continental crust
B. Juan de Fuca tectonic plate
C. Earthquakes triggered in this area due to plates colliding and sliding past one
another
a. The biggest earthquakes occur in subduction zones just like this one
D. Ocean crust melted and destroyed due to high friction and heat
a. Heated rock is still at a solid state
E. Continental Crust below United States
a. Heavier and thicker than oceanic crust
F. North American Tectonic Plate
G. Friction and heat increase, turning slightly molten rock into liquid magma
a. Increases buoyancy
b. Travels upward through the vent of the volcano
H. Magma chamber deep below the Earths surface
a. Can be up to miles
b. Extreme geothermal heat
c. Often extremely large bodies of magma