Types of Volcanoes

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Volcanoes are natural openings in the Earth's surface where molten rock, called magma escape from beneath the crust. During a volcanic eruption, gas and ash are often released along with lava, blasting into the atmosphere and spreading over large areas. These eruptions can vary from gentle lava flows to violent explosions.

Volcanoes come in different shapes and sizes, depending on how they erupt and what kind of material they release. There are cinder cones, lava domes, shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes, calderas, and fissure volcanoes.

Let’s explore the six main types of volcanoes, along with some real-world examples.

Cinder cone volcanoes are the smallest type. They form when lava is ejected violently into the air, breaking into small fragments called cinders that fall around the vent. This builds a steep-sided cone.

A good example is Parícutin in Mexico, which erupted in 1943 and grew over 400 metres high in just a few years.

Lava dome volcanoes form when thick, viscous lava is slowly squeezed out of the vent. Instead of flowing far, the lava piles up near the opening, creating a dome shape.

An example is the lava dome that formed inside the crater of Mount St. Helens after its 1980 eruption.

Shield volcanoes have wide, gentle slopes. They are built by low-viscosity lava that flows over great distances before cooling. These volcanoes are usually very large in size.

The Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii is one of the most well-known shield volcanoes in the world—and also one of the most massive.

Stratovolcanoes, or composite volcanoes, are tall, symmetrical volcanoes made up of alternating layers of lava, ash, and volcanic rock. They often have explosive eruptions due to thicker, gas-rich magma.

Mount Vesuvius in Italy and Japan's famous Mount Fuji are classic examples of stratovolcanoes.

A caldera forms when a massive eruption empties a magma chamber beneath the volcano. With no support underneath, the surface collapses inward, creating a large depression.

Crater Lake in Oregon, USA, is a caldera that formed when Mount Mazama erupted around 7,700 years ago.

Fissure volcanoes don’t form a central cone. Instead, magma rises through long cracks in the Earth’s crust, called fissures, and erupts along a linear vent. These eruptions can produce large, widespread lava flows.

One of the most famous examples is the Laki fissure in Iceland, which erupted in 1783. It released huge volumes of lava and gases, affecting climate and agriculture across Europe.

There are also submarine volcanoes on the ocean floor. They are the most common type of volcano on Earth, but they’re often unnoticed because they lie underwater. These volcanoes can build up over time and occasionally form new islands—the most famous example being the Hawaiian Islands, which were formed by volcanic activity rising from a hotspot beneath the Pacific Ocean.

Each type of volcano tells us something unique about the powerful forces shaping our planet from within. Sometimes, volcanoes can even form within other volcanoes—for example, Mount Bromo is a stratovolcano located inside a caldera, and Mount St. Helens contains a lava dome forming inside its main crater after its 1980 eruption.

Volcanoes come in many forms, each with its own shape, behaviour, and story—revealing just how diverse and dynamic our planet truly is.