What is the difference between a quiet and explosive eruption

The silica makes felsic magma sticky and more viscous, therefore it is harder for gas bubbles to escape from the volcano. As a result pressure tends to build up and up until the overlying rocks can no longer take the strain and an explosion results.

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Miscellaneous What is the difference between a quiet and explosive volcanic eruption? Find out about the different types of volcanic hazards that put human lives, livelihoods or infrastructure at risk of harm. It may seem unwise to choose to live with such a hazardous neighbour as a volcano. There are a number of reasons why people live alongside volcanoes.

Eruption styles Discovering Geology — Volcanoes. Explosive eruptions. You may also be interested in. Discovering Geology Discovering Geology introduces a range of geoscience topics to school-age students and learners of all ages. Earth hazards The Earth beneath our feet is constantly shifting and moving, and violently with catastrophic and immediate results. Volcanoes We have a team of volcanologists that works on various research projects in locations around the world to help governments and local people to understand volcano behaviour.

How volcanoes form How the different types of volcano are formed and the relationship with plate tectonics. Staff Search. Global Ash Impact Posters. Eruption: What to do. New Zealand Volcanoes. Volcanic Hazards. Monitoring Our Volcanoes. Volcanoes at a Plate Boundary. Lesson Plans. Without them, the Earth would have no atmosphere or oceans. Volcanoes are essentially openings in the crust of the Earth, and they can expel lava, gases, ash and rocks. Eruptions can range from a gentle gurgle to a violent, deadly burst.

Eruptions occur when pressure inside the volcano increases, causing its molten liquid rock to shift and release its energy. These relatively tame eruptions are characterized by an outpouring of thin, liquid-like lava, as seen with many Hawaiian volcanoes. Explosive eruptions, on the other hand, conjure up images of a Mount Saint Helens-like blast, generally posing a far greater threat to human life and property. The consistency of lava expelled from effusive eruptions is similar to that of a raw egg, while in an explosive eruption, the volcano expels lava is thicker -- more similar to a soft-boiled, hard-boiled and scrambled egg -- or even the shell.

Outside of the kitchen, this means that the primary product of quiet eruptions is runny lava, while the most explosive eruptions spew forth not only thicker lava, but also rock fragments and noxious gases, which can pummel down the sides of the volcano at speeds of nearly kilometers per hour about 60 miles per hour.

Known as pyroclastic flows, these fast-moving rivers of destruction are the most deadly component of explosive eruptions.