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Volcano Terminology

The study of volcanoes, or Volcanology, includes many odd terms. How many of these do you know? The term nuée ardente, or "glowing cloud" was first used by La Croix (1904) in his description of the volcanic flows he observed in the 1902 eruption of Mt Pelée, a historically active volcano on the island of Martinique.

There are many different types of volcanic eruptions and landforms. They can be classified according to the degree of "explosiveness" and the height of the eruption column:

Investigate each type by clicking on a picture
each link will open its own browser window

Volcano Web : Terminology

created by Lorrie Lava, lava@pele.bigu.edu
Volcanic Studies, Big University

last modified: April 1, 1995

URL: http://www.bigu.edu/web/term.html