Return to Geology Index PageTypes of Volcanoes
There are three basic types of volcanoes. The shield is the largest with heights up to 40,000 plus feet. These volcanoes have very runny lava and are very quite and non-violent in eruptions. Composite volcanoes are very violent in nature. They have heights 20,000 plus feet. They have mud flows, pyroclastic flows, ash, cinders and bombs. Their lava is very chunky. Composite Volcanoes are also filled with explosive gasses. Cinder Cone Volcanoes are very small with heights up to 1,000 feet. They are the fastest growing of all volcanoes often reaching their maximum height in less than 24 hours. These volcanoes do not produce liquid lava but ash and cinders. This dry nature of lava does not allow the slope of the volcano to exceed 30 degrees limiting the volcano's height, much like trying to build a tall sand castle with dry sand. These volcanoes are non-violent.