volcanism
Sign in to saveVolcanism, vulcanism, volcanicity, or volcanic activity is the phenomenon where solids, liquids, gases, and their mixtures erupt to the surface of a solid-surface astronomical body such as a planet or a moon. It is caused by the presence of a heat source, usually internally generated, inside the body; the heat is generated by various processes, such as radioactive decay or tidal heating. This heat partially melts solid material in the body or turns material into gas. The mobilized material rises through the body's interior and may break through the solid surface.
AI overview
Volcanism is the eruption of solids, liquids, gases, and mixtures from the interior of planets or moons through their solid surfaces, driven by internal heat sources like radioactive decay or tidal heating. It matters because it reveals how internal planetary processes work and demonstrates the dynamic, active nature of celestial bodies.
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Article
41 sectionsContents
- Causes
- Heat source
- Melting methods
- Decompression melting
- Flux melting
- Formation of cryomagma reservoirs
- Ascent of melts
- Diapirs
- Dikes
- Standpipe model
- Cryovolcanic melt ascent
- Types
- Silicate volcanism
- Mud volcanoes
- Cryovolcanism
- Sulfur
- Lava types
- Gentle/explosive activity
- Causes of explosive activity
- Exsolution of volatiles
- Physics of a volatile-driven explosive eruption
- Volcanic ash formation
- Pyroclastic flows
- Phreatic eruption
- Phreatomagmatic eruption
- Clathrate hydrates
- Water vapor in a vacuum
- Occurrence
- Earth
- Moon
- Venus
- Mars
- Moons of Jupiter
- Io
- Europa
- Moons of Saturn and Neptune
- Exoplanets
- See also
- References
- External links
- Further reading
Volcanism, vulcanism, volcanicity, or volcanic activity is the phenomenon where solids, liquids, gases, and their mixtures erupt to the surface of a solid-surface astronomical body such as a planet or a moon. It is caused by the presence of a heat source, usually internally generated, inside the body; the heat is generated by various processes, such as radioactive decay or tidal heating. This heat partially melts solid material in the body or turns material into gas. The mobilized material rises through the body's interior and may break through the solid surface.
==Causes== thumb|upright=1.75|Cross section (geology)|Cross section diagram of Earth showing some settings for volcanism on the planet For volcanism to occur, the temperature of the mantle must have risen to about half its melting point. At this point, the mantle's viscosity will have dropped to about 1021 Pascal-seconds. When large scale melting occurs, the viscosity rapidly falls to 103 Pascal-seconds or even less, increasing the heat transport rate a million-fold.