Kinds of volcanoes

Volcanoes are divided into three main categories:-> shield volcanoes, cinder cones and composite volcanoes

(Mauna Loa)

Shield volcanoes are formed when lava flowing freely is spilt from a vent and spreads widely.The lava gradually builds up into a small and broad dome-shaped mountains.The Mauna Loa in Hawaii is a shield mountain.

(Paricutin)

Cinder Cones build up when tephra erupts and falls back to earth around the vent. The piled-up lava, which is generally cinders, forms a cone-shaped mountain. Paricutin in western Mexico is a well-known cinder cone.

(Mount Fuji)

Composite volcanoes is formed when both lava and tephra erupt from the central vent. The materials gatherand accumulate in alternate layers(one layer of tephra, one layer of lava etc.) around the vent and forms a cone-shaped mountain. Mount Fuji in Japan is a composite volcano.

(Sebic Crater Lake)

Occasionally, the magma chamber of volcanoes become nearly empty when most of the magma erupts on the surface. Because of its emptiness, it cannot support the volcano above, thus causing a large portion of the volcano to collapse, creating a huge crater called a caldera. Scenic Crater lake in Oregon, U.S.A., is a caldera that has been filled with water.