Pick three of the following volcanic regions and assign each of them to one of the three types of volcanism (convergent plate boundaries, divergent plate boundaries, or intraplate volcanism):

Question

a. Crater Lake
b. Hawaii's Kilauea
c. Mount St. Helens
d. East African Rift
e. Yellowstone
f. Vesuvius
g. Deccan Plateau
h. Iceland
Give a brief explanation of how the volcanoes formed at each of the three locations you select.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: Answers will vary and will no doubt reflect emphasis on specific areas by the instructor, but may look something like this:
a. Crater Lake—composite volcano due to subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate beneath western North America.
b. Hawaii's Kilauea—shield volcano due to hot spot under Pacific Plate.
c. Mount St. Helens—composite volcano due to subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate beneath western North America.
d. East African Rift—divergent boundary; continental rift. Kilimanjaro is an example of an off-axis volcano due to decompression melting beneath.
e. Yellowstone—caldera due to hot spot under North American Plate
f. Vesuvius—composite volcano in Italy.
g. Deccan Plateau—flood basalts in India that erupted during the Cretaceous.
h. Iceland—divergent boundary (Mid-Atlantic Ridge).