Explosive Discoveries: Top 10 Fun Facts About Composite Volcanoes You Won't Believe

1. The Stratovolcanowich Recipe

Ladies and gentlemen, gather 'round for the multi-layered goodness of the stratovolcanowich! Stack up some bubbling lava, a sprinkle of volcanic ash, toss in a few explosive cinders, blocks, and bombs, and voilà, you've got yourself an earth-built mountain sub! The real deal: Composite volcanoes, aka stratovolcanoes, are formed by alternating layers of lava flows, volcanic ash, cinders, blocks, and bombs and can be found in stunning examples like Mount Fuji and Mount Cotopaxi; each rising up to 8,000 feet above their base with a central vent or clustered group of vents in the summit crater.
Source => pubs.usgs.gov

2. The Unpredictable Ballroom Dancers

If composite volcanoes were ballroom dancers, they'd be the ones to throw you up in the air and neglect to catch you, leaving you in a cloud of their proverbial volcanic ash: These tall, alternating lava and ash layered beauties, like Mount Vesuvius and Mount St. Helens, are known for their explosive eruptions, viscous lava, and the ability to blanket entire regions in a dreary creation of ash clouds.
Source => bartleby.com

Did you know that most newly-formed volcanic islands vanish quickly, but a 2014 eruption created an island that still supports plant and animal life? Discover this rare phenomenon!

=> Fun Facts about Volcanoes

3. Layer Dip Intensity

If you think party layer dip is intense, wait till you see a composite volcano: They're formed through alternating layers of lava flows, volcanic ash, cinders, blocks, and bombs, making them the most dangerous and explosively fabulous of all volcanoes!
Source => pubs.usgs.gov

4. Magmatic Buffets

They say variety is the spice of life, and composite volcanoes are not ones to disappoint with their magmatic buffets: erupting a delightful mix of compositions from basalt to rhyolite, these geological showstoppers often serve up andesitic and dacitic dishes, like Mount Rainier's pièce de résistance of lava flow and lahar deposit entrees.
Source => nps.gov

5. Volcanic Party Crashers

If Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainer, and Mount Pinatubo walked into a bar, you'd get quite an explosive reaction: these party crashers are composite volcanoes, made of felsic to intermediate rock with steep slopes, found along subduction zones and known for their gas-rich, high-powered eruptions!
Source => opengeography.org

6. Drama Queens of the Volcanic World

Step aside, furious tempests and rampaging tornadoes, for the theatrical drama queens of the volcanic world have something to say: Composite volcanoes, or stratovolcanoes, erupt with great splendor, spewing forth a lethal mix of superheated gases, ash, and hot debris, often without warning. These divas also generate lahars - a deadly blend of water and volcanic debris - that can bring about catastrophic landslides, wipe out infrastructures, and even influence global weather patterns.
Source => thoughtco.com

7. Fashionista Composite Volcanoes

Behold, the mighty composite volcano: part lava-spewing beast, part volcanic fashionista, sporting layers of ash, mudflows, and fiery domes to strut along the fiery runway known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. This explosive natural wonder is also called a stratovolcano: a towering conical masterpiece featuring a steep runway slope and a wardrobe full of volcanic materials lasting tens to hundreds of thousands of years, waiting to put on quite the show during its next eruption.
Source => nps.gov

8. Redoubt's 1989 Party

Who said volcanoes can't be "redoubt-ably" amusing? Some of our favorite National Park residents like to party like it's 1989: Redoubt Volcano in Lake Clark National Park had an explosive celebration worthy of volcanic fame that very year.
Source => nps.gov

9. Earth's Pyrotechnic Performance

If you've ever wanted to witness nature's explosive fireworks display up close and personal, just head on over to the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the Earth is basically saying "hold my beer" as it puts on an epic pyrotechnic performance: This dazzling region is home to composite volcanoes that form along subduction zones, making it one of the most active and jaw-dropping volcanic belts in the world.
Source => nps.gov

10. Composite Volcano's Relationship Drama with Hawaii

If composite volcanoes had a social media profile, they'd probably set their relationship status to "It's Complicated" with Hawaii: Unlike the Hawaiian Islands, which are primarily made up of chill shield volcanoes, composite volcanoes or stratovolcanoes have a bit more of a saucy presence in other parts of the world. The Big Island, however, sparks up the drama with five primary volcanoes; including Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth, and Kilauea, one of the most productive planetside in terms of lava output.
Source => soest.hawaii.edu