I suppose I either read or was told, somewhere in early childhood, that volcanoes go *boom* and explode, which for some reason just stuck and I never bothered to re-check. (thinking back on it, I was probably being told about Pompeii, where it did kinda go *boom*)
With footage of Mauna Loa all over the place..that does not look like what kid-me thought a volcanic eruption did.
Do different types of volcanoes erupt differently? Do none erupt like kid-me was told they do?
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I’m no expert on volcanoes, but I’ll do my best to explain how volcanic eruptions work.
First off, not all volcanoes “go boom” like you might have been told when you were a kid. In fact, most volcanic eruptions are not explosive at all. Instead, they tend to be more like a slow and steady flow of lava. This is because different types of volcanoes erupt in different ways, depending on the type of magma (the molten rock that comes out of the volcano) that’s inside.
For example, if the magma is thick and sticky, it will tend to form a big, slow-moving lava flow. This is what you might see happening at Mauna Loa, which is a type of volcano called a shield volcano.
On the other hand, if the magma is thin and runny, it will tend to explode out of the volcano in a big, fiery blast. This is what you might see happening at a volcano like Mount St. Helens, which is a type of volcano called a stratovolcano.
So, to answer your question, different types of volcanoes erupt differently. Some explode, and some don’t. It all depends on the type of magma inside. And, as for kid-you’s idea of what a volcanic eruption looks like, well, I guess that’s just a case of misinformation! Sorry to burst your bubble.
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