Volcano Lab

Volcano Simulation – Eruption Style & Magma Dynamics

Volcanoes express the transfer of heat and material from Earth's mantle to the surface, with eruption style controlled largely by magma composition, gas content, and viscosity. This simulation connects magma chemistry to eruption behavior, showing why silica-rich rhyolite produces explosive Plinian columns while low-viscosity basaltic lava flows quietly from shield volcanoes. Explore volcanic hazards from lava flows and pyroclastic density currents to ashfall and volcanic gases.

What you can do in this simulation

• Vary magma silica content and dissolved gas pressure to switch between effusive lava flows and explosive eruption columns
• Model lava flow advance rate and cooling distance as a function of eruption rate and slope gradient
• Simulate a pyroclastic density current and examine how flow density and temperature change downslope
• Observe how volcanic ash dispersal responds to wind direction and eruption column height
• Compare the shapes of shield, stratovolcano, and cinder-cone edifices built from repeated eruption cycles

Concepts covered

magma viscosity · eruption style · pyroclastic density current · lava flow · volcanic hazards · silica content

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