Scoria cone on Earth
Scoria cone on Earth
Scoria cones are the type of volcano encountered most frequently on Earth. They form steep cones, tapering to a peak, and are comprised of small particles of scoria that are ejected from the volcano’s ‘chimney’. The molten rock fragments cool rapidly, usually forming volcanic glass and basaltic rocks with a high fraction of trapped gas pockets. Scoria cones tend to reach a height of just a few hundred metres. This image shows the Pu’ u ka Pele volcanic cone on the southeastern flank of the over 4000-metre shield volcano Mauna Kea in Hawaii.