Monogenetic volcanic field

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A monogenetic volcanic field is a volcanic field of small, scattered volcanic vents. These volcanic fields, containing numerous monogenetic volcanoes, are noted for having only one short eruptive event, instead of regular volcanoes that have several eruptive events in their history, like Mt. St. Helens. Monogenetic fields occur only where the magma supply to the volcano is low or where vents are not close enough or large enough to develop plumbing systems for continuous feeding of magma. Monogenetic volcanic fields can provide snapshots of the underlying region beneath the surface, and may be useful in studying the generation of magma and the composition of the mantle since the single eruption produced would match that of the chamber it erupted from.

Some types of volcanoes include cinder cones, lava shields, tuff cones and maars.

Examples of monogenetic volcanic fields:

• Auckland Volcanic Field, underlying much of the city of Auckland, New Zealand and its suburbs
• Parícutin, Michoacán, Mexico