Lava spine

A lava spine at the summit of Mount Pelée in 1902

A lava spine is a vertically growing monolith of viscous lava that is slowly forced from a volcanic vent, such as those growing on a lava dome (Bates & Jackson, 1987). It may also be considered a kind of dome called a spiny dome (Fink & Anderson, 2000). In February 1983, the dome activity of Mount St. Helens culminated in a spine that reached a height of about 100 ft before collapsing after two weeks, but another lava spine called the Whaleback never collapsed. A diatreme may also be referred to as a lava spine, such as the example of Mount Pelee in 1902. [1] [2] [3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bates, Robert L. (1987). Jackson, Julia A., ed. Glossary of Geology (3rd ed.).
  2. ↑ Sigurdsson, H; B. F. Houghton (2000). Encyclopedia of Volcanoes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 310–311.
  3. ↑ "History- Mt. St. Helens". Retrieved October 2, 2011.
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