Volcano's Structure

A volcano consists of a few main parts: vent, pipe, crater and cone. The vent is an opening in the Earth's crust. Magma comes out through the vent. The pipe is a 'corridor' through which the magma rises to the surface during an eruption. The crater is a bowl-shaped hole at the top of the volcano. Volcanic materials like ash, lava, cinders and different gases form the volcanic crater. Some gases are toxic and they can suffocate people. Ash, lava and cinders are different forms of the Earth's magma and rocks that have been broken into pieces. When they cool down and harden they form the volcanic cone. Volcanic lava and ash are mixed in, forming the volcanic cone.



1. Large magma chamber
2. Bedrock
3. Conduit (pipe)
4. Base
5. Sill
6. Dike
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
8. Flank
9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
10. Throat
11. Parasitic cone
12. Lava flow
13. Vent
14. Crater
15. Ash cloud