Highly viscous felsic magma causes the most violent volcanic eruptions.
Mineral composition of the magma, Rate of cooling of the magma, Temperature of the magma, Presence of volatiles and Amount of water present in the magma.
That entirely depends on what type of magma it is and under what conditions it crystallizes. If you are looking for a general rock type, the answer is igneous, but that's very general.
The composition of Mt. Etna is basaltic.
Nevado del Ruiz is a stratovolcano, so the composition of the magma likely varies over time. The tragic eruption of 1985 involved magma of andesite or dacite composition.
That is known as an "intrusion". The magma (lava) is forced under pressure into cracks and fissures within the older rock. There are some good examples of this type of formation in Yellowstone caldera.
you smell
Mt. Pinatubo is known to have explosive eruptions. The violence of an eruption is influenced by the amount of dissolved gas in the magma, the viscosity of the magma, and the presence of water or other fluids. If the magma has high gas content, is highly viscous, and interacts with water, it can lead to a more violent eruption.
Acidic lava is very viscous, and thus will harden and block the vent. The magma will force its way out through the vent and create a violent explosion.
Magma with low viscosity, such as basaltic magma, typically causes quiet eruptions. This type of magma flows easily and allows gases to escape, resulting in relatively gentle eruptions with less explosive activity.
magma that is low on silica & thin and runny & it flows easily
Thick due to high silica content.
· It is determined by the primary factors of the magma's Temperature, its Composition, and the amount of Dissolved Gases it contains.
The viscosity of magma affects whether or not magma flows away or piles up during an eruption. Viscosity, along with volatiles (dissolved gases) and volume determine whether you have a peaceful eruption or a very violent one.
Powerful and explosive volcanic eruptions are primarily caused by magma that is high in silica content, resulting in a viscous, thick consistency. This type of magma, often referred to as rhyolitic magma, traps gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide. As pressure builds due to the accumulation of these gases, it can lead to violent eruptions when the magma finally escapes. In contrast, basaltic magma, which is lower in silica, tends to produce more effusive eruptions.
Rhyolitic magma. This type of magma is found where the gases can't escape like in volcanic eruptions. Because the gas can not escape, the magma becomes viscous, resulting in the explosions being violent and unpredictable. The other type of magma is Basaltic magma. This can be found where continent plates are pulling away from each other and the magma is nearer the surface. This allows the gas to escape and therefore the magma is less viscous and doesn't result in explosive volcanoes, here eruptions are gentle and 'rifts' are more likely, where lava is persistent. I hope this helps! :)
Thick, viscous magma builds resists eruption more than a thinner, runnier magma. This causes the thick, viscous magma to build up far more pressure which leads to far more violent eruptions. Shield volcanoes generally have a thinner, runnier magma, which is why their eruptions have longer, less violent cycles, such as Kilauea which has been erupting non-stop since 1983. Stratovolanoes generally have a thicker, viscous magma which results in incredibly violent, explosive eruptions which eject large masses of rock and ash far up into the air, such as the eruptions of Mt. St. Helens and Krakatoa.
The rate of cooling of the magma determines the type of mineral formed by the magma or lava..