Volcanic field

A volcanic field or crater row is an area of Earth's crust that is prone to localized volcanic activity. The type and number of volcanoes required to be called a "field" is not well-defined.^[1] Volcanic fields usually consist of clusters of up to 100 volcanoes such as cinder cones. Lava flows may also occur. They may occur as a monogenetic volcanic field or a polygenetic volcanic field.

Description

Alexander von Humboldt observed in 1823 that geologically young volcanoes are not distributed uniformly across the Earth's surface, but tend to be clustered into specific regions. Young volcanoes are rarely found within cratons, but are characteristic of subduction zones, rift zones, or in ocean basins. Intraplate volcanoes are clustered along hotspot traces.^[2]

Within regions of volcanic activity, volcanic fields are clusters of volcanoes that share a common magma source.^[3] Unlike a large volcano with satellite or subsidiary vents, a volcanic field's vents have their own source of magma, possibly of different compositions (such as basalt and rhyolite), and these vents may span an area of thousands of square miles.^[4] Scoria cones are particularly prone to cluster into volcanic fields, which are typically 30–80 kilometers (19–50 miles) in diameter and consist of several tens to several hundred individual cones. The unusually large Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt has nearly 1000 cones covering an area of 60,000 square kilometers (23,000 sq mi).^[5]

Examples

El Muweilih Crater in Sudan with natron-rich clay on the crater floor

Canada

Atlin Volcanic Field, British Columbia
Desolation Lava Field, British Columbia
Garibaldi Lake volcanic field, British Columbia
Mount Cayley volcanic field, British Columbia
Tuya Volcanic Field, British Columbia
Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field, British Columbia
Wrangell Volcanic Field, Yukon Territory

Mexico

United States

Boring Lava Field, Oregon
Central Colorado volcanic field, Colorado
Clear Lake Volcanic Field, California
Coso Volcanic Field, California
Indian Heaven, Washington
Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
Latir volcanic field, New Mexico
Marysvale Volcanic Field, Utah
Raton-Clayton volcanic field, New Mexico
San Bernardino Volcanic Field, Arizona
San Francisco volcanic field, Arizona
San Juan volcanic field, Colorado
Taos Plateau volcanic field, Taos County, New Mexico
Trans-Pecos Volcanic Field, Texas
Wrangell Volcanic Field, Alaska

Iceland

Sundhnúkur crater row, Reykjanes Peninsula
Central Highlands volcanic field
Vatnajökull volcanic field, South Highlands
Eyjafjallajökull caldera, South Highlands
Ódáðahraun lava-field
Oddnýjarhnjúkur-Langjökull volcanic field
Krýsuvík volcanic field
Laugahraun volcanic field

Africa

Others

Aguas Zarcas volcanic field, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Antofagasta de la Sierra volcanic field, Antofagasta de la Sierra Department, Catamarca Province, Argentina
Auckland volcanic field, North Island, New Zealand
Tawau volcanic field, Sabah, Malaysia
Central Skåne Volcanic Province, Sweden
Chaîne des Puys, Auvergne, France
Cu-Lao Re Group, Vietnam
Laguna Volcanic Field, Philippines
Newer Volcanics Province, Australia
Vulkan Eifel, Germany
Jeju Island, South Korea

References

^ Canon-Tapia, E (December 2017). "From 'Volcanic Field' to 'Volcanic Province': A Continuum of Spatial-Clustered Structures With Geological Significance or a Matter of Academic Snobbism?". American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2017, Abstract #V54A-01. 2017. Bibcode:2017AGUFM.V54A..01C. 'Volcanic Field' is a term commonly used to describe a group of small, monogenetic and dominantly basaltic volcanoes, but that often includes groups of mixed monogenetic and polygenetic edifices. Besides ambiguities on the type of edifice that should be considered to form a VF, there is a lack of agreement concerning the number of volcanoes required to define a VF (ranging from five to over 1000), it is uncertain if the area covered by the volcanoes forming a VF must have a minimum number of volcanoes/unit area, or if the distance between adjacent structures needs to have a specific length. Furthermore, in many cases, it is uncertain whether some area is occupied by two adjacent fields or if it is occupied by two subgroups belonging to a unique field.
^ Schmincke, Hans-Ulrich (2003). Volcanism. Berlin: Springer. pp. 17–19. ISBN 9783540436508.
^ "Volcanic Fields". Capulin Volcano. National Park Service. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
^ Ball, Jessica L (31 May 2023). "Having a (volcanic) field day in California". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
^ Schmincke 2003, p.100

[1] Canon-Tapia, E (December 2017). "From 'Volcanic Field' to 'Volcanic Province': A Continuum of Spatial-Clustered Structures With Geological Significance or a Matter of Academic Snobbism?". American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2017, Abstract #V54A-01. 2017. Bibcode:2017AGUFM.V54A..01C. 'Volcanic Field' is a term commonly used to describe a group of small, monogenetic and dominantly basaltic volcanoes, but that often includes groups of mixed monogenetic and polygenetic edifices. Besides ambiguities on the type of edifice that should be considered to form a VF, there is a lack of agreement concerning the number of volcanoes required to define a VF (ranging from five to over 1000), it is uncertain if the area covered by the volcanoes forming a VF must have a minimum number of volcanoes/unit area, or if the distance between adjacent structures needs to have a specific length. Furthermore, in many cases, it is uncertain whether some area is occupied by two adjacent fields or if it is occupied by two subgroups belonging to a unique field.

[schmincke-2003-17-19-2] Schmincke, Hans-Ulrich (2003). Volcanism. Berlin: Springer. pp. 17–19. ISBN 9783540436508.

[3] "Volcanic Fields". Capulin Volcano. National Park Service. Retrieved 27 October 2020.

[CaliUSGS21May2023-4] Ball, Jessica L (31 May 2023). "Having a (volcanic) field day in California". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 21 July 2023.

[schmincke-2003-100-5] Schmincke 2003, p.100

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

v t e Volcanoes
Types	Caldera Cinder cone Complex volcano Cryovolcano Cryptovolcanic structure Fissure vent Lava cone Lava dome Maar Mud volcano Parasitic cone Pyroclastic cone Pyroclastic shield Rootless cone Shield volcano Somma volcano Stratovolcano Subglacial volcano Submarine volcano Supervolcano Tossol Volcanic cone Harmonic tremor
Volcanic rocks	Agglomerate Andesite Basalt Basaltic andesite Benmoreite Blairmorite Cinder Dacite Felsite Ignimbrite Komatiite Lapilli Latite Leucitite Nephelinite Obsidian Phonolite Phonotephrite Pumice Rhyodacite Rhyolite Tephra Tephriphonolite Trachyandesite Trachybasalt Trachyte Tuff Pyroclastic fall Pyroclastic flow
Lists and groups	Hotspot Lists of volcanoes Eruptions by death toll Decade Volcanoes Volcanic arc Volcanic belt Volcanic field monogenetic polygenetic
Category Commons Portal WikiProject