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Just adding to your reply for anyone who is curious. The reason these volcanoes are not explosive is because the magma has low silica content, this makes it les
by tracerbulletx 3y ago
Just adding to your reply for anyone who is curious. The reason these volcanoes are not explosive is because the magma has low silica content, this makes it less viscous and more runny so it doesn't build up explosive pressure the same way. In the case of Hawaii and Iceland this is because it comes directly from a mantle hot spot up through thin oceanic crust. Silica is mostly found in the crust so magma like in the Cascades that melts through thicker continental plate has a lot more of it and results in Mt. St Helens style eruptions.