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Fumarole
A '''fumarole''' (Latin ''fumus'', smoke) is an opening in Earth's (or any other astronomical body's) Crust (geology)|crust, often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emits steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide. The name '''solfatara''', from the Italian language|Italian ''solfo'', sulfur (via the Sicily|Sicilian dialect), is given to fumaroles that emit sulfurous gases.
Fumaroles may occur along tiny cracks or long fissures, in chaotic clusters or fields, and on the surfaces of lava flows and thick deposits of pyroclastic flows. A '''fumarole field''' is an area of Hot springs|thermal springs and gas vents where magma or hot igneous rocks at shallow depth are releasing gases or interacting with groundwater. From the perspective of groundwater, fumaroles could be described as a hot spring that boils off all its water before the water reaches the surface.
A good example of fumarole activity on Earth is the famous Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, which was formed during the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska. Initially, there were thousands of fumaroles in the cooling Volcanic ash|ash from the eruption, but over time most of them have become extinct. Fumaroles may persist for decades or centuries if they are above a persistent heat source, or disappear within weeks to months if they occur atop a fresh volcanic deposit that quickly cools. There are also an estimated four thousand fumaroles within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park.
Another example is an array of fumaroles in the Valley of Desolation in Morne Trois Pitons National Park in Dominica.
Other Images
Image:Sulpherous Fumeroles.jpg|Sulfurous fumaroles, Whakaari/White Island, New Zealand
Image:Sulfur_deposits_near_a_fumarole-750px.jpg|Sulfur deposits near a fumarole
Image:RincónFumarole Apr2003.jpg|Fumarole at Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
Image:Baker Fumarole.jpg|Sampling gases at a fumarole on Mount Baker in Washington, USA.
See also
- Mudpot
- Mud volcano
- Mofetta
References
- USGS Photo Glossary: Fumarole
Category:Hydrothermal vents
simple:Fumarole
Related Images
Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL
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