MEA 101 Exam #2 [2026] ULTIMATE
REVIEW WITH DETAILED SOLUTIONS
• The volume of magma will increase as it rises through the crust and comes closer to
Earth's surface.
Select one:
True
False -✓✓ true
• Which type of volcano is associated with the more viscous magma?
Select one:
a. Shield volcano
b. Composite volcano -✓✓ composite
• Magma viscosity is primarily dependent upon which combination of factors?
Select one:
a. Water content and temperature of the magma
b. Temperature and composition of magma
c. Depth of magma source and gas content of magma
d. Water content and pressure of the magma
e. Basalt content and gas content of magma -✓✓ b
• Which pair of terms would make the best match to fill the blanks in the following
sentence? Gases escape more easily from a viscosity magma; that is why eruptions are
more violent from volcanoes that are supplied by viscosity magma. -✓✓ low, high
• Which volcanic hazard is most likely to cause destruction in some towns located 30-60
kilometers away from a Cascade Range volcano?
Select one:
a. lava flows
b. lahars
c. pyroclastic flows -✓✓ lahars
• Which of the following statements most accurately summarizes volcanic activity in the
states of Washington and Oregon. -✓✓ Seattle is located to the west of the active
volcanoes in the Cascade Range. These composite volcanoes have erupted on
average 1-2 times per century during the past 4000 years and are formed above a
subduction zone on the North American plate where it collides with the Juan de Fuca
plate.
,• Which eruption product travels farthest from the volcano? -✓✓ tephra
• A lahar forms when magma from a volcano interacts with material from what other part
of the earth system -✓✓ Hydrosphere
• Tephra and lahar deposits can both include fine-grained particles as well as boulder-
sized materials.
Select one:
True
False -✓✓ T
• Pyroclastic flows are common products of -✓✓ composite volcanoes
• lava flows form often in association with -✓✓ shield volcanoes
• Which type of volcano is associated with the more viscous magma? -✓✓ composite
• Most active volcanoes on Earth are examples of _________ volcanoes formed in
association with ____________. -✓✓ composite; subduction zones
• Volcanic Dome -✓✓ very viscous lava; relatively small; commonly occurs adjacent to
craters of composite volcanoes
• Basalt is the principal component of which of the following features?
Select one or more:
1. shield volcanoes
2. composite volcanoes
3. oceanic crust
4. continental crust -✓✓ 1,3
• cinder cone -✓✓ explosive liquid lava; small; potentially high gas content
• shield volcano -✓✓ low viscosity liquid lava emitted from a central vent; large
• Composite/Stratovolcano -✓✓ more viscous lavas, much explosive (pyroclastic)
debris; large, emitted from a central vent
• Read the two statements that follow and select the appropriate response.
Shield volcanoes are composed of rocks that form from low silica magma.
Lava domes are composed of rocks with a high silica content.
t/f -✓✓ true
, • Which of the following ground-based volcanic hazards associated with the eruption of
Mt. Saint Helens (i.e., not tephra) covered the largest amount of the surrounding area? -
✓✓ lateral blast deposits
• Which eruption product travels farthest from the volcano? -✓✓ tephra
• Which of the following are examples of data that would be useful for geologists to
collect to potentially predict a volcanic eruption? (select all that apply)
Learning Objective: I can list the features and processes that geologists study when
trying to predict a volcanic eruption.
Choices:
A. seismic measurements
B. gas emission measurements
C. rock samples from near the volcano
D. temperature measurements
E. topographic measurements -✓✓ a,b,d,e
• Which of the following types of volcanoes form triangular-shaped mountains in profile
view? (select all that apply) -✓✓ A. composite volcanoes
B. shield volcanoes
• Massive eruptions have occurred at Yellowstone approximately every 600,000 to
700,000 years. The last one was 640,000 years ago.
t/f -✓✓ true
• What is the most common rock found in composite volcanoes? -✓✓ andesite
• The collapse of rocks overlying a depleted magma chamber is associated with the
eruption of what volcanic feature? -✓✓ caldera
• A caldera is has a smaller eruptive potential than a composite volcano because it is a
much shorter feature (i.e., not a mountain).
t/f -✓✓ f
• hich of the following is the best description of a flood basalt?
Learning Objective: I can describe the characteristics of flood basalts and how they
changed the climate.
Choices:
A. A flood basalt is the technical term for the process that creates basalt at a mid-ocean
ridge
REVIEW WITH DETAILED SOLUTIONS
• The volume of magma will increase as it rises through the crust and comes closer to
Earth's surface.
Select one:
True
False -✓✓ true
• Which type of volcano is associated with the more viscous magma?
Select one:
a. Shield volcano
b. Composite volcano -✓✓ composite
• Magma viscosity is primarily dependent upon which combination of factors?
Select one:
a. Water content and temperature of the magma
b. Temperature and composition of magma
c. Depth of magma source and gas content of magma
d. Water content and pressure of the magma
e. Basalt content and gas content of magma -✓✓ b
• Which pair of terms would make the best match to fill the blanks in the following
sentence? Gases escape more easily from a viscosity magma; that is why eruptions are
more violent from volcanoes that are supplied by viscosity magma. -✓✓ low, high
• Which volcanic hazard is most likely to cause destruction in some towns located 30-60
kilometers away from a Cascade Range volcano?
Select one:
a. lava flows
b. lahars
c. pyroclastic flows -✓✓ lahars
• Which of the following statements most accurately summarizes volcanic activity in the
states of Washington and Oregon. -✓✓ Seattle is located to the west of the active
volcanoes in the Cascade Range. These composite volcanoes have erupted on
average 1-2 times per century during the past 4000 years and are formed above a
subduction zone on the North American plate where it collides with the Juan de Fuca
plate.
,• Which eruption product travels farthest from the volcano? -✓✓ tephra
• A lahar forms when magma from a volcano interacts with material from what other part
of the earth system -✓✓ Hydrosphere
• Tephra and lahar deposits can both include fine-grained particles as well as boulder-
sized materials.
Select one:
True
False -✓✓ T
• Pyroclastic flows are common products of -✓✓ composite volcanoes
• lava flows form often in association with -✓✓ shield volcanoes
• Which type of volcano is associated with the more viscous magma? -✓✓ composite
• Most active volcanoes on Earth are examples of _________ volcanoes formed in
association with ____________. -✓✓ composite; subduction zones
• Volcanic Dome -✓✓ very viscous lava; relatively small; commonly occurs adjacent to
craters of composite volcanoes
• Basalt is the principal component of which of the following features?
Select one or more:
1. shield volcanoes
2. composite volcanoes
3. oceanic crust
4. continental crust -✓✓ 1,3
• cinder cone -✓✓ explosive liquid lava; small; potentially high gas content
• shield volcano -✓✓ low viscosity liquid lava emitted from a central vent; large
• Composite/Stratovolcano -✓✓ more viscous lavas, much explosive (pyroclastic)
debris; large, emitted from a central vent
• Read the two statements that follow and select the appropriate response.
Shield volcanoes are composed of rocks that form from low silica magma.
Lava domes are composed of rocks with a high silica content.
t/f -✓✓ true
, • Which of the following ground-based volcanic hazards associated with the eruption of
Mt. Saint Helens (i.e., not tephra) covered the largest amount of the surrounding area? -
✓✓ lateral blast deposits
• Which eruption product travels farthest from the volcano? -✓✓ tephra
• Which of the following are examples of data that would be useful for geologists to
collect to potentially predict a volcanic eruption? (select all that apply)
Learning Objective: I can list the features and processes that geologists study when
trying to predict a volcanic eruption.
Choices:
A. seismic measurements
B. gas emission measurements
C. rock samples from near the volcano
D. temperature measurements
E. topographic measurements -✓✓ a,b,d,e
• Which of the following types of volcanoes form triangular-shaped mountains in profile
view? (select all that apply) -✓✓ A. composite volcanoes
B. shield volcanoes
• Massive eruptions have occurred at Yellowstone approximately every 600,000 to
700,000 years. The last one was 640,000 years ago.
t/f -✓✓ true
• What is the most common rock found in composite volcanoes? -✓✓ andesite
• The collapse of rocks overlying a depleted magma chamber is associated with the
eruption of what volcanic feature? -✓✓ caldera
• A caldera is has a smaller eruptive potential than a composite volcano because it is a
much shorter feature (i.e., not a mountain).
t/f -✓✓ f
• hich of the following is the best description of a flood basalt?
Learning Objective: I can describe the characteristics of flood basalts and how they
changed the climate.
Choices:
A. A flood basalt is the technical term for the process that creates basalt at a mid-ocean
ridge
