| Term | Definition |
| volcano | structure formed when volcanic material builds up on the Earth's crust |
| volcanology | the scientific study of volcanoes |
| magma | a mixture of molten rock and dissolved gases IN the Earth's crust |
| lava | molten rock ON the Earth's surface |
| shield volcano | volcanic cone with a broad base and gently sloping sides |
| cinder cone | volcano made of solid fragments that build up around the vent |
| stratovolcano | an explosive volcano made of "alternating" layers of lava and pyroclastics |
| vent | opening through which lava erupts onto the Earth's surface |
| crater | funnel-shaped pit at the top of a volcanic cone |
| viscosity | the measure of a substance's resistance to flow |
| caldera | large basin-shaped depression in the Earth's crust caused by the explosion or collapse of a volcanic cone |
| mafic lava | a fluid (less viscous) type of lava |
| felsic lava | a thick (more viscous) type of lava |
| andesitic lava | a lava of medium thickness (viscosity) |
| pyroclastics | solid fragments ejected from a volcano |
| lahar | a mudflow caused by the eruption of a volcano |
| aa | jagged chunks of rock formed by the rapid cooling of lava |
| pahoehoe | solidified mafic lava with a wrinkled surface |
| hot spot | area of volcanism within a lithospheric plate |
| fissure | a crack in the Earth's surface through which lava flows |