Stratovolcano
A
stratovolcano,
composite cone, or
composite volcano is a tall conical
mountain volcano composed of both hardened
lava and
volcanic ash. These volcanoes form because the lava that formed them was viscous, and so cooled and hardened before spreading, making the steep mountain. Such lava tends to be high in
silica. At the opposite end of the spectrum are
shield volcanoes, which are formed from less viscous lava, giving them a wide base, and shallow slope.
Because most volcanoes have a stratified (layered) structure, some volcanologists prefer to use the term stratovolcano.
Examples are: