Do Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Vesuvius have lava associated with them? How do they compare?

Emily

Dear Emily,

Sorry for the delay in answering your question.

Yes, both volcanoes have produced lava flows. All of the eruptions of Vesuvius since 1682 have produce lava flows. Lava erupted at St. Helens is in the form of a dome and these are less frequent than Vesuvius. Lava at St. Helens tends to be andesite and dacite in composition. (LINK TO: http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/rocks.html) Lava at Vesuvius is called leucite based on its composition. It has much less silica and much more potassium.

Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota

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