Get a look inside these mountains of fire

By Sara Thompson

Special to the Enterprise

The word “volcano” comes from “Vulcan,” the fire god of Roman mythology.

Around 75% of the world’s volcanoes are located in the Ring of Fire, an area ringing the Pacific Ocean and is also where many tectonic plate boundaries converge.

There are a number of ways to classify volcanoes depending on size, shape, the ways they erupt, how the lava flows, chemical makeup of the resulting rocks, etc. The three most well-known varieties are called composite, cinder and shield volcanoes.

Composite volcanoes are likely what most people think of when they think volcano. They are tall, steep, and often part of mountain ranges. They have a concave, conical shape, and will usually become steeper nearer the summit. They obtain their tall stature from countless eruptions and lava flows over time. The layering of the lava continues to build up the mountainous volcano until it towers above all else.

This type of volcano can be active over tens to hundreds of thousands of years. Even though they are formed by layered flows, they can have large, explosive eruptions. The famous eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 was from a composite volcano. The top may no longer exist, but now the volcano can continue to build itself back up again into the picturesque cone shape in many of our minds.

Cinder volcanoes are the most common type of volcano in the world. They also have a cone-like shape but have a distinctive crater on the top. These volcanoes have an average height of 100 to

150 meters, but can get as tall as 300 meters. They often have the igneous rock, scoria, surrounding them. Scoria are irregularshaped stones with lots of cavities from gas bubbles inside. When cinder volcanos erupt, small blobs of lava are shot into the air and are cooled forming rock by the time they land. Cinder volcanoes have milder eruptions than other volcano types and have fewer “explosive” episodes.

Shield volcanoes are the

Pets of the week

Enterprise staff

Lots of animals are waiting for “forever homes” at the Yolo County Animal Shelter, 2640 E. Gibson Road in Woodland.

Among them is Pippin (A202056), a gorgeous white Chihuahua whose good looks and darling personality win over everyone’s heart. Pippin is great with families but not always sure when meeting new dogs.

Pippin will warm up once he feels secure and jump in your lap or play with another pup in no time.

Also hoping for a good home is Reese (A201338), a darling 3-year-old male American bully mix. Reese has a charming smile and a short, chunky body that will steal your heart in an instant. Resse is laid-back, calm and likes short walks and lots of cuddles. Reese is good in a car and has a fun video profile on AdoptMeApp.

Saphira (AA200612) is a beautiful 2-year old husky who loves to train and learn new tricks. Saphira is easy to walk on largest volcano variety. They have gentle slopes and flatter summits, looking like shields laying on the ground, which gives them their name. They are built by intermittent eruptions over millions of years. The largest active volcano on the planet is a shield volcano. Mauna Loa is more than 10,000 meters tall from its base on the sea floor.

All the volcanoes that created the Hawaiian Islands are shield volcanoes, and even though they are close together, they have separate magma chambers, making them all separate volcanos.

Volcanic eruptions can be devastating to witness, but areas with volcanic activity have some of the most fertile soil from the minerals present in volcanic ash and rocks. It can be strange to think of the same thing that brings destruction can also help life thrive. Learn more about volcanoes and igneous rocks at our exhibit “Explorit Rocks!”

Explorit is open to the public on Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $5 per person. Explorit Members, ASTC, and those age 2 and under free.

Explorit's coming events: n Missed Big Day of Giving? No problem, any time is a great time to donate and help Explorit continue to educate and inspire the scientists of tomorrow: https://www.explorit.org/donate n A Membership to Explorit grants the recipient free visits to Explorit’s regular public hours, discounts on events, summer camps and workshops, and gives you ASTC benefits to visit other museums throughout the world. To purchase or for more information visit https://www. explorit.org/membership or call Explorit at 530-756-0191. daily walks and friendly with people and may even do well with another family dog.

— Explorit Science Center is at 3141 Fifth St. For information, call 530-756-0191 or visit http:// www.explorit.org, or “like” the Facebook page at www.facebook. com/explorit.fb.

To find out more about Saphira go to AdoptMeApp.

For information on adopting, contact adopt ycas@gmail.com. All shelter animals are up-to-date on vaccinations, micro- chipped, and spayed or neutered.

Staff is available to assist via phone during business hours at 530-6685287. Shelter hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. To meet any adoptable YCAS animals, visit friendsofycas.org.

To volunteer, sign up at tinyurl.com/yolovolunteer app. Follow on at @ycas. shelter and Instagram at @yoloanimalshelter.

At Rotts of Friends Animal Rescue, you’ll find Poppy, a young, spayed female yellow Labrador retriever. She is a supersweet girl who loves to play and is very friendly.

She came to Rotts right before giving birth to a litter of puppies. Now the pups are old enough and have found homes of their own so it’s Poppy’s turn. She is smart and gorgeous.

Trinity is a young, spayed female shepherdRott mix. She is a dog- and people-friendly girl who loves to play with her stuffed toys and loves water play.

Trinity needs a brush up on her obedience training and will be enrolled when our next group of classes begin. Trinity has a heart of gold and will be a wonderful addition for a family or single.

Rotts of Friends adoption event is from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturdays at 34505 County Road 29 in Woodland. Come by 10 a.m., as it takes at least an hour to meet and adopt a dog; everyone who will be living with the dog should come out to meet it.

Bring proof of homeownership, such as a mortgage statement or property tax bill. If you rent, bring proof that you are allowed to have a dog in your home, such as a pet clause in your lease or a note from your landlord.

All dogs adopted from Rotts of Friends are healthy, microchipped, upto-date on their vaccines and come with free lifetime obedience-training classes. For information, visit facebook.com/rotts offriends.