Stratovolcanoes: - These are tall, steep, and cone-shaped type of volcanoes.
- Unlike flat shield volcanoes, they have higher peaks.
- They are typically found above subduction zones, and they are often part of large volcanically active regions, such as the Ring of Fire that frames much of the Pacific Ocean.
- They comprise the largest percentage (~60%) of the Earth\'s individual volcanoes, and most are characterized by eruptions of andesite and dacite, lavas that are cooler and more viscous than basalt.
- Their more viscous lavas allow gas pressures to build up to high levels. Therefore, these volcanoes often suffer explosive eruptions.
- They are usually about half-half lava and pyroclastic material, and the layering of these products gives them their other common name of composite volcanoes.
- At the peak, stratovolcanoes usually have a small crater. The crater may be filled with water or ice, or it may contain a volcanic dome during a period of relative inactivity.
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