Volcanologists classify eruptions largely by two properties of the rising magma: how thick (viscous) it is, and how much gas is dissolved in it. Viscosity controls how easily gas bubbles can escape; gas content controls how much pressure builds up if they can't. Together they determine whether an eruption oozes, spatters, blasts, or produces a towering ash column.
The 1991 Plinian eruption of Mount Pinatubo injected roughly 20 million tonnes of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, cooling global average temperatures by about 0.5°C for over a year — a striking demonstration of how magma chemistry can have planetary-scale consequences.
A 3D volcano whose eruption behaviour is driven live by magma viscosity and dissolved gas content, sweeping through the classic effusive → Strombolian → Vulcanian → Plinian sequence.
Viscosity governs how easily gas bubbles escape magma; gas content governs how much pressure builds up if they can't. Their combination — not either factor alone — determines whether an eruption oozes, spatters, blasts, or columns.
Drag the viscosity and gas sliders and watch the eruption style badge update in real time, from quiet lava flows to a sustained Plinian ash column. Conduit width scales how much material can ascend per second.
The 1991 Plinian eruption of Mount Pinatubo injected roughly 20 million tonnes of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, cooling global average temperatures by about 0.5°C for over a year.