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Volcanic plug
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic landform created when lava hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When forming, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of pressure if volatile-charged magma is trapped beneath it, and this can sometimes lead to an explosive eruption. If a plug is preserved, erosion may remove the surrounding rock while the erosion-resistant plug remains, producing a distinctive landform.
Examples of landforms created in this way in the United States include Morro Rock, California; Lizard Head, Colorado; and Shiprock, New Mexico. Devils Tower in Wyoming is also thought to be a volcanic plug by many geologists. The only example of a volcanic plug in the eastern USA is the highly eroded Stark's Knob basaltic structure located along the Hudson River near Saratoga Springs, New York.[citation needed] Also, the little devils postpile located in Yosemite National Park. However, some geologists believe Stark's Knob is not a plug at all, but merely an outcrop of an ancient submarine lava flow.
Subsequent glacial erosion can lead to exposure of the plug on one side, while a long slope of material remains on the lee side. Such landforms are called crag and tail. Examples include the Castle Rock in Edinburgh, Scotland.
