What effect does the type of lava have on the form of the volcano?
different lavas cool differently givibg a different look to to the volcano Viscosity is a term that describes the fluidity or “runniness” of the lava. Some lavas are very “runny,” not quite like water, but more like warm honey or hot wax. When these lavas erupt, they flow for large distances before cooling enough to turn solid. You can imagine what kind of volcanic mountain you could make with runny lavas by thinking about (or carefully doing) pouring hot wax on a large sheet of paper. The wax spreads out into a large, flat layer. Let it cool and harden and then pour another layer. The second “flow” of wax will partly pond on the first and partly run off onto the paper to form another flat layer. If you keep pouring more and more “flows,” you will get a large, but almost flat pile of wax. Therefore, many small eruptions of runny lavas form large, almost flat mountains like shield volcanoes. Eruptions of huge amounts of really runny lavas form flood basalt type volcanoes. The viscosity
