Which volcano type is small, steep-sided, built from tephra and cinders?

• A. Volcanic domes
• B. Volcanic cones
• C. Calderas
• D. Stratovolcanoes

Answer: (B)

Volcanic cones are small, steep-sided mounds formed from tephra and cinders that fall around the vent during eruptions. As ash, pumice, and other tephra fall back to the ground, they accumulate into a cone shape with a crater at the summit. This tephra-built construction makes the sides sharp and steep, unlike other volcano types. By contrast, volcanic domes are formed from viscous lava that piles up near the vent, producing a rounded, bulbous form rather than a sharp cone. Calderas are vast depressions created when a large eruption empties a magma chamber and the ground collapses. Stratovolcanoes are large, multi-layered mountains built from alternating lava flows and tephra, so they’re much bigger and more complex than a small cone. The description matches the tephra- and cinder-built, steep-sided mound of a volcanic cone.