Question

Belknap volcano
Belknap is a shield volcano, named after its gently sloping sides, which form a long, low hill. In the foreground is the dark lava flows that make up the land around the volcano.

Arenal volcano
Arenal volcano is a nearly perfect cone, with a sharply pointed peak with a crater at the top.

1. Explain how Arenal volcano and Belknap volcano are alike and different. Use evidence from the pictures to support your answer.

Answer 1

They are alike:
- Both are volcanoes — each is a mountain built by volcanic eruptions.
- Both have sloping sides made of volcanic rock and evidence of past lava activity (the text notes dark lava flows around Belknap; Arenal’s cone is built of erupted material).

They are different:
- Shape and slope: Belknap is a shield volcano with long, gentle, low slopes (the picture/description calls it a “long, low hill”); Arenal is a steep, nearly perfect cone with a sharply pointed peak.
- Summit/crater: Arenal has a visible crater at the top and a sharp peak; Belknap’s summit is broad and not sharply peaked.
- Type of eruptions/lava (inferred from shape and photo evidence): Belknap’s broad, gently sloping shape and the extensive dark lava flows in the foreground indicate low-viscosity, fluid lava that traveled far. Arenal’s steep cone shape suggests more viscous or explosive eruptions that pile material up near the vent, producing the steep-sided cone and crater.

In short: both are volcanic mountains, but Belknap is a wide, gently sloping shield built by flowing lava, while Arenal is a steep, pointed cone built by material that stayed close to the vent.