Which influence dominates lava dome morphology on composite cones?

💡 Explanation

Material viscosity dictates lava dome shape because it dictates how easily the lava flows; viscosity overcomes lateral spreading through the mechanism of viscous deformation. Highly viscous lava is therefore stickier, forming steep-sided domes rather than flowing freely, and other factors will only become more significant post-eruption.

• Which process amplifies stream downcutting when tectonic uplift increases erosion rate?
• Which effect occurs when wave refraction focuses on headlands?
• Which effect increases when a pressure gradient intensifies across latitudes?
• Which risk increases when an alluvial river's sediment load is drastically reduced by upstream dam construction?
• Which mechanism primarily sculpts the U-shaped profile of fjords?
• Which outcome primarily occurs via wave refraction around a coastal headland featuring sea stacks?