How does the formation of a composite volcano happen?

Today there are several active volcanoes in the world, the most famous of them being Kilauea volcano on Hawaii, followed by Mt.Etna in Italy and Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. It is estimated that there are over a thousand volcanoes around the world. read more

These composite volcanoes form in chains tens of kilometers long and can have heights up to 3,000 meters. The most popular example of a composite volcano is Mount Vesuvius, whose eruption destroyed the Italian town of Pompeii in 79 A.D. read more

Composite volcanoes (also called stratovolcanoes) are much more explosive than shield volcanoes, the other important type of volcano.. The large and generally cone-shaped volcanoes form along plate boundaries called subduction zones where one of the Earth's plates moves below another. read more

They produce wide, low sloping volcanoes called shield volcanoes. If a volcano produces both lava and pyroclastic flow, then the cone is built up in alternating layers and is known as a composite volcano or stratovolcano. read more

Quick Answer. Composite volcanoes, also known as stratovolcanoes, are formed by the gradual deposition of alternating layers of volcanic lava and ash. When volcanoes erupt, emitting lava that flows very slowly, the lava cools and hardens, forming conical shaped composite volcanoes after multiple eruptions over a span of hundreds of years. read more