During the eruption of a volcano, flowing lava and ash form a large cone. This cone is what we know as a volcano. There are several ways in which a volcano can form, just as there are several different kinds of volcanoes. Among the different kinds of volcanoes are shield volcanoes, cinder cones, and composite volcanoes. .
The most majestic of the volcanoes are composite volcanoes, also known as strato-volcanoes. Composite volcanoes, also called strato volcanoes, are formed by alternating layers of lava and rock fragments. Unlike the shield volcanoes which are flat and broad, composite volcanoes are tall, symmetrically shaped, with steep sides, sometimes rising 10,000 feet high. They are built of alternating layers of lava flows, volcanic ash, cinders, blocks, and bombs. Sometimes the vent for a composite volcano will shift its location slightly and a new cone begins to develop in the flanks of the parent volcano, Mount Shastina on Mount Shasta is an example. Composite volcanoes include Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen in California, Mount Hood in Oregon, Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier in Washington. (MacDonald, 280, Kane 45) .
The craters of a composite volcano varies in relation to the size of the vent. Small craters are surface expressions of the vent. The larger craters are a result of repeated withdrawal of magma following eruptions. A dramatic change in the structure of a composite volcano is when a crater enlarges into a caldera. A caldera is a large depression, at least two miles across, on top of a volcano. An example of a caldera is Crater Lake in Oregon. (Kane, 45).
When a composite volcano becomes dormant, erosion begins to destroy the cone. As the cone is stripped away, the hardened magma filling the conduit and fissures becomes exposed, and it too is slowly reduced by erosion. Finally, all that remains is the plug and dike complex projecting above the land surface, a telltale remnant of the vanished .