volcanic glass

noun

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Definition of volcanic glass

: natural glass produced by the cooling of molten lava too rapidly to permit crystallization

Recent Examples of volcanic glass from the Web

Volcanic ash produced by small explosions from the volcano is a mixture of tiny spheres and shards of volcanic glass, including Pele's hair.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "What in the world are vog, laze and Pele's hair? A volcano glossary," 1 June 2018
Made out of hydrochloric acid, steam, and shards of volcanic glass, the gas is hazardous to anyone who breathes it.

— rachel becker, The Verge, "The lava striking the sea is gorgeous — and can be deadly," 22 May 2018
When this happens, water boils away, and the resulting reactions produce a noxious plume of steam, hydrochloric acid, and shards of volcanic glass.

— maya wei-haas, Smithsonian, "A Brief Glossary of Volcano Vocab," 25 May 2018
Scientists have explained how lava from the Kilauea volcano is spewing a deadly plume containing tiny particles of volcanic glass.

— james rogers, Fox News, "Hawaii volcano: Kilauea lava spews deadly 'laze' plume containing tiny shards of glass," 23 May 2018
It is made of dense white clouds of steam, toxic gas and tiny shards of volcanic glass.

— jae c. hong and audrey mcavoy, chicagotribune.com, "Your guide to 'laze' — the toxic lava haze now threatening Hawaiians," 22 May 2018
It is made of dense white clouds of steam, toxic gas and tiny shards of volcanic glass.

— Time, "Toxic Lava From Hawaii Volcano Eruption Could Threaten Nearby Power Plant," 22 May 2018
The volcanic ash coming from the explosions are small particles of rock and volcanic glass, and can be spread far by winds.

— jason hanna, CNN, "Volcanic ashes. Acid rain. And now massive boulders? All the calamities Hawaii is facing," 10 May 2018
Though natural volcanic glasses like obsidian were fashioned into tools early in human history, glass was probably first manufactured in Mesopotamia more than 4,000 years ago.

— doug main, The Atlantic, "Humankind’s Most Important Material," 7 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'volcanic glass.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.