Final answer:
Elongated cracks on volcanoes are called fissures and serve as conduits for lava and gasses, with sulfur vents and ejected volcanic material being other prominent features. Fissures and vents highlight the geothermal dynamics and hazards of volcanic landscapes, even observed in extraterrestrial volcanism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The elongated cracks on the side of volcanoes are known as fissures.
These fissures can be the source of lava flows and are integral to the geothermal activity associated with volcanoes.
For example, lava seeping along the east of Pu'u 'O'o crater in Hawaii can be seen as a direct representation of this geothermal energy.
Similar fissures are also responsible for the outflow of basaltic lava on the lunar surface, as described in the discussion about the maria on the Moon.
Additionally, sulfur vents, such as those in Lassen Volcanic National Park in northeastern California, signify areas where volcanic gases escape, depositing elemental sulfur near their openings.
These features illustrate the dynamics of volcanic structures and the processes that contribute to their ever-changing landscapes.
More fleeting evidence of volcanic activity is the volcanic material, such as large fragments of rock, minerals, and volcanic glass that are ejected during volcanic eruptions. These ejecta can be a hazard and are indicative of the violence of volcanic events.
The observations of volcanic formations and their respective features on other planetary bodies, such as the pancake-shaped volcanoes on Venus, demonstrate how volcanism is not unique to Earth but is a widespread geological phenomenon throughout the solar system.
The complete question is:content loaded
elongated cracks in a vent or on the side of the volcano.