Fumaroles
are
vents
from which volcanic gas escapes into the atmosphere. Fumaroles may
occur along tiny cracks or long
fissures, in chaotic clusters or fields, and on the surfaces of
lava
flows and thick deposits of
pyroclastic flows. They may persist for decades or centuries if they are above a
persistent heat source or disappear within weeks to months if they
occur atop a fresh volcanic deposit that quickly cools.