Volcanoes 7f Sasha, Mickey and Stephanie

A volcano is a landform (usually a mountain) where molten rock erupts through the surface of the planet.

What causes volcanoes to erupt? The Earth's crust is made up of huge slabs called plates, which fit together like a puzzle. These plates sometimes move.

Between the Earth's crust ` Between the Earth's crust and the mantle there is a substance called magma,  which is made of rock and gases.

When two plates crash, one section slides on top of the other, the one beneath is pushed down.  Magma is squeezed up between two plates.

Damage

The volcano can destroy everything The volcano is throwing rocks and other things that are heavy The volcano is burning up everything in it’s path. The volcano can break houses and can kill people easily. The volcano can destroy everything

There are more than 1500 active volcanoes on the Earth. Did you know? The difference between magma and lava: Magma is liquid rock inside a volcano. Lava is magma that flows out of a volcano. The name "volcano" has its origin from the name of Vulcan, a god of fire in Roman mythology. There are more than 1500 active volcanoes on the Earth.

A dormant volcano is one that has not erupted for many years, although there is still some activity deep inside. DORMANT VOLCANO

An extinct volcano is a volcano that is no longer active.

Geysers are springs that throw boiling water high in the air Geysers are springs that throw boiling water high in the air. They are caused by volcanic heat warming trapped ground water. GEYSERS

Ash are very small fragments of lava or rock blasted into the air by volcanic explosions.