Living Dangerously: The Fascinating World of Volcanoes

1. Despite being in a dangerous location, the slopes of volcanoes can be attractive to people setting up homes due to the rich, fertile soil

2. According to scientists, in the last 500 years approximately 20,000 people have died as a result of volcanic eruptions

3. A volcano is landform (generally a mountain) where, during an eruption, ash, gas and molten rock (magma) escape through the Earths surface

4. Approximately 1 in 10 people in the world live within danger range of an active volcano

5. Located on the planet Mars, Olympus Mons is the largest volcano (and mountain) in the Solar System. It is 17 miles (27km) tall and more than 320 miles (520km) wide

6. The word volcano originally comes from the name of Vulcan, the Roman god of

For months after an eruption, dark skies, heavy rains and severe winds can be prominent

90. Geysers rely on volcanic heat to warm the trapped ground water, which they then expel in to the air

91. Only 20-30 volcanoes erupt each year

92. The Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes, Pele, was said to have had a terrible temper, and would throw lava at anyone that angered her. It was said thought that she lived in the crater of Kilauea volcano

93. Stratovolcanoes are the most common type of volcanoes. Mount Fuji, Japan and Mount Rainer in Washington state are examples of stratovolcanoes

94. Approximately 20% of all existing volcanoes are located underwater

95. Black beaches, such as those in Hawaii and Iceland has sand that is made from basalt; formed when lava cools is broken in to sand particles

96. Geothermal energy uses heat energy from magma to run power plants and warm water in some volcanic areas

97. 10% of the worlds active volcanoes are located in Japan

98. The newest land mass on earth, Sutsey Island, was created in 1963 from an undersea volcano

99. In Japan, it is believed that illnesses can be cured by bathing in warm volcanic sand

100. In 1865, ‘magma’ was first used geologically to describe molten