Pacific Ring Of Fire: The Formation Of Volcanoes

A volcano is a mountain or hill built up around a vent that connects to a reservoir of molten rock from beneath the surface of the Earth. The molten rock is lighter than the surrounding hard rock and will eventually break through a weak point in the Earth’s crust. When this happens the volcano may have a violent eruption of gas, rocks, molten lava, and ash. Volcanoes are generally grouped into four categories: cinder cone, composite volcanoes, shield volcanoes, and lava domes.

Volcanoes appear by a process known as plate tectonics. Plate tectonics are an age-old theory that says the Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates. There is evidence that a number of the countries were initially close together and that evidence is used to su...

What are volcanoes? A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the surface of the earth. When pressure builds up, eruptions occur. In another definition it is a mountain That has a passage to the underground molten seas of rocks , when the pressure increases on this molten seas it causes eruption gases and molten rocks shoot up through a hole in the top of the mountain and fill the air with lava fragments .

Volcanoes This paper will define and discuss the volcano to include: types of volcanoes, formation of a volcano, and elements of a volcano; such as, lava, rock fragments, and gas. This paper also tells a little bit about volcanic activity in different parts of the world. What is a volcano? A volcano is a vent in the earth from which molten rock and gas erupt.

Volcanoes caused as a result of formation of hot spots are called Hot spots volcanism.

Myths and legends are everywhere. There are legends of people from long ago, myths of ancient Greeks. There are myths and legends of almost everything, including volcanoes. Myths of their creation, of why they erupt. Myths and legends of various gods controlling their own volcanoes. There is a story for almost every volcano. The amount of legends and myths concerning volcanoes is quite extensive, ranging from Hephaestus to Vulcan and everything in between. It's very interesting to know what people thought of volcanoes when the myths were made; myths about volcano are as captivating as other myths. Take Pele, one of the gods associated to volcanoes I'll be talking about, for example.

Many people say that the earth is a living planet. Due to the fact that it is constantly changing, this statement holds true. The earth is always moving, both inside and out. Whether one thinks it is good that humans live on a planet that moves is good or not, everyone is affected. This is because when Mother Earth moves, people all across the world will feel it. There are many dangers that the Mother Earth and its geology present to human life. These things lay resting, waiting to be awakened. Things such as tornadoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and even earthquakes are the very things that affect people in a way that changes them forever, whether it is by taking a life or destroying a home. All of these things are very destructive, but none like volcanoes. A volcano is a mountain or hill that has a crater through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are being or have been erupted from the earth's crust, as stated by Webster’s dictionary. They are formed when magma within the Earth's upper mantle works its way to the crust. This accumulates and forms a magma chamber. Over time this grows larger and a volcano is created. They hold scorching hot lava in their stomachs waiting for the right time to release it. Volcanoes are both incredibly dangerous and extremely destructive. There are literally countless volcanoes that are on earth; however, many of these volcanoes are not a threat because they are either dormant or extinct. Mt. Vesuvius is an active volcano; however, before discussing this volcano, the deliberation of the types of volcanoes must be talked about. There are three different types of erupting lives of volcanoes: extinct, dormant, and active. (Timothy Oleson)

Volcanoes have played a key role in forming the face of the earth as we know it today. Some of the most well known landmarks and locations in the world are volcanoes. From the Hawaiian Islands to Mount Vesuvius, the Earth is populated with hundreds of active and dormant volcanoes. Among these volcanoes there are multiple different types. Stratovolcanoes, the most dangerous type of volcanoes, are built by multiple eruptions over many years. Shield Volcanoes, the largest recognizable volcanoes, are characterized by being short but very broad with low sloping sides. Cinder cones, the most common type of volcano in the world, are composed of large amounts of tephra, or pyroclastic debris. The last type of volcano is supervolcanoes. Supervolcanoes are the largest volcanoes. They also have the highest potential for damage. This paper will discuss these these different types of volcano.

Basalt forms due to the partial melting of the layer of the mantle called the asthenosphere. The asthenosphere is the plastic zone of the mantle beneath the rigid lithosphere. Mantle plumes coming from the mesosphere can cause the asthenosphere to melt with heat or even if pressure decreases, which is called decompression melting (Richard 2011). The magma that forms from this melting is mafic magma that solidifies once it reaches the earth’s surface and cools quickly. The above process mainly occurs mainly during intraplate igneous activity which is the main explanation for volcanic activity that occurs a long distance away from a plate boundary. If the tectonic plate above the mantle plume is moving it can create a string of volcanic activity such as in Hawaii. See Fig 2.

Volcanoes are one of natures most interesting and dangerous phenomenons. The way volcanoes operate can be understood, on a basic level, by just some simple physics and chemistry, this paper will investigate and explain some of the basic physics that govern the behavior of volcanoes.