A volcano is caused by tectonic plates hitting up again st each other. Then one of the plates slips under the other,gets hot, and become melted. The melted material then travels to the surface. Then it explodes with hot magma(lava.) Volcanoes are made when tectonic plates in the Earth collide. The land rises up and depending on the collision,different volcanoes are formed.
Volcanoes are huge steam vents that exert molten rock or lava and what causes this is tectonic plates just under the earths crust. What happens is when the tectonic plates collide they squeeze the molten rock wich is beneathe them known as the mantle the molten rock pushes upwards and then comes out the spout of a volcano.
The earth beneath our feet is not entirely solid. In fact the earth's crust floats on a sea of molten substance known as the mantle.
Volcanoes are points where this mantle of molten lava breaks through to the surface of the earth.
The reason that there are points where the mantle comes pouring through, is due to the fact that the earth's crust is made up of tectonic plates. In other words, the crust of the earth is not smoothly continuous, but instead, it is made up of plates that push against, or pull away from, one another.
If you live at the junction of two plates, such as in Japan or Iceland, then you will be living in an area prone to earthquakes and volcanoes.
Volcanoes can be either extinct, active or dormant. An extinct volcano has not been known to be active in the whole of human history, in fact the Scottish capital of Edinburgh is built upon just such an extinct volcano. An active volcano is one that still gives out hot ash and lava, and Japan has a number of these. A dormant volcano is one that has not been active in recent years.
Well theres these things called tectonic plates which move as slow as your finger nail grows, they travel separately but if they rub together than it can cause a volcanic eruption or even cause an earthquake PS. I am a 12 year old child. Date:29/03/2010
