A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or crust, which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface. Volcanic activity involving the extrusion of rock tends to form mountains or features like mountains over a period of time. Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. A mid-oceanic , for example the mid-atlantic range, has examples of volcanoes caused by "diverging tectonic plates" pulling apart; the Pacific Ring of Fire has examples of volcanoes caused by "converging tectonic plates" coming together. By contrast, volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another.
Volcanoes are an opening in the crust of the earth through which molten lava, various gases and ash are released. Volcanoes also refer to the conical mountainous structures created by the materials released from a volcanic eruption. If the pressure of the molten rock and matter beneath the earth's surface becomes excessively great, the rocks followed by gases or lava break free through an opening in the crust of the earth resulting in a volcanic eruption.
The term 'volcano' is known to have originated from 'Vulcano,' a volcanic island in the Aeolian Island, Italy. In fact, about 82 percent of the earth's surface is created from volcanoes. The gases which are released from volcanoes have formed the atmosphere of the earth. Depending upon the intensity and difference in the duration in which they erupt, volcanoes are classified as active, dormant and extinct. There are as many as 500 active volcanoes in the world, with Mauna Loa in Hawaii being the largest active volcano ever (56,000 ft).
The Earth is made of plates and these plates move and collide with each other in the process of making land and doing what the Earth does as it is in essence alive. Where the plates contact an opposing plate, this collision point forces the stronger plate over the weaker plate. This process in known as plate tectonic. Where this collision happens one plate is forced over the other plate. For instance the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate is represented by the Western Coast of the Continent America. This is why there are so many mountains and earthquakes in this region as it is relatively young in the overall age of the earth. The collision and forcing of the plates above and below each other not only creates mountains but enormous pressures and heat. This pressure and heat, evidenced by magma, needs a release as it is like a pot of boiling water. The pressure finds it way into the mountains and creates volcano's. When the pressure builds to a point that it can no longer be retained there is an eruption, like Mt. Saint Helen's. This eruption release the built-up pressures and heat in sometimes cataclysmic eruptions which can devastate great areas on the surface. There are even super volcano's, which would be represented by Yellow Stone Park. This again is an offset of the Pacific and North American Plates this is why there are Hot Springs and the different natural outflows Yellow Stone is know and famous. These Super Volcano's have been documented but never witnessed as they pretty much wipe-out all life when they erupt which Yellow Stone is supposedly brewing in the near future. There will be dikes that lead up to a Volcano which are basically areas that collect additional magma and heat energy that help in reducing the volcano's ability to erupt.
Magma comes out of holes in the earth (usually under seas) and cools. Then magma again seeps through the top of the cooled magma. This process repeats itself over and over again, which makes the volcanoes larger. This was how the Hawaiian Island were formed.
Simply put, Volcanoes are formed because earth and all other planets are hot inside. Some scientists believe that volcanoes are a natural way to cool off for earth. Many feet under the crust on the earth, there is a semi-liquid hot rock fluid. Pieces of rocks under the surface break off and fall into this semi liquid fluid which forms a gas. This gas builds up the pressure and makes the magma rise to about two miles under the earth's surface. This hot magma puts pressure on the earth crust and as it finds a weak spot or crevice, it breaks out and the magma starts flowing out. Repeated flow of magma results is the formation of a volcano. A volcano might take thousands of years to form.
Volcanoes are actually formed by the tectonic plates, because when the two tectonic plates diverge which is meet together it formed a volcano. Sometimes a tectonic plate goes under the other plate. The plate is actually called boundaries. IT CAN KILL YOU ! BY TURNING YOU INTO A ROCK
A volcano is a vent to the earths underground lava core. When the pressures build up, at some point the volcano vents this pressure. This is called eruption.
