What is a volcano?
Q: What is a volcano?
A: A volcano is a mountain that has lava (hot, liquid rock) coming out from a magma chamber under the ground, or did have in the past.
Q: How are volcanoes formed?
A: Volcanoes are formed by the movement of tectonic plates. The Earth's crust has 17 major, rigid tectonic plates which float on a hotter, softer layer in its mantle. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the crust's plates.
Q: What materials come out of an active volcano?
A: When an active volcano erupts, materials such as lava, steam, gaseous sulfur compounds, ash and broken rock pieces come out of it.
Q: Where are volcanoes found other than Earth?
A: Volcanoes are found on planets other than Earth. An example is Olympus Mons on Mars.
Q: Who studies volcanoes?
A: Volcanologists are scientists who study volcanoes using methods from geology, chemistry, geography, mineralogy, physics and sociology.
Q: What is the world's biggest volcano?
A: The world's biggest volcano is named Mauna Loa in Hawaii which is part of the five volcanoes on Hawaii's 'Big Island'. It is 4196 meters tall and it is a shield volcano.
Q: When was Mauna Loa last erupted?
A:The most recent time Mauna Loa erupted was in 1984. It erupted 33 times in the last 170 years.
