Volcano
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
A volcano is a mountain where lava (very hot, molten rock) comes from a magma chamber under the ground. Most volcanoes have a crater at the top. Materials which pour out from it usually include lava, steam, gaseous compounds of sulphur, ash and broken rock fragments. Lava is called magma before it has come out of the volcano. Volcanoes are also found on planets other than Earth, like the Olympus Mons on Mars.
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[change] The word "volcano"
Volcano is thought to come from Vulcano, a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands of Italy. Vulcano's name itself is taken from Vulcan, the name of a god of fire in Roman mythology. The study of volcanoes is called volcanology, which is sometimes spelled vulcanology.
[change] How volcanoes are made
Volcanoes are usually made when two tectonic plates move toward each other. When these two plates meet, one of them (usually the ocean plate) goes under the other one. Afterwards, it melts and forms magma (inside the magma chamber), and the pressure builds up until the magma bursts through the Earth's crust.
| Volcano: | |
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| 1. Large magma chamber 2. Bedrock 3. Conduit (pipe) 4. Base 5. Sill 6. Branch pipe 7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano 8. Flank |
9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano 10. Throat 11. Parasitic cone 12. Lava flow 13. Vent 14. Crater 15. Ash cloud |
[change] Well-known volcanoes
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[change] See also
[change] References
[change] Books
- Macdonald, Gordon A., and Agatin T. Abbott. (1970). Volcanoes in the Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 441 p.
- Ollier, Cliff. (1988). Volcanoes. Basil Blackwell, Oxford, UK, ISBN 0-631-15664-X (hardback), ISBN 0-631-15977-0 (paperback).
[change] Other websites
- The United States Geological Service (USGS) Volcano page
- Glossary of Volcanic Terms from USGS
- Volcanic and Geologic Terms from Volcano World - University of North Dakota (UND)
- Television program (BBC) on the prediction of Popocatepetl's 2000 eruption
