Volcano

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mount St. Helens erupting on May 18, 1980
Mount St. Helens erupting on May 18, 1980

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. Magma is called lava once it has come out the volcano.

Contents

[edit] How volcanoes are made

Most volcanoes are made where giant slabs of rock that make up the world, called plates, crash into each other. These plates move over each other, causing magma to rise to the top through weak places in the crust.

[edit] Well-known volcanoes

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] 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).

[edit] External links

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