Volcanoes: How are they formed?

Volcanoes are like mountains made of cooled down lava. They are formed because plates, which make up the earth's crust, move around like sponges on water. Some bang into each other while others move away from each other. They float on what is called the Mantle. This is a lot of molten rock just being boiled, churned, and moved around by the very, very hot core of the earth. This molten rock is called magma.

When  the plates move away from each other, gaps are created in between them. When plates bang into each other, sometimes the force of it causes one of the plates to slide over one another. Eventually, one plate gets dipped into the mantle, which is hot enough to melt the plate in more magma. This surplus must be evacuated and the magma is pushed out through the nearest gap created.

Once magma leaves the mantle, it is called lava. Lava spurts out, and eventually cools down, forming a ridge and small slopes on the ground. A next eruption forms a new layer of rock and the next eruption does the same. After a very long time and numerous eruptions, a volcano is clearly visible. It may take some time for a volcano to erupt, meaning as soon as there is a surplus of magma, it is not directly pushed out. There is a 'chamber' where the magma builds up, and when it is full, then the volcano can eject the lava. While the magma builds up, a volcano is said to be dormant, from the Latin 'to sleep'. If no more magma builds up, the volcano is extinct. If the volcano is erupting or there is not much time in between eruptions, it is active.

Crater of Mount Aso

I myself have seen two volcanos. I saw Mount Fuji (Japan) from the window in a train passing by it, and I also visited Mount Aso (Japan). I took a cable car to the top of the volcano, to the summit. There were shelters build all around it in case of a spontaneous eruption (It is an active volcano). It is one of the largest in the world too. I definitely recommend seeing at least one volcano in your lifetime.

References: http://www.heronsgate.milton-keynes.sch.uk/projects/volcano2/formation.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Aso,

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