Friday 1st May 2020

Natural Disasters: Volcanoes

A Volcano is an opening in the Earths crust which allows magma, ash and gases to escape.Lava, which is in the volcano, is very hot and can go over a thousand degrees!

Volcanoes erupt when molten rock called magma rises to the surface. Magma is formed when the Earth mantle melts. Runny magma erupts through openings or vents in the Earths crust before flowing onto its surface as lava. If the magma is thick, gas bubbles can not easily escape and pressure builds up as the magma rises. A volcano erupts when the pressure is to high , causing it to explode which can be dangerous and destructive. Volcanoes are formed by eruptions of lava and ash. Volcanoes are usually cone shaped maintains or hills. Did you know that some volcano eruptions happen underwater, along the seabed or ocean floor.

Volcanoes can cause rain, thunder and lightning, making the world cooler. Fast moving lava can kill people and ash can make it hard for people to breathe, people can also die from fires and earthquakes, which volcanoes can create. Did you know, the word 'volcano' originally comes from the name of the roman god of fire, 'Vulcan'.