Volcanoes Are Hot Stuff

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An Introduction to Volcanology

A mountain roars. Rivers of molten rock race to the sea. Towers of ash and smoke billow into the sky. Volcanoes are some of the most terrifying and magnificent wonders of our restless planet.

Scientists have learned a great deal about volcanoes in the last century or so, but when a volcano stirs, all we can do is get out of the way.

This page is just an introduction to volcanoes. Be sure to browse the other pages on this site:

Home : Current Eruptions : Famous Volcanoes : Volcano Glossary
Documentaries & Videos : Volcano Mythology : Volcano Cams

What Is a Volcano?

Volcanoes, mountains, plate tectonics
Credit: José F. Vigil, for This Dynamic Planet, USGS.

To understand volcanoes, you need to know that the Earth is not solid, but has a rocky crust over a hot, molten interior. The crust is divided into "tectonic plates," huge slabs carried along in slow motion by the roiling currents below.

Non-volcanic mountains are wrinkles in the Earth's crust, formed by immense pressures causing the plates to buckle. Volcanoes are holes in the crust where hot, molten rock (magma) from the Earth's interior bubbles up through cracks and bursts out onto the surface.

Most volcanoes rise along plate boundaries. A few volcanoes form over mid-plate "hot spots" where a fixed plume of hot magma builds a string of volcanoes as a plate passes over it.

So the difference between regular mountains and volcanoes is that mountains are formed by the earth's crust wrinkling or buckling, while volcanoes are formed when magma gushes out (magma is called lava on the surface).

Warm-Up: The Sounds of an Erupting Volcano

Mt. Etna Volcano Eruption 2001

Sicily's Mount Etna (Aetna) is one of the world's most active volcanoes. This video shows several different kinds of lava and captures some amazing sounds of a live volcano.
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Volcanology 101: 3 Minute Volcano Documentary

By National Geographic

Simple answers to common questions: What kinds of volcanoes and lava are there? How many volcanoes are there, and where are they found? What are the benefits of volcanoes?
Volcano 101
by NationalGeographic | video info

137 ratings | 101,247 views
curated content from YouTube

Volcanoes FAQ

Lava in the Volcano National Park, Hawaii
Buy at AllPosters.com

Q: How hot is a volcano?
A: It varies, but here's a couple figures. Fresh lava erupting from Kilauea Volcano is around 2000° F (1100° C), while pyroclastic flows (avalanches of superheated gas, lava, and ash) can reach 1500° F (815° F). [Source: CVO] Also see this Diagram of lava temperatures from the USGS.

Q: Can scientists predict when a volcano will erupt?
A: Geologists can usually tell when a volcano is threatening to erupt by monitoring small earthquakes, the swelling and shrinking of the mountain, gas emissions and heat. But that data only provides probabilities, not a timetable. It's like trying to predict when a heavy raincloud will drop its rain.

Q: What causes a "hot spot"?
A: Volcanologists are still trying to figure this one out. It's easy to understand why volcanoes form along plate boundaries, but what makes a hole smack dab in the middle of a plate? I like the theory that hot spots are the scars of old asteroid impacts, but that idea is hotly debated.

Q: How do you pronounce that Icelandic volcano's name?
A: Badly. :) Here's two videos of Icelanders trying to help us learn this tongue twister: Eyjafjallajökull Pronunciation and Eyjafjallajökull: You're Doing It Wrong!

Volcanoes Photo Gallery

Beautiful Pictures of Volcanoes Taken by Flickr Users

Volcano Types Diagram by cogdogblog
Batur Volcano and Lake by tropicaLiving - Jessy Eykendorp
Mayon volcano in the morning by denvie balidoy
Kilauea Volcano at Mauna Ulu by Image Editor
Lava on Road by irene.
Hot Lava Christmas by jurvetson
Lava Bench by Hawaii-Lisa
Salton Sea volcano by Maggiejumps
Erta Ale, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia 2 by filippo_jean
Poás Volcano Sulfur Lake Caldera Costa Rica Trip 2009 68 by stevendepolo
Osorno Volcano by Bitterroot
Pacaya Volcano - Guatemala by gregw66
Laguna Verde and volcano by nilsrinaldi
volcano koryakskiy by n0_mad
curated content from Flickr

Volcanic Ash and Airplanes

Just how dangerous is volcanic ash to airplanes? I collected these links in 2010 during the height of the air traffic stoppage over Europe. Read them and see what you think:

Volcano Documentary: The Power of Etna

...and How Volcanoes Keep Us Alive

This 8-minute volcano film shows amazing footage of Etna and Mt. St. Helens, and explains how an unlikely alliance between earth and sea, fire and water sustains all life on earth.

For more videos like this, check out the "Volcanoes Documentaries" section of this site!
Etnatao: The power of Etna
by etnatao | video info

41 ratings | 20,787 views
curated content from YouTube

Why I Made This Site

I am painfully aware of the hazards of volcanoes and the hardships they cause: homes and communities destroyed, lives lost, the economic and human cost. Nevertheless, I became hooked on volcanoes in 1986 after witnessing a spectacular eruption of Pu'u O'o on Kilauea from 7 miles away. I got in the habit of following that eruption, which is ongoing, and that led me to an armchair interest in volcanoes in general.

As a sometime teacher— in humanities, not science, although my parents are scientists— I enjoy sharing what I've learned. Volcanoes are, in my opinion, the most amazing phenomenon on the planet barring life itself, and they remind us that our planet, too, is alive.

The Disturbing Beauty of Volcanoes

Mt. Bromo, Indonesia

If only volcanoes weren't such deadly neighbors, they are strangely beautiful. I'm sure the villagers evacuated from near Mt. Bromo don't feel that way about it, however.
ERTE ALE AND BROMO VOLCANOS.mov
by digitalcrossingfilms | video info

7 ratings | 1,600 views
curated content from YouTube

Amazing Volcano Book

If You Read Just One Book on Volcanoes, Read This

Amazon Price: $2.99 (as of 02/14/2012)Buy Now

Simon Winchester tells a gripping story in easy-to-read language while giving us the lowdown on the geology, biology, and colonial history of Java at the time of Krakatoa. I bought this book for my father, then couldn't put it down. Here's a science teacher's video review of this book which she calls the most popular science book ever written for the general public!

Volcanology Humor T-Shirts

Bad Volcanology Pun Tshirt
Tuff But Gneiss
by doomlad
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Stop Plate Tectonics T-shirt
Plate Tectonics
by oculus
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Sell the Dodgers Tshirt
Rock Hard Abs
by doomlad
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Guestbook for the Geologically Inclined

Or Is That Sinclined?

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But wait, there's more! This page is just an introduction. Browse the links above for more photos, videos, and fascinating information. But before you head off exploring, please drop a note or share this page with friends.

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  • Reply
    efriedman Dec 9, 2011 @ 9:15 pm | delete
    Great lens on volcanoes! I have featured this under science education resources on my Wave Gliders: Robots on the Ocean lens.
  • Reply
    sujen Nov 9, 2011 @ 4:51 pm | delete
    I love the images you have on your lens. Thanks for the information.
  • Reply
    sarahjcar Oct 16, 2011 @ 5:39 pm | delete
    Wow, what images!! I studied geology and have climbed volcanoes in Central America and Africa. Recently I climbed and camped on top of a volcano in Tanzania, Oldonyo Lengai (the Mountain of God in KiMaasai). It is stunning, surreal and the most difficult climb Ive ever done! The volcano is unique, it's the only Natro-carbonatite in the world and the lava erupts at less than 600 deg C (most basalts are more than 1100 deg). So it solidifies fast and makes very cool fountain and cone structures. I climbed it 3 times in total, each time the landscape had changed, and each time it took my breath away. The Pacific Ring of Fire is my travelling dream, volcano hoping and travelling by boat. Someday....
  • Reply
    gregoryolney Aug 17, 2011 @ 7:59 am | delete
    I share your enthusiasm !
  • Reply
    efriedman Jul 19, 2011 @ 11:53 pm | delete
    Great information on volcanoes! Well done.
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Greekgeek

Storyteller, fomer Latin teacher, student of mythology and the ancient world: I've worn many hats, but always I've dabbled in computers and the web.

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