The earth has “plates” and when two plates hit each other, one goes under and becomes “molten” which means it gets so hot, the ground turns into liquid. The molten stuff finds a hole in the ground and comes out the top. All of the continents used to be just one big piece of land, but the land broke up and floated away and created the 7 continents we have now. This was called continental drift. If you look at South America, it looks like it could fit like a puzzle piece into Africa.
Because of the way the ground broke, it created plates. Even though the ground is heavy, the plates continue to move and that can cause earthquakes and volcanoes. When two plates hit each other, one can go under and become“molten” which means it gets so hot, the ground turns into liquid. The molten stuff finds a hole in the ground and comes out the top. When the molten stuff is in the volcano it is called magma. When it explodes, it is called lava.
Because of the way the ground broke, it created plates. Even though the ground is heavy, the plates continue to move and that can cause earthquakes and volcanoes. When two plates hit each other, one can go under and become“molten” which means it gets so hot, the ground turns into liquid. The molten stuff finds a hole in the ground and comes out the top. When the molten stuff is in the volcano it is called magma. When it explodes, it is called lava.
how are volcannoes formed???
Most volcanoes are formed by the movement oftectonic plates on the surface of the earth. These plates are basically huge pieces of rock that ‘float’ on the mantle (a layer of the earth that is sort-of liquid rock). The tectonic plates are in constant motion, albeit very slow motion. They sometimes move toward each other, other times they’ll move apart, and still other times one will sink while the other rises above it.
When a tectonic plate sinks, it sinks down into the mantle and becomes very hot. So hot, in fact, that the rock melts. This molten rock will gradually make its way up to the surface of the earth through a series of cracks. When it reaches the surface of the earth, we refer to it as lava. As layer upon layer of lava builds up, a volcano is formed.
There are many factors that determine what kind of lava flow will occur and what type of volcano it will be. The amount of gas trapped in the lava, the kinds of minerals making up the lava, and how much pressure can be trapped in the area all affect the eruption and formation of the volcano
Most volcanoes are formed by the movement oftectonic plates on the surface of the earth. These plates are basically huge pieces of rock that ‘float’ on the mantle (a layer of the earth that is sort-of liquid rock). The tectonic plates are in constant motion, albeit very slow motion. They sometimes move toward each other, other times they’ll move apart, and still other times one will sink while the other rises above it.
When a tectonic plate sinks, it sinks down into the mantle and becomes very hot. So hot, in fact, that the rock melts. This molten rock will gradually make its way up to the surface of the earth through a series of cracks. When it reaches the surface of the earth, we refer to it as lava. As layer upon layer of lava builds up, a volcano is formed.
There are many factors that determine what kind of lava flow will occur and what type of volcano it will be. The amount of gas trapped in the lava, the kinds of minerals making up the lava, and how much pressure can be trapped in the area all affect the eruption and formation of the volcano
steam or laver escapes through volcannoes form at the edges of tectonic plates