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Some new interesting facts about volcanoes.

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When I was a kid, I used to play a game where everything was lava...Except the couch.

And if you were stuck on the floor, then you'd get burned by lava.

But little did I know: The lava I was referring to came from a volcano, which is a real risk in life.

So even when you were a kid, you knew the stuff that came out of volcanoes can be pretty deadly.

Today, we're going to look at little-known facts about volcanoes. Enjoy.

1 Ash from volcanoes can spark lightning

Lightning commonly occur in sync with volcanic eruptions. But how come?

As the ash from a volcano rises, it builds static electricity the same way clouds do. It interacts with the weather system which allows lightning to strike.

2 75% of volcanoes are at the Ring of Fire

The Pacific Ring of Fire is a string of volcanoes is where the Pacific Ocean seafloor is subducting under the continents. It brings water causing volcanic eruptions from stratovolcanoes.

75% of the world's volcanoes are at the Ring of Fire. This includes the deadliest volcanoes in the United States, Japan and the Philippines. Indonesia has is the most volcanically active country from the Ring of Fire.

3 Lava from volcanoes build new land

Volcanoes are areas where inside the planet that makes its way to the surface. They create new land like in Hawaii.

Continents would be smaller if it wasn't for volcanoes. The majority of Earth's surface is volcanic rock. All ocean seafloor is created by basalt coming out at mid-ocean ridges.

4 Mauna Loa is taller than Mount Everest

It's a little-known fact that Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii is taller than Mount Everest. This is because most of Mauna Loa is below the ocean surface.

From sea level base to its summit, it's 9,170 meters in height. That's 300+ meters higher than Mount Everest. Mauna Loa is also very active erupting 33 times since 1832.

5 Volcanoes released water vapor for us to drink

Volcanoes created much of the water we drink and the air we breathe. Degassing is the process that water existed inside the rocks that made up the Earth itself.

Because Earth's interior contains minerals with hydrogen and oxygen, volcanoes continual degas releasing H₂O as water vapor.

6 Mount Olympus is the largest volcano in the solar system

On Mars, the largest volcano is Mount Olympus. But not only on planet Mars, it's the largest in the whole solar system. Mount Olympus formed billions of years ago.

Mars didn't have plate tectonics. And it didn't have surface geology like Earth. But it did have period of active degassing where huge amounts of gases like water and carbon dioxide ejected out the interior of Mars.

7 The mysterious case of Paricutin

A cinder cone volcano "Paricutin" appeared out of nowhere in a cornfield in Mexico. It baffled scientists and became a popular tourist destination for volcanologists to study.

During 9 years of volcanic activity, it left a 420-meter tall cone without erupting ever again. It's now become one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.

8 Kilauea in Hawaii poses the highest threat in the United States

The United States has a large geographic footprint of volcanoes with >10% of active volcanoes.

According to the USGS National Volcanic Threat Assessment, Kilauea in Hawaii poses the highest threat in the United States because developed areas still exist on the flanks. Next on the list are Mount St. Helens and Rainier as most deadly.

9 Mudflows (Lahars) are deadly hazards at volcanoes

Lahars are deadly mudflows resulting from volcanoes. They are capable of sweeping people to death and tearing down infrastructure.

According to USGS, lahars caused the deaths of more than 44,000 worldwide between 1600-2010. Lahars are among the most serious ground-based hazards at volcanoes.

10 Temperatures can reach up to 1200+°C at volcanoes

When volcanoes erupt, lava, pyroclastics and volcanic smog (VOG) are among the most dangerous:

Lava is molten hot rock. Temperatures reach up to 1200+°C.

Then, pyroclastics are deadly because they're fast, hot and poisonous. This type of flow can travel at speeds up to 700 mph.

Finally, VOG is a form of air pollution mixing sulfur dioxide and other particles from volcanic eruptions.

11 Yellowstone's super-eruption

The largest eruption from Yellowstone occurred 2.1 million years ago, depositing the Huckleberry ash bed. Yellowstone flung 2,200 km ³ of material from Wyoming to Idaho. Since then, super-eruptions also occurred 640,000 and 1.3 million years ago.

So there you have it.

These are the 10 most fascinating facts about volcanoes.

What did we miss?

Please let us know with a comment below.

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10 Little-Known Facts About Volcanoes - Earth How

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When I was a kid, I used to play a game where everything was lava...Except the couch. And if you were stuck on the floor, then you'd get burned by lava. But little did I know: The lava I was referring to came from a volcano, which is a real risk in life.

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There are lots of interesting facts about volcanoes on this page. Can you tell me what lava is called when it erupts under the water?

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Volcanoes

Hello! My name is Vera and I would like to tell you a bit more about volcanoes. The name volcano comes from Vulcan, the Roman god of fire!

A volcano is formed when hot molten rock, ash and gases escape from an opening in the Earth's surface. The molten rock and ash solidify as they cool, forming the distinctive volcano shape shown here.

As a volcano erupts, it spills lava that flows downslope. Hot ash and gases are thrown into the air.

Some volcanoes are covered with snow and ice. If they erupt, melted snow and ice mixes with mud and volcanic ash and flows down mountain. Volcanic flows are called lahars.

Volcanoes are made of unique rocks called extrusive igneous rocks . They are shown on geological maps with bright colours, like this one.

Extrusive igneous rocks

The OneGeology map shows Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy. It is marked with an X. The orange colour on the map indicates the rocks and lava from the volcano.

Volcanoes are classed as active, dormant or extinct. Active volcanoes could erupt at any time; dormant volcanoes have been known to erupt but have not erupted recently and extinct volcanoes are unlikely to erupt again.

Volcanoes can produce different types of lava. Some is runny and flows down slope; it has a smooth, ropey, wrinkled texture. This is called Pahoehoe lava.

Some volcanoes can be more explosive and produce hot gasses and much thicker rough textured lava that is sticky. This is called Aa lava.

Lava that erupts under water is called Pillow Lava because it forms shapes like pillows. They wouldn't be very comfy to sleep on though!

Where tectonic plates are being pushed apart, openings in the Earth's crust allows molten rock to escape, forming volcanoes. An area where this occurs on earth is called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and is shown on this globe.

Volcanoes can also form in areas where there is a hotspot in the mantle. This is an extra hot plume of molten rock which causes the earth's crust to thin allowing molten rock to escape onto the surface. The movement of the earth's tectonic plates means that volcanoes form a trail along the earth's surface. An example of this is Hawaii as you can see in this map.

Chain of hotspot volcanoes - Hawaii

Do you live near a volcano? Tell us how it affects your life and how you feel about it using our online form.

Let's see what else we can find out about volcanoes. Try searching the internet for:

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To be the provider of geoscience data globally Navigation Main content Bottom links Hello! My name is Vera and I would like to tell you a bit more about volcanoes. The name volcano comes from Vulcan, the Roman god of fire!

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Facts about Volcanoes | Volcanoes for Kids | Top 10 Facts for Kids

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Click on this link to find out:
*Where did the word Volcano come from?
*What is the name of the Volcano that destroyed the Italian town of Pompeii?

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Is it just us or is it getting hot in here, gang? Prepare to delve into the depths of the earth and uncover these seriously hot volcano facts - if you dare!

1. Put simply, a volcano is an opening in the Earth's surface.

Usually found in a mountain, the opening allows gas, hot magma and ash to escape from beneath the Earth's crust.

2. The word "volcano" comes from the Roman name "Vulcan".

"But who was Vulcan?" you might ask. He was the Roman god of fire!

(AD)

3. Volcanoes are often found at meeting points of "tectonic plates".

These plates are pieces of the Earth's surface that fit together just like a jigsaw puzzle.

4. Volcanoes can also occur over "mantle plumes".

Ever heard of mantle plumes? They're super-hot areas of rock inside the Earth!

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable Volcanoes of Ecuador primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

5. Approximately 350 million people live within "danger range" of an active volcano.

That means that around one in 20 people live in an area at risk of volcanic activity.

6. Volcanoes are classified as active, dormant or extinct.

This refers to the amount of volcanic activity. " Active" means there's regular activity, " dormant" means there's been recent activity but the volcano is currently quiet, and " extinct " means it's been so long since the last eruption that it's unlikely to ever erupt again.

7. Volcanoes can be a variety of shapes.

These geographical wonders come in various shapes and sizes, but there are two main types - composite volcanoes, which are cone-shaped with steep slopes, and shield volcanoes, which are wide with gentle slopes.

8. Magma and lava are two different things!

Magma is the name given to hot liquid rock inside a volcano. Once it leaves the volcano, it's known as lava.

Psst! Make sure you download our awesome volcano facts infographic - show your friends, family, or stick it on your wall!

9. Volcanoes don't just occur on land.

They can be found on the ocean floor and under ice caps, too!

10. Lava from a volcano can reach 1,250°C!

Lava is so hot it can burn everything in its path. If you used a glass thermometer to take the temperature it would melt!

11. The world's largest active volcano is Mauna Loa in Hawaii.

Standing a whopping 4,169m tall, this geological giant last erupted in 1984.

12. Volcanoes exist throughout the solar system!

Other planets and moons have volcanoes, too! The largest volcano in our solar system is Olympus Mons, found on Mars.

13. In A.D. 79, the Italian town of Pompeii was destroyed and buried by a volcano called Mount Vesuvius.

Incredibly, the ash deposits preserved the town and the remains of the people within it. Today, it's one of 's most popular historical sites!

14. About 1,900 volcanoes on Earth are considered active, likely to explode again. Yikes!

Most of the world's active volcanoes are found on the " Ring of Fire", a 40,000 km horseshoe shaped area of the Pacific Ocean.

15. The loudest sound in recorded history was made by a volcano called Krakatau.

Found in Southeast Asia, when Krakatau erupted in 1883 it released 200 megatrons of energy - that's the equivalent of 15,000 nuclear bombs. Boom!

16. Volcanoes can produce rich, fertile land.

Over time, lava and ash break down to produce nutrient-rich soil, great for growing crops! That's why some people like to set up home on the slopes of a volcano.

17. It's not just humans that makes use of volcanoes - birds do, too!

Maleo birds bury their eggs in the sand or soil near volcanoes to keep them warm. When the chicks hatch they claw their way up to the surface!

Check out this explosive video, full of exciting facts and information about volcanoes!

What did you think of our volcano facts, gang? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

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Volcano facts | National Geographic Kids

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Is it just us or is it getting hot in here, gang? Prepare to delve into the depths of the earth and uncover these seriously hot volcano facts - if you dare! Usually found in a mountain, the opening allows gas, hot magma and ash to escape from beneath the Earth's crust .

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Click here to find out answers to:
* What is the Volcano on Mars called?
* How many active volcanoes are there in the world today?
*Where is the largest Volcano on Earth? How many times has it erupted?

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Fun Kids - the UK's children's radio station

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Top 10 Facts About Volcanoes! - Fun Kids - the UK’s children’s radio station

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Volcanoes are one of nature’s most powerful and awe-inspiring phenomena. Volcanic eruptions can cause immense destruction and devastation, yet at the same time, they are essential for the long-term health of our planet.