Volcano

Lore & Background

The word volcano originates from the early 17th century, derived from the Italian name of a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands of Italy, which in turn comes from the Latin name referring to Vulcan, the god of fire in Roman mythology. The study of volcanism and volcanoes is called volcanology.

Reader's Guide

Volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. Divergent boundaries usually produce non-explosive volcanoes; convergent boundaries cause violent eruptions. Volcanoes can also form where crust is stretching and thinning, or from mantle plumes (hotspots). Volcanoes are categorized as active, dormant, or extinct based on eruption frequency.

Did You Know?

• Most volcanoes on Earth are underwater because most plate boundaries are underwater.
• Large volcanic eruptions can cool Earth's troposphere by ash and sulfuric acid droplets obscuring the Sun.
• Other planets besides Earth have volcanoes; they are very numerous on Venus and Mars has significant volcanoes.
• A 2009 paper suggested a new definition for 'volcano' that includes cryovolcanism.