What is a volcano?

Answer 1

A volcano is a "vent" for the hot gasses and molten rocks to escape the pressures of the inside of the Earth.

Answer 2

A volcano is an opening (or rupture) in the Earth's surface or crust, which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from deep below the surface. Volcanic activity involving the extrusion of rock tends to form mountains or features like mountains over a period of time.

Volcanoes are generally found where two to three tectonic plates pull apart or are coming together. A mid-oceanic ridge, like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has examples of volcanoes caused by "divergent tectonic plates" pulling apart; the Pacific Ring of Fire has examples of volcanoes caused by "convergent tectonic plates" coming together. By contrast, volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another (like the San Andreas fault). Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching of the Earth's crust and where the crust grows thin (called "non-hot spot interpolate volcanism"), such as in the African Rift Valley, the European Rhine Graben with its Eiffel volcanoes, and the Rio Grandee Rift in North America.

Finally, volcanoes can be caused by "mantle plumes," so-called "hot spots;" these hot spots can occur far from plate boundaries, such as the Hawaiian Islands. Interestingly, hot spot volcanoes are also found elsewhere in the solar system, especially on rocky planets and moons.

Answer 3

A volcano is the earth "burping". Gas builds up under the surface of the earth and when excess pressure is present an eruption will form at the weakest point over the gas buildup. The eruption will cause the earth's surface to mound up which forms the visible mountain.

Answer 4

It is a point along a fault line where magma comes up from below the earths crust. As it cools down the magma hardens wich usualy will cause a mt. like landform.

Answer 5

A hole in the earth where molten rock comes out.