Volcanoes

• ​The word 'volcano' comes from the island ‘Vulcano’, which is a volcanic island in Italy.

• The island actually gets its name from the Roman god of fire – Vulcan.

Where Does the Word ‘Volcano’ Come From?

Roman mythology says that Vulcan lived in a volcano. As well as being the god of fire, he made many weapons and forged them using metal and fire. He was a very skilled blacksmith.

Romans believed that if Vulcan was made angry, the volcano would erupt. So they tried their best to please him and not anger him.

The Roman God of Fire

What even is a volcano?

A volcano is like Earth’s pressure valve, where magma, gas, and ash come bursting out! They form when magma from the mantle reaches the surface.


Notes: Jot down what a volcano does and what flies out of it when it erupts!

The Ring of Fire ​is home to 90% of the world's earthquakes and 75% of the world's volcanoes. It contains a string of 452 volcanoes.

​At divergent boundaries, tectonic plates pull apart, allowing magma to rise through the gap and create volcanic activity, e.g. Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Divergent

At convergent boundaries, one tectonic plate moves under another, creating magma that rises to form volcanoes, e.g. Mount St Helens

​​Convergent

Why does Hawaii have volcanoes?

Hotspot volcanoes break all the rules – they form in the middle of tectonic plates! A hotspot is a super-hot zone deep below Earth’s crust that melts its way up. They form a chain and the oldest volcanoes are further from the hotspot.

Notes: Explain why hotspot volcanoes form chains.