How do volcanoes erupt?

Volcanoes are a powerful force of nature.

There are about 1500 active volcanoes on our planet right now.

A volcano is an opening in the Earth's crust that allows lava and other volcanic matter to escape.

There are six different types of volcanoes.

Cinder cone, shield, composite, caldera, lava dome and submarine.

No, not that kind of submarine.

Volcanoes are found all around the world, but hundreds are located along a tectonic belt called the Ring of Fire, right along the edge of where the Pacific Ocean meets the land.

The Ring of Fire is also known for its frequent earthquakes.

The hard outer shell of earth is made up of several major plates that are constantly moving and shifting.

These massive slabs divide the Earth's crust and where they rub up against each other.

There's often a lot of volcanic and earthquake activity.

The Ring of Fire is one of those areas.

These plates have been moving for over 3.4 billion years.

Under the Earth's crust, are chambers full of melted rock or magma.

The magma begins to build up and as it does, it gets hotter, which forces it to rise and push the Earth's crust upward.

Eventually, so much pressure is built up.

It erupts through a vent or fissure and spews magma.

Once magma is above the earth's surface.

It's called lava.

As this process repeats, it creates new layers of lava which harden and form a mountain or a volcano.

This is how the earth has created the land we know today.

Not all volcanoes erupt violently or are dangerous.

Some of them go dormant and aren't hazardous to those who live around them.

And lots of volcanoes are under the ocean and we never even see them.

So volcanoes, although sometimes scary and dangerous, are also crucial to the landscapes we know and love.

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