What actually are Volcanoes?
We all know of volcanoes, but what are they really? What’s under the mountain? Where does Lava come from? These are the thoughts that went through my head, when we chose our topics. So here is my research and what I found.
MAGMA IS ACTUALLY ROCK.
The earth is made up of 3 layer parts, the outer layer is where we live. It is estimated to be about 1800 miles deep. Then there is the mantle and after that the core (it has two parts, the inner and outer)
The mantle is made up of molten and gases. Molten is usually solid like rock but because of the extreme heat it turns to liquid.
The name for molten and other mantle gases is Magma
Molten rock is called magma when it is inside the crust but once it gets to the surface of the earth it is called lava.
THE BIGGEST VOLCANIC ERUPTION.
Mauna Loa is the largest volcano in the world on Hawaii's Big Island. When measured from the base to the top, the layers of lava measures more than 17,000 m (56,000 ft). But what is the biggest eruption?
On the 10th of April 1815, Tambora (Found in Indonesia) produced the largest eruption known on the planet during the past 10,000 years. The volcano erupted more than 50 cubic kilometers of magma and collapsed afterward to form a 6 km wide and 1250 m deep caldera*.
*A caldera is a type of volcanic crater, formed by the collapse of an emptied magma chamber.
MAGMA IS JUST UNDERGROUND LAVA.
Fresh lava is believed to be about 2,200°F. It can be red hot as it shoots from the vent and turn into gray or black as it cools. Lava is rich in silicon, like honey, and flows a lot more slowly from the vent. It also comes in thick, pasty form.
Sometimes, lava which erupts into shallow water cools off very quickly and breaks down into debris or sand. It is believed that Hawaii’s black sands beaches are a result of lava interacting with sea water.
Sometimes, lava settles on the water in the form of debris, which is carried farther away by ocean currents.
