The Causes And Effect Of Volcanoes Of The Earth

This essay will discuss the causes and effect of volcanoes.

Volcanoes are considered to be holes, gaps or vents that are present in the crust of the Earth. They are formed because of upward movement of the molten lava that comes on the surface of the earth. (Marti and Ernst, 2005).The molten material is called magma that is lava before it comes out of a volcano. Once it is out, it becomes lava due to tectonic plates rubbing together. Lava is a thick chemical and a poor conductor of heat that flows slowly down and thickens as they harden; it goes all the way to plants and trees causing fires. When pressure builds up, eruptions occur. Eruptions can cause lateral blasts, lava flows, hot ash flows, mudslides, avalanches, falling ash and floods. (http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-volcano.htm)

There are more than 1500 active volcanoes on the earth. For many years, scientist try to predict ahead when eruptions will happen. They have categorized volcanoes into three main categories: active, dormant, and extinct.

The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean. The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 50% of the world 's active and dormant volcanoes. Ninety percent of the world 's earthquakes and 81% of the world 's largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire Volcanoes are found mainly in Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington. They occur close to the major tectonic