What is a Volcano?
Have you ever watched fire and smoke erupting out of the mountain, in movies? Well, it is actually a volcano. You can imagine a volcano as a hole in the earth from which molten rock and gas from deep inside the earth come out. It is like a mountain of fire on the earth’s surface.
When a volcano erupts, it can cause earthquakes, tsunamis, flash floods, and rockfalls. Volcanoes are dangerous as the hot lava can kill people and damage landscape and property.
An Erupting Volcano for Kids
The phenomenon of volcanoes sounds interesting, right? So, why wait? Let’s know more about volcano for kids.
How is a Volcano Formed?
To simply explain the formation of a volcano for kids, it is formed when two tectonic plates either move apart or come together. Tectonic plates are huge, irregularly shaped slabs of rock pieces that make up the Earth’s crust.
The movement of the plates forces the molten material inside the Earth to move and rise through the cracks on the Earth's crust. When the molten rocks come out through the cracks, volcanoes are formed over time. Most volcanoes are situated along the boundaries of tectonic plates.
Terms Related to Volcano for Kids
Let’s have a look at some of the common terms related to volcanoes that will help you understand them better.
Vent – It is like the main path in a volcano through which magma and gases travel from deep inside the Earth to its surface.
Crater – It is a bowl-shaped area at the top of a volcano’s vent.
Magma Chamber – It is a pool of magma below the volcano’s vent.
Active Volcano – It is a volcano that erupts frequently.
Dormant Volcano – It is a volcano that has not erupted in the past many years, but it could again any time.
Extinct Volcano – It is a volcano that has not erupted in thousands of years, and it will not erupt again in the future.
Volcanologists – They are scientists who study volcanoes.
Parts of a Volcano
Types of Volcano
Geologists typically divide volcanoes into four categories: cinder cones, composite volcanoes, shield volcanoes, and lava domes.
Cinder Cone - Volcanoes with cinder cones are the most basic. They are made of lava chunks and blobs discharged from the base. A cone-shaped formation is created as the gas-charged lava violently pushes into the air. Few cinder cones rise above a thousand feet.
Composite Volcano - Compound volcanoes, known as stratovolcanoes, are responsible for some of the world's tallest mountains. They are often enormous, symmetrical cones with steep sides made of varying cinders, stones, bombs, volcanic ash, and lava.
Shield Volcano - The third form of the volcano is a shield volcano, composed mainly of flowing lava. A central summit vent, or set of vents, releases flow after flow in all directions, creating a broad, gently sloping cone of flat, domical shape with a profile resembling a warrior's shield. Shield volcanoes are some of the world's most enormous volcanoes.
Lava Domes - Volcanoes or lava domes are created when relatively tiny, bulbous masses of lava extrude from their vents because they are too viscous to flow very far. A crown expands primarily from within as it grows; its outer surface cools, hardens, and eventually breaks, spewing loose pieces down its sides.
What Causes Volcanoes?
Volcanoes on land develop when one tectonic plate slides beneath another. A thinner, heavier oceanic plate typically subducts beneath a more comprehensive continental plate.
In this plate, water trapped in the rocks is forced out. A few of the rocks melt as a result of this. Because it is thinner than the surrounding rock, the melted rock, or magma, rises.
When the magma chamber becomes sufficiently overfilled, the magma forces its path to the surface and explodes, frequently resulting in volcanic eruptions.
A Volcano Eruption Process
Fun Facts About Volcanoes
Volcanoes are surface-level fissures on the Earth. When they are active, they can erupt violently and spectacularly, spewing ash, gas, and hot magma into the air.
The name of the Roman god of fire, Vulcan, is where the word "volcano" first appeared.
While most volcanoes form close to tectonic boundaries, they can develop in regions where the Earth's interior contains a boiling rock.
Typical volcanic gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, fluoride, and hydrogen sulfide.
Ash from volcanic eruptions can travel more than 30 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Characteristics of Volcanoes
Lava and ash outbursts give rise to volcanoes.
Volcanoes are often cone-shaped hills or ranges.
Lava is magma that has reached the Earth's surface.
Volcanic eruptions can occur at disruptive and constructive boundaries.
Make Your Own Volcano!
Yes, you heard that right, you can make your own volcano! Let’s see how.
Making a Volcano for Kids
Things You Will Need
10 ml liquid soap
100 ml warm water
400 ml white vinegar
Half cup baking soda, which is half-filled with water
Red food colouring
A big empty soda bottle
What You Need to Do
First, mix the soap, water, and vinegar together. Then add a few drops of food colouring into the empty soda bottle. Pour the mixture into the bottle. Now, pour the baking soda from the cup and step back immediately!
It's erupting! Your mini volcano will erupt immediately due to a reaction between the vinegar and baking soda. Enjoy watching your volcano erupt!
Conclusion
Volcano for kids describes the natural phenomena in an easy and interesting way for children. These geographical concepts are important for kids as they are the basic natural phenomenon and children should know what is around them. For more concepts which are explained in an easy manner as this volcano for kids, you can explore through our website. You will be amazed to find a treasure of resources!
FAQs on Volcano for Kids - Easy Explanation with Fun Activity
1. What is a volcano, explained simply for kids?
A volcano is a type of mountain that has an opening at the top. Deep inside the Earth, where it is very hot, rock melts into a thick liquid called magma. When this magma finds a crack in the Earth's surface, it pushes its way up and erupts, or explodes, out of the volcano's opening.
2. What is the main difference between magma and lava?
The main difference is their location. Magma is the hot, liquid rock when it is still *inside* the Earth. Once that same liquid rock erupts from a volcano and flows onto the Earth's surface, it gets a new name: lava. So, magma is the rock underground, and lava is the rock above ground.
3. How are volcanoes formed?
Volcanoes are formed when pressure builds up deep within the Earth, pushing hot molten rock called magma towards the surface. This magma, along with ash and gases, erupts through a weak spot in the Earth's crust. As the erupted lava and ash cool and harden, they build up in layers around the opening, creating the cone-like mountain shape of a volcano over thousands of years.
4. Why do volcanoes erupt?
Volcanoes erupt because of immense pressure building up underground, much like a soda bottle that's been shaken. Gases dissolved within the underground magma expand and create huge pressure. When this pressure becomes too strong for the rock above to contain it, the magma is forced up and blasts out of the volcano's main opening, called a vent.
5. What are the main parts of a volcano?
A volcano has several key parts you can think of:
- Magma Chamber: A large underground pool where the liquid rock is stored.
- Vent: The main opening at the top of the volcano where lava and ash erupt.
- Crater: The bowl-shaped dent at the very top of the volcano, around the vent.
- Cone: The mountain-like body of the volcano, which is built from layers of cooled lava and ash from past eruptions.
6. What is the famous 'Ring of Fire'?
The 'Ring of Fire' is a long, horseshoe-shaped area in the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's volcanoes and earthquakes occur. It's not a real ring made of fire, but a name for the zone where the huge tectonic plates that make up the Earth's surface meet. All this movement creates a lot of volcanic activity.
7. Are all volcanoes the same? What are the different types?
No, not all volcanoes are the same! They have different shapes based on how they erupt. The three main types are:
- Shield Volcanoes: These are wide and not very steep, formed by runny lava that flows a long way.
- Cinder Cones: These are simpler, steep-sided cones made of small, rocky fragments that erupt from a single vent.
- Composite Volcanoes: These are the tall, steep mountains you often see in pictures, built from layers of sticky lava and ash.
8. What happens to the environment after a volcano erupts?
An eruption can cause big changes. Hot lava flows can destroy forests and anything in their way. The ash can cover the land, making it difficult for plants to grow. However, over a very long period, this same volcanic ash breaks down and creates very fertile soil, which is excellent for farming and growing new plants.
9. How can we make a fun and safe volcano experiment at home?
You can create a simple and safe eruption with kitchen items! First, build a volcano shape around a small bottle using clay or dirt. To create the 'lava', mix warm water, dish soap, and red food colouring in the bottle. When you are ready for the eruption, add two tablespoons of baking soda, then quickly pour in some vinegar and watch your volcano foam and erupt!
10. Can a volcano suddenly appear in a place that has never had one before?
While it is extremely rare for a new volcano to appear in a random place, it can happen. New volcanoes almost always form in specific zones where the Earth's tectonic plates are moving, such as along the Ring of Fire. This process is very slow, and it is usually preceded by many small earthquakes, which give scientists a clue that magma is moving deep underground.
