podcast

Volcanoes are vents in the Earth's crust that release ash, gases, steam, and lava. They form when tectonic plates move under each other. Volcanoes can be active, dormant, or extinct. Water trapped in rocks causes some rocks to melt into magma, which rises to the surface and causes eruptions. There are about 1,900 active volcanoes on Earth, with the most active ones found in the Ring of Fire. During an eruption, magma erupts through vents, and explosive eruptions can be dangerous. Famous eruptions include Pompeii in 79 AD and Krakatoa, which produced the loudest sound in history. Volcanic ash is fertile and beneficial to plants. In Utah, the last eruption was 660 years ago, and there are 169 active volcanoes, with 54 being high threat. Hi everyone, I'm sure that you've all seen in the news that there have been recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland and Hawaii, and I'm sure you've been wondering why this occurs. Well, I am about to discuss what volcanoes are, why they erupt, and what happens during an eruption. So keep listening if you would like to find out. What are volcanoes? According to the American Museum of Natural History, volcanoes are vents or openings in Earth's crust that release ash, gases and steam, and lava. When the lava cools and hardens, it forms volcanoes, which exist around the edges of Earth's tectonic plates on land and in the ocean. Volcanoes form when tectonic plates move under one another. According to National Geographic Kids, volcanoes are considered active, dormant, or extinct. Active volcanoes have regular activity. Extinct volcanoes have had recent activity, but are currently quiet. Extinct volcanoes haven't had activity in such a long time that they are considered unlikely to erupt again. The Earth's largest volcano is called Mauna Loa in Hawaii, which is 4,169 meters tall and last erupted in 2022. Volcanoes exist all throughout our solar system. Other planets and moons also have them. The largest volcano in the solar system is called Olympus Mons and it is on Mars. Now that we know what volcanoes are, we can understand why they erupt. According to the American Museum of Natural History, water gets trapped in the rocks in a plate and squeezed out. This causes some of the rocks to melt, and melted rock is called magma, and that is lighter than the surrounding rock, which causes it to rise up. The magma collects in magma chambers. When enough magma builds up in the magma chamber, it forces its way up to the surface. This is what causes volcanic eruptions. Some interesting facts about volcanic eruptions are, according to National Geographic Kids, about 1,900 volcanoes on Earth are considered active or likely to explode again. The world's most active volcanoes are found in an area called the Ring of Fire, which is a 40,000 kilometer horseshoe shaped area of the Pacific Ocean. According to the Natural History Museum of Utah, magma and lava are not considered the same thing, because magma is when lava is still underground, and lava is magma after it has risen to the surface. There are 60 volcanic eruptions each year, however, most of them are weak and nothing to be too worried about. Now we know why eruptions occur, but what exactly happens during an eruption? According to CBBC, running magma erupts through openings or vents in the Earth's crust before flowing onto the Earth's surface as lava. When the pressure is too much from an explosive eruption, it can be dangerous and destructive. Water under the surface can interact with hot magma and create steam, which builds up enough pressure to cause an explosion. According to National Geographic Kids, one of the most famous eruptions was in 79 AD in the town of Pompeii, which was destroyed and buried by a volcanic eruption by a volcano called Mount Vesuvius. The ash deposits ended up preserving the town. The loudest recorded sound in history was made by a volcano called Krakatoa, which released 200 megatrons of energy, which is the equivalent of 15,000 nuclear bombs. That was a recording of the volcano Krakatoa erupting. Even though volcanoes can cause a lot of destruction to the environment, according to the Natural History Museum of Utah, the land near volcanoes is very fertile because the volcanic ash contains minerals that are beneficial to plants. It provides nutrients to the surrounding soil and the environment. More volcano information from the Natural History Museum of Utah is that the last volcanic eruption in Utah was 660 years ago, and there are 169 geologically active volcanoes, and 54 of those are considered to be very high threat or high risk. In this podcast, I have explained what volcanoes are, why volcanoes erupt, and what happens during a volcanic eruption, as well as some interesting facts about volcanoes. I hope that listening to this podcast has helped you better your understanding of volcanoes, and thank you very much for listening.