Volcanoes have long excited human consciousness. The name “volcano” itself comes from the name of the ancient Roman god of fire Vulcan. The Romans believed that the ever-smoking fire-breathing peaks are the forges of a formidable deity in which he forges his weapons. However, similar opinions were shared by other peoples of that time. And what are volcanoes in the modern sense?
To answer this question, it is necessary to briefly repeat the structure of our planet. If you remember the school course in physics, geography and geology, then under the solid crust of the Earth lies molten magma and a core that prevents our planet from cooling down. The tectonic plates, which form the crust, slowly drift over the ocean of molten rock, and as a result of their collisions at the interface, geological faults form, forming new mountain ranges and ... volcanoes. The places where magma emerges to the surface turn into majestic fire-breathing mountains over time, such as, for example, Erebus volcano.
However, "over time" is not that expression. The fact is that during the first eruption, lava flows form the outer cone of the volcano almost instantly. If you thought about what volcanoes are, then you almost certainly have in mind its outer part. This is exactly the mountain with a specific and easily recognizable shape. However, it is more correct to call the “volcano” exactly the fault in the earth's crust through which molten magma flows to the surface. Moreover, one should not assume that such a phenomenon can be observed only on the surface of the Earth. According to scientists, there are much more volcanoes on the ocean floor: this fact is associated with some features of its geological structure, and it also has gigantic pressure from the water column.
It is generally accepted that if such mountains for a long time do not show “signs of life”, then they can be called “extinct volcanoes”. In most cases, this is true, but do not assume that extinct = dead. As practice shows, it is precisely such neighbors that pose the greatest threat to everyone who lives next to them.
In particular, almost 6 thousand years ago, most of the Mediterranean population of those years died or was forced to relocate. This happened after the volcano Etna, silent for so many hundreds of years, suddenly woke up. The consequences were so devastating that traces of the tsunami alone that arose after the eruption, archaeologists find thousands of kilometers from the source.
By the way, asking yourself the question of what volcanoes are, you should not be limited to the borders of the Earth. Recent studies show that active volcanic activity was noted on Mars in the old days. In particular, Olympus, located on the red planet, is equal in height to ... 26 kilometers! This is due to the peculiarities of gravity. It allows the lava to rise to a breathtaking height. In addition, volcanic activity is observed on other planets of the solar system.
We hope that after reading our article you have no questions left about what volcanoes are!