{"id":1739,"date":"2026-10-12T18:28:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T18:28:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/12\/volcanoes-explained\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T18:28:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T18:28:34","slug":"volcanoes-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/12\/volcanoes-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Volcanoes Explained: How They Form and Why They Erupt"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Infographic:<\/figure>\n

A volcano<\/strong> is an opening in Earth’s crust through which molten rock, ash and gases escape from deep below. Volcanoes can build mountains, create new islands and also cause destruction.<\/p>\n

Magma and lava<\/h2>

Deep underground, rock melts into a hot liquid called magma<\/strong>. Because magma is lighter than the surrounding rock, it rises and collects in a magma chamber<\/strong>. When it erupts onto the surface, it is called lava<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Why do volcanoes erupt?<\/h2>

Magma contains dissolved gases such as water vapour and carbon dioxide. As magma rises, pressure drops and the gases form bubbles, just like opening a shaken soda bottle. When pressure becomes too great, the magma bursts out.<\/p>

  • Runny magma<\/strong> lets gas escape easily, causing gentle lava flows (as in Hawaii).<\/li>
  • Thick, sticky magma<\/strong> traps gas, leading to violent explosive eruptions with ash clouds.<\/li><\/ul>\n

    Where do volcanoes form?<\/h2>
    • Where plates collide:<\/strong> one plate sinks under another and melts, as in Japan and Indonesia.<\/li>
    • Where plates pull apart:<\/strong> magma rises to fill the gap, as in Iceland.<\/li>
    • Hotspots:<\/strong> plumes of heat in the middle of a plate, as in Hawaii.<\/li><\/ul>

      About three-quarters of the world’s active volcanoes lie along the Pacific Ring of Fire<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      Types of volcanoes<\/h2>
      • Shield volcanoes:<\/strong> broad, gentle slopes built by runny lava.<\/li>
      • Composite (strato) volcanoes:<\/strong> tall cones built from layers of lava and ash, such as Mount Fuji.<\/li>
      • Cinder cones:<\/strong> small, steep hills of volcanic fragments.<\/li><\/ul>\n

        Volcanoes in India<\/h2>

        Barren Island<\/strong> in the Andaman Sea is India’s only confirmed active volcano. India’s huge Deccan Traps<\/strong> were formed by massive volcanic eruptions about 66 million years ago, and their weathered basalt created the fertile black soil used for growing cotton.<\/p>\n

        Benefits of volcanoes<\/h2>

        Volcanic soils are very fertile, volcanic heat provides geothermal energy, and eruptions have built entire islands.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        A volcano is an opening in Earth’s crust where molten rock, ash and gases escape. Learn how volcanoes form, the main types, why they erupt, and about India’s only active volcano.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[336],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1739"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}