volcanism

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

volcanism and plate tectonics

Soufrière Hills, Montserrat

How volcanoes work, explained by a volcanologist

Cerro Negro volcano

Kilauea volcano

Luzon, Philippines

Momotombo Volcano and Momotombito Island, Nicaragua

Read Next

Arenal Volcano in northwestern Costa Rica in the province of Alajuela.

Are Volcanoes Dangerous When They’re Not Erupting?

animated gif/infographic of the Mount Tambora eruption, April 1815. volcano. Indonesia.

How the 1815 Eruption of Mount Tambora Produced the “Year Without a Summer”

Ash cloud rising from the Kilauea Volcano Pu`u `O `o as crater floor collapses due to magma withdrawal. Incandescent rubble can be seen crumbling and rolling down the scarp. East rim of Pu`u `O `o is in the foreground, Kilauea, Hawaii on March 6, 2011.

Watch Your Step: 6 Things You Can Fall Into

Mount Saint Helens (Cascade Range, southwestern Washington) spewing ash during the 1980 eruption.; Mount St. Helens

35th Anniversary of Mount Saint Helens Eruption

Volcanic eruption of a volcano near Antigua, Guatemala

What Causes a Volcano to Erupt?

Discover

NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.

10 Great Sports Rivalries

Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics

10 Best Hockey Players of All Time

Space race (1957-1969) infographic between United States (U.S.) and Russia. America, Soviet Union, U.S.S.R., space exploration

Timeline of the Space Race, 1957–69

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"

How Deadly Is Quicksand?

Submerged sperm whale off east Sri Lanka coast, mammal

How Did the Sperm Whale Get Its Name?

volcanism: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	volcanic activity • vulcanism

Photos and Videos

volcanism and plate tectonics

Soufrière Hills, Montserrat

Cerro Negro volcano

Kilauea volcano

Luzon, Philippines

Momotombo Volcano and Momotombito Island, Nicaragua

How volcanoes work, explained by a volcanologist

View original footage of Paricutín's nine-year volcanic eruption and the devastation experienced by surrounding communities

Learn about the volcanic collapse of Mount Mazama and Crater Lake caldera formation in Cascade Range

Discover the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, buried in volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted

Learn how basaltic rock composing the Columbia Plateau was once lava from a series of volcanic fissure eruptions

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

volcano magma volcanic eruption subglacial volcanism plume intraplate volcanism degassing What Causes Acid Rain?kimberlite eruption hot spring plate tectonics earthquake seafloor spreading diastrophism seismicity continental drift continent How Are Mountains Formed?How Do Tectonic Plates Move?supercontinent

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Alexander von Humboldt

Alexander von Humboldt

German explorer and naturalist

Leopold, Baron von Buch

German geologist

Scrope, George Julius Poulett

George Julius Poulett Scrope

British geologist

Nikolay Aleksandrovich Kozyrev

Russian astronomer