Volcano facts for kids

 

 A volcano is a mountain of lava. When a volcano erupts, lava, ash, and smoke come out of the crater. The lava cools and makes a cone. There are more than 850 volcanoes in the world. Most of them are in a ring around the Pacific Ocean. It is called the Ring of Fire.
In Ancient Rome people believed that Vulcan, the god of fire, lived in a mountain.

The word 'volcano' comes from 'Vulcan'.

Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupted in AD 79. 
It covered the Roman city of Pompeii with six meters of hot ash. At first the ash fell very slowly. People walked around under the ash and didn't try to leave.
Scientists now think that there was a sudden eruption of very fast and very hot wind and ash. The wind blew people onto the ground and they couldn't breathe because of the ash.
Many centuries later people discovered Pompeii. 
There was a whole city under the ash with houses, skeletons, and even food.
Historians learnt a lot about life in Roman times from the city of Pompeii. Vesuvius last erupted in 1944.

The loudest volcano

A volcano on the island of Krakatoa, Indonesia, erupted and exploded in 1883. It destroyed the whole island. People heard it in Australia more than 5,000 kilometres away.

The biggest volcano in the world

Muana Loa in the Pacific Ocean is the biggest volcano in the world. It is over 9,000 metres high - but 5,000 metres of it are under the sea.

The most volcanoes

The planet Venus has more than 1,600 big volcanoes

The coldest craters

There are more than 200 volcanoes in Iceland, but they make a lot of hot water!

Make Your Own Volcano