Volcano Essay for Kids – Volcano Eruption

This volcano essay is for children aged 6 and above. Here students will find some of the interesting facts about volcanoes. They will further learn about volcanic eruptions, their forms, their causes, etc. It guides kids to write an essay on volcanoes for all classes. So, let’s dive in.

Volcano Essay Introduction

Do you know how gas bubbles form inside the soda bottle? When you shake it hard, it causes a build-up of pressure. Then when you open the bottle, it releases pressure everywhere. In the same way volcanic eruption works, in simple words, a volcano is an opening on the Earth’s surface. When it opens with jolted pressure, it allows the hot magma, ash, and gases to flow. These substances are beneath the Earth’s crust which explodes into the surface.

What is Volcanic Eruption?

A volcano is a mountain created through an opening on the Earth’s surface after its eruption. Volcanoes are openings on the Earth’s surface; the hole at the top of the volcano is known as a volcanic crater.

A volcanic eruption is caused by the pressure which builds up in a gas that forms into magma. Under the surface of the Earth, magma is hot liquid rock. As hot magma in the volcano needs to escape, it erupts with a great force through the opening and reaches Earth’s surface.

Lava is formed when magma reaches the surface of the Earth. The lava then cools and hardens into a mountain after millions of years.

Do you know volcanoes can be found on land as well as on the bottom of the ocean? So, let’s discuss the interesting facts about Volcanic eruptions.

Interesting Facts About Volcanic Eruption

Volcanic eruptions cause hot ash flows, avalanches, and mudslides.

• They tend to knock down entire forests.
• Most of the volcanic eruptions on Earth are explosive, while few are non-reactive.
• Volcanic eruptions have destroyed land and the environment.
• Nearly 10 to 20 volcanic eruptions are happening every day somewhere on Earth.
• There are three types of volcanoes, Stratovolcano, Shield volcano, and Dome volcano.
• Shield volcanoes are one of the largest volcanic eruptions in the world.
• A volcano can be active, dormant, or extinct. It is classified based on the activity levels of lava.
• Throughout history, many cities have faced threats from volcanic eruptions. Many cities are buried by the eruption.
• The Ring of Fire which is situated in the Pacific Ocean, is an active volcanic region. It is a horseshoe-type area that covers 40,000 km. This area is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
• The ring of fire has a total of 452 volcanoes present in it.

How Are Volcanoes Formed?

The term “Volcano” comes from the Roman name “Vulcan”. He was the roman God of fire. Volcanoes forms when the magma pushes its way upwards from within the Earth’s mantle to the surface.

Magma is a substance of rock and gases. It lies between the Earth’s crust and the mantle. When the two tectonic plates collide on top of one and beneath the other one. It causes friction near the edges of plates. During this process, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur near the edges of the plates.

Then magma erupts through the surface to form lava. Over time lava flows and ash deposits which later on turn into piles of rock. The shape of a volcano forms when the ash, molten rock, and lava are released from the Earth’s surface and cocoon to solidify. It forms mountains after a few thousand years. Then these mountains are known as volcanoes.

Causes of Volcanoes Eruption

Here are the causes of volcanic eruptions;

• A volcano erupts because of the way heat moves beneath the Earth’s surface.
• When the tendency of the magma temperature arises.
• The magma arises from the Earth’s mantle due to the dissolved gases present in it.
• The other cause of the volcano eruptions is the magma’s thickness.

How Do Volcanoes Affect Humans and the Environment?

Volcanoes cause a lot of damage to humans and the Environment. Because it triggers floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, rock falls, and mudslides. When it erupts, it leaves devastating consequences for the people and the regions near it. Do you know in the last 500 years, volcanic eruptions have killed around 200,000 people?

The volcano eruption leaves behind a complete extinction of the landscape. It destroys buildings and flight paths. Moreover, poisonous gases are released, which kill plants and animals, resulting in illness and death. The aftermath of the eruption causes the skies to turn into dark clouds. Then it results in heavy winds and rain, which can occur for months. Anyone who breathes the air can suffer from severe breathing problems.

Though the volcano eruption has adverse effects on the landscape. It also has some positive outcomes as it produces rich, fertile soil for growing crops and a distinctive volcanic rock called a pumice stone. It is the only known rock that can float in water. Volcanoes also help to remove heat from the Earth’s interior, which helps the planet to stay cool.

The Hawaiian Islands were created by the eruption of shield volcanoes. These low-lying volcanoes are almost made up of layers of hardened lava. As ash from volcanoes adds minerals to the soil, volcanoes have played a crucial role in shaping the Earth. Most of the metallic minerals like gold, copper, zinc, and lead are mined from the deep magma found within the roots of extinct volcanoes.

Easy points to learn about Volcanoes

If children want to learn about volcanoes in simple ways, here it is for you.

• There are more than 1500 active volcanoes present on Earth.
• The largest active volcano is present in Mauna Loa in Hawaii. It is the shield volcano at 13,677 feet above sea level.
• Indonesia is the island with the most active volcanoes in the world.
• Over 20% of Earth’s active volcanoes are present in the underwater ocean.
• Pompeii was an ancient city in Italy that was completely buried in ash and lava.
• A volcanic eruption can be sent as high into the air, sometimes over 17 miles above the Earth’s surface.
• Volcanoes are found where tectonic plates move and meet.
• Lava is a molten liquid found outside the Earth’s surface that is hot.
• Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system.
• The world’s highest/tallest volcano is present in Ojos del Salado, Chile.

Volcano Essay Conclusion

Volcanoes can be really dangerous, but they’re also really fascinating. Scientists learn a lot about our planet by studying volcanoes. If you live near a volcano, it’s important to know what to do in case it erupts. And if you’re ever visiting a place with volcanoes, make sure you stay safe and don’t go too close to the edge.

Your kids have now learned about Volcanoes, how eruptions happen, and their causes in this essay. We have also covered interesting facts about Volcanoes so that they can easily understand and start writing their volcano essay.

It is amazing how much we can learn about our planet from volcanoes. We hope you have found it interesting to learn about volcano eruptions for kids in all classes. If you like it, please share this with your friends and family.