Mountains and volcanoes are formed by different processes, but the major factor that makes them different is the formation of the volcano around the vent.
Volcanoes are formed around vents that allow magma to reach the surface through various geological processes. This is caused by plate tectonics.
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Volcanoes and Mountain Facts
- Volcanoes have magma, craters, and lava.
- A mountain does not have these three things.
- Compared to mountains, volcanoes are very dangerous and not a good place to live.
- A mountain contains water.
- Mountain peaks rise higher than their surroundings, but not all volcanoes do.
- A volcano may be a part of a mountain range.
- In addition to being a mountain, Kilimanjaro is also a volcano.
How Are Mountains Formed?
If you look at the world around you, you will see mountains, forests, oceans, and plains.
Mountains can form in several different ways, though they all take millions of years to form.
Earth’s tectonic plates move around at a rate of about 1 to 2 inches per year.
When two tectonic plates collide, the edges crumble and form mountains. These mountains are called fold mountains.
The Himalayas, including Mount Everest, formed when two tectonic plates crashed into each other 25 million years ago.
One of the ways mountains are made is by pushing one plate below the other. Magma is pushed up toward the surface, cools, and forms hard rock.
How Are Volcanoes Formed?
When the Earth’s tectonic plates collide, magma is generated. When the magma cools, it can work its way to the surface and reawaken a slumbering volcano.
Volcanoes can form in the middle of tectonic plates due to hotspot volcanism, which can push up through the crust.
Volcanoes sculpt mountains and create craters. Over time, the elements break down volcanic rocks, liberating nutrients, so civilizations can thrive.
Different volcanoes have different eruptions. Some burp rivers of lava in effusive eruptions and others in explosive eruptions, which are due to the viscosity of the magma.
Where are all these volcanoes?
The Ring of Fire is a 25,000mile-long horseshoe-shaped zone of volcanoes between the Pacific and Nazca plates and the Nazca and Pacific plates.
What are some of the dangers of a volcano?
Volcanic eruptions can cause mudflows and pyroclastic flows which can bury towns.
Volcanic ash is a dangerous byproduct of volcanic eruptions. It is heavy and can collapse structures and cause power outages.
