Volcanoes

VOLCANOES Volcanoes are pressure valves that release energy from deep within the Earth.Beautiful and powerful,awe-insipiring and deadly,they are spectacular reminders of the dynamic forces that shape our planet.
Volcano - a fissure or vent through which molten rock material, or magma, and gases from the interior of the Earth erupt on to its surface, and the landform which is produced as a result of this eruption. The word "volcano" comes from Vulcano, one of the volcanic Lipari Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and the place where, according to Roman mythology, Vulcan, the god of fire, kept his forge. The processes that creates volcanoes and other volcanic structures are called volcanism or vulcanism.
How a volcano is formed
A volcano is formed when plates hit each other. One of the plates goes under the other. This is where the earth heats and melts the rock into magma and gases. This can happen as deep as 320 kilometers below the earth. Magma settles in pools or chambers near the surface. This is where eruptions take place.

Some of the different types of volcanoes
Volcanologists have classified volcanoes into groups based on the shape of the volcano, the materials they are built of, and the way the volcano erupts.
The types are:
1.Shield Volcanoes (also called shields),
2.Composite Volcanoes (also called strato volcanoes),