volcano
Other forms: volcanoes; volcanos
When the earth's crust cracks open and spews hot lava and gases, you've got a volcano on your hands. You better run.
The noun volcano comes from the name of the Roman god of fire, Vulcan. The Romans believed Vulcan had a forge in Mt. Etna, a volcano in Italy. The term can be applied to a vent in a planet's surface or crust. Lava, ash, and gas escape through the vent. The term volcano can also apply to a mountain created by such a vent.
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a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt
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a mountain formed by volcanic materialexamples:Mount Asamaa volcano in central Honshu near Nagano; one of the largest volcanoes in Japan (8,340 feet)Mount Pinatuboa volcano on Luzon to the northwest of Manila; erupted in 1991 after 600 years of dormancyCameroonan inactive volcano in western Cameroon; highest peak on the West African coastPico de Orizabaan extinct volcano in southern Mexico between Mexico City and Veracruz; the highest peak in Mexico (18,695 feet)Nevado de Colimaan active volcano in southwestern MexicoCotacachian Andean volcano in northern Ecuador; last erupted in 1955Cotopaxithe world's largest active volcano; located in the Andes in north central EcuadorDemavendan active volcano in northern IranEl Mistithe world's 2nd largest active volcano; located in the Andes in southern PeruMount Etnaan inactive volcano in Sicily; last erupted in 1961; the highest volcano in Europe (10,500 feet)Fuegoa volcano in south central GuatemalaFujinoyamaan extinct volcano in south central Honshu that is the highest peak in Japan; last erupted in 1707; famous for its symmetrical snow-capped peak; a sacred mountain and site for pilgrimagesGalerasan active volcano in southeastern Colombia in the AndesGuallatirithe world's highest volcano; in the Andes in northern Chile; last erupted in 1959Huainaputinaan inactive volcano in the Andes in southern Peru; last erupted in 1783Klyuchevskayaan inactive volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula; last erupted in 1946Krakataoa small volcanic island in Indonesia between Java and Sumatra; its violent eruption in 1883 was the greatest in recorded historyLascara volcano in the Andes in ChileMauna Keaan active volcano on north central Hawaii Island; highest peak in the Hawaiian IslandsMauna Loaan active volcano on south central Hawaii IslandNyamuragiraan active volcano in eastern CongoNyiragongoan active volcano in eastern CongoPuracean inactive volcano in the Andes in southern Colombia; last erupted in 1950Sangayan inactive volcano in the Andes in central Ecuador; last erupted in 1946Tupungatitoan inactive volcano in central Chile; last erupted in 1959Mount Saint Helensan active volcano in the Cascade Range in southwestern Washington; erupted violently in 1980 after 123 years of inactivityMount Vesuviusa volcano in southwestern Italy on the Mediterranean coast; a Plinian eruption in 79 AD buried Pompeii and killed Pliny the Elder; last erupted in 1944
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Vocabulary lists containing volcano
Physical geography will be a breeze once you master this list of terms related to Earth's physical features. You'll review climate and weather, landforms and bodies of water, biomes and ecosystems, and the geological structure of the Earth — and that's just the tip of the iceberg!
Physical geography will be a breeze once you master this list of terms related to Earth's physical features. You'll review climate and weather, landforms and bodies of water, biomes and ecosystems, and the geological structure of the Earth — and that's just the tip of the iceberg!
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