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24-09-2020
Column: Nature Notes - VOLCANOES
Column: Nature Notes - VOLCANOES
The basic reason volcanoes occur is that pressurised molten rock (magma) erupts through a weak point in the Earth’s surface. Gases, debris, magma and ash are projected through the rupture.
Most volcanoes form along the boundaries of tectonic plates. Tectonic plates are huge slabs of the Earth’s crust which are rigid but float on the hotter, softer layer of the Earth’s mantle. These plates move continuously and independently. If the plates are sliding along beside each other the surface is stable, but if the plates are pulling apart (diverging) or pushing together (converging) then weak spots in the surface are created.
This is why boundaries of tectonic plates experience volcanoes and earthquakes, the most active being the Pacific Rim of Fire. Volcanoes can also be found away from tectonic plate boundaries at hotspots where the surface is stretched or thin and magmatic activity can push upward through the crust.
Australia is now the only continent without volcanic activity, but one of the world's largest ex

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