Why do volcanoes erupt?
Yessenia,Karen,Johel
Hi Yessenia, Karen, and Johel,
Volcanoes erupt when magma from deeper within the earth accumulates within
the plumbing system of the volcano and builds up pressure. Eventually the
pressure gets too high and the volcano fractures, allowing the magma to
reach the surface (as soon as it erupts onto the surface we call it lava).
Where does the pressure come from? It comes from gases that are dissolved
in the magma (the same way in which a bottle of soda is under pressure
because there is carbon dioxide dissolved in the soda). As long as the
cap stays on the bottle the gas is held under pressure. But as soon as
you take the cap off (or in our case the volcano fractures) the gas can
expand and escape (= an eruption).
I think there was an earlier question to Volcano World that was very
similar. You might want to check the previously-asked questions section
just to make sure that I didn't forget something this time.
Sincerely,
Scott Rowland, University of Hawaii
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