Why did they name a volcano a "volcano?"

Michael Nelson (age 7)

Dear Michael,

The Roman's god of fire, Vulcan, lived in Hiera (now known as Vulcan) in the Lipari Islands. Our word volcano comes from the name for this island.

Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota

Source of Information:
Krafft, M. 1993, Volcanoes Fire from the Earth: New York, Abrams, 208 p.

Other Categories        Other Questions
To VolcanoWorld