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A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.

On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and because most of Earth's plate boundaries are underwater, most volcanoes are found underwater. For example, a mid-ocean ridge, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates whereas the Pacific Ring of Fire has volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the crust's plates, such as in the East African Rift and the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field and Rio Grande rift in North America. Volcanism away from plate boundaries has been postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs from the core–mantle boundary, 3,000 kilometers (1,900 mi) deep within Earth. This results in hotspot volcanism, of which the Hawaiian hotspot is an example. Volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another.

Large eruptions can affect atmospheric temperature as ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscure the Sun and cool Earth's troposphere. Historically, large volcanic eruptions have been followed by volcanic winters which have caused catastrophic famines.

Other planets besides Earth have volcanoes. For example, volcanoes are very numerous on Venus. (Full article...)

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Cannikin warhead being lowered into test shaft

Amchitka (/æmˈtʃɪtkə/; Aleut: Amchixtax̂;^{[page needed]}) is a volcanic, tectonically unstable and uninhabited island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island, with a land area of roughly 116 square miles (300 km²), is about 42 miles (68 km) long and 1 to 4 miles (1.6 to 6.4 km) wide. The area has a maritime climate, with many storms, and mostly overcast skies.

Amchitka was populated for more than 2,500 years by the Aleut people, but has had no permanent population since 1832. The island has been part of the United States since the Alaska Purchase of 1867. During World War II, it was used as an airfield by US forces in the Aleutian Islands Campaign. (Full article...)

List of selected articles
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens Amchitka Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve Lōʻihi Seamount Enceladus Mauna Loa Geology of the Lassen volcanic area Mount Tambora Mount Cayley volcanic field Metacomet Ridge The Volcano (British Columbia) List of volcanoes in Indonesia Surtsey Cerro Azul (Chile volcano) Nevado del Ruiz Mono–Inyo Craters Upper and Lower Table Rock Ubinas 1257 Samalas eruption Metacomet Ridge Calabozos Limalok Cerro Azul (Chile volcano) Armero tragedy 2007–2008 Nazko earthquakes Payún Matrú Taapaca Resolution Guyot Volcanology of Io List of largest volcanic eruptions 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami List of volcanoes in the Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain

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Did you know

... that the volcanic chain (pictured) responsible for creating the island of Hawaii extends all the way to the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench, at the border of Russia?
... that Nintoku Seamount, an underwater volcano in the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain, is over 56.2 million years old?
... that volcanoes in the Puyehue Volcano complex may have produced some of the most primitive magmas in the Andes?
... that Pilot Rock is one of the oldest volcanic formations in the Cascade Range?
... that one of a series of hotels called the Volcano House, built at the edge of Kīlauea volcano since 1846, burned to the ground from a kitchen fire?
... that the eruption of Amak Volcano in about 2550 BCE was confirmed by tephrochronology?
... that the Bobrof Volcano is an uninhabited island in the Andreanof Islands, part of Alaska's Aleutian archipelago?
... that the closest transportation to Davidof Volcano is 199 miles (320 km) away in Adak, Alaska?

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General images

The following are images from various volcano-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Diagram of a Vulcanian eruption. (key: 1. Ash plume 2. Lapilli 3. Lava fountain 4. Volcanic ash rain 5. Volcanic bomb 6. Lava flow 7. Layers of lava and ash 8. Stratum 9. Sill 10. Magma conduit 11. Magma chamber 12. Dike) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 2An example of the lava arcs formed during Strombolian activity. This image is of Stromboli itself. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 3Sarychev Peak: the sulphur dioxide cloud generated by the eruption on June 12, 2009 (in Dobson units). (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)
Image 4Diagram of a Plinian eruption. (key: 1. Ash plume 2. Magma conduit 3. Volcanic ash rain 4. Layers of lava and ash 5. Stratum 6. Magma chamber) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 5The lava spine that developed after the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 6Diagram of a Hawaiian eruption. (key: 1. Ash plume 2. Lava fountain 3. Crater 4. Lava lake 5. Fumaroles 6. Lava flow 7. Layers of lava and ash 8. Stratum 9. Sill 10. Magma conduit 11. Magma chamber 12. Dike) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 7Teide, Tenerife (Spain). (from Decade Volcanoes)
Image 8Diagram of a phreatic eruption. (key: 1. Water vapor cloud 2. Magma conduit 3. Layers of lava and ash 4. Stratum 5. Water table 6. Explosion 7. Magma chamber) (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 9Sulfur dioxide emissions by volcanoes. Mount Pinatubo: 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)
Image 10MLO transmission ratio - Solar radiation reduction due to volcanic eruptions (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)
Image 11TOMS sulfur dioxide from the June 15, 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)
Image 12Mount Lamington following the devastating 1951 eruption (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 13NASA, Global Dimming - El Chichon, VEI 5; Pinatubo, VEI 6. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)
Image 14The final eruptions in the creation of Banks Peninsula in New Zealand occurred about 9 million years ago. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)
Image 15Galeras, Nariño, (Colombia). (from Decade Volcanoes)
Image 16Building destroyed by eruptions at Mount Unzen, Japan (from Decade Volcanoes)
Image 17Herðubreið, a tuya in Iceland (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 18Diagram of a Surtseyan eruption. (key: 1. Water vapor cloud 2. Compressed ash 3. Crater 4. Water 5. Layers of lava and ash 6. Stratum 7. Magma conduit 8. Magma chamber 9. Dike) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 19Lava-flooded craters and large expanses of smooth volcanic plains on Mercury (from List of extraterrestrial volcanoes)
Image 2021 April 1990 eruptive column from Redoubt Volcano, as viewed to the west from the Kenai Peninsula (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 21Phreatic explosion captured at the Main Crater of Taal Volcano. Photo taken from the installed IP camera of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) monitoring the volcano. (from Decade Volcanoes)
Image 22Diagram of a Strombolian eruption. (key: 1. Ash plume 2. Lapilli 3. Volcanic ash rain 4. Lava fountain 5. Volcanic bomb 6. Lava flow 7. Layers of lava and ash 8. Stratum 9. Dike 10. Magma conduit 11. Magma chamber 12. Sill) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 23Colima Volcano eruption column, December 2016 (from Decade Volcanoes)
Image 24Diagram of a Submarine eruption. (key: 1. Water vapor cloud 2. Water 3. Stratum 4. Lava flow 5. Magma conduit 6. Magma chamber 7. Dike 8. Pillow lava) Click to enlarge. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 25VEI and ejecta volume correlation (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)
Image 26Satellite measurements of ash and aerosol emissions from Mount Pinatubo. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)
Image 27Diagram of Peléan eruption. (key: 1. Ash plume 2. Volcanic ash rain 3. Lava dome 4. Volcanic bomb 5. Pyroclastic flow 6. Layers of lava and ash 7. Stratum 8. Magma conduit 9. Magma chamber 10. Dike) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 28Distribution of selected hotspots. The numbers in the figure are related to the listed hotspots on Hotspot (geology). (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)
Image 29Ropey pahoehoe lava from Kilauea, Hawaiʻi (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 30A major eruption of Gran Canaria took place around 14 million years ago. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)
Image 312016 eruption of Mount Sinabung (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 32Location of Mount Pinatubo, showing area over which ash from the 1991 eruption fell. (from Timeline of volcanism on Earth)
Image 33Non-viscous lava during an effusive eruption of Kīlauea (from Volcanism)
Image 34Cross-section through a stratovolcano (vertical scale is exaggerated):
1. Large magma chamber
2. Bedrock
3. Conduit (pipe)
4. Base
5. Sill
6. Dike
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
8. Flank
9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
10. Throat
11. Parasitic cone
12. Lava flow
13. Vent
14. Crater
15. Ash cloud
(from Volcanism)
Image 35Diagram showing the scale of VEI correlation with total ejecta volume (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 36Tavurvur in Papua New Guinea erupting (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 37Pyroclastic flows at Mayon Volcano, Philippines, 1984 (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 38Plate tectonics map with volcano locations indicated with red circles (from Volcanism)
Image 39Some of the eruptive structures formed during volcanic activity (counterclockwise): a Plinian eruption column, Hawaiian pahoehoe flows, and a lava arc from a Strombolian eruption (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 40A diagram of a Subglacial eruption. (key: 1. Water vapor cloud 2. Crater lake 3. Ice 4. Layers of lava and ash 5. Stratum 6. Pillow lava 7. Magma conduit 8. Magma chamber 9. Dike) Click for larger version. (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 41Lahar flows from the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, which totally destroyed Armero in Colombia (from Types of volcanic eruptions)
Image 42Types of Intrusion:
1. Laccolith
2. small Dike
3. Pluton/Batholith
4. Dike
5. Sill
6. Pipe/Volcanic neck
7. Lopolith
(from Volcanism)

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Peter William Francis (1944–1999) was a British volcanologist specialising in the study of active volcanoes on both the Earth and other planets in the Solar System. He was also renowned for his ability as a communicator, reaching the general public in a series of popular and acclaimed books on his subject. (Full article...)

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David A. Johnston William Hamilton (diplomat) George Julius Poulett Scrope Rosaly Lopes Harry Glicken Barry Voight Harry R. Truman Reid Blackburn Richard Robertson Claire Horwell Jack Souther Hazel Rymer Jenni Barclay Haroun Tazieff Catherine Hickson Bill Mathews Tempest Anderson Bill McGuire (volcanologist) George Julius Poulett Scrope Arturo Alcaraz Katia and Maurice Krafft Berend George Escher

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Selected picture

Credit: Katsushika Hokusai

Woodblock of Mount Fuji, one of a set of 36 ukiyo-e prints by Katsushika Hokusai depicting Mt. Fuji. The woodblock is titled South Wind, Clear Sky (also known as Red Fuji), and depicts Mount Fuji, Japan's most iconic volcano.

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"El enemigo sigue ahí. (The enemy is still there)"
— Sergio Galilea, intendant of the Los Lagos Region, Chile, speaking of the Chaitén Volcano on the first anniversary of its eruption, 2 May 2009

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Volcanoes topics

v t e Volcanoes
Types	Caldera Cinder cone Complex volcano Cryovolcano Cryptovolcanic structure Fissure vent Lava cone Lava dome Maar Mud volcano Parasitic cone Pyroclastic cone Pyroclastic shield Rootless cone Shield volcano Somma volcano Stratovolcano Subglacial volcano Submarine volcano Supervolcano Volcanic cone
Volcanic rocks	Agglomerate Andesite Basalt Basaltic andesite Benmoreite Blairmorite Cinder Dacite Felsite Komatiite Latite Leucitite Nephelinite Obsidian Phonolite Phonotephrite Pumice Rhyodacite Rhyolite Tephriphonolite Trachyandesite Trachybasalt Trachyte Tuff
Lists and groups	Hotspot Lists of volcanoes Eruptions by death toll Decade Volcanoes Volcanic arc Volcanic belt Volcanic field monogenetic polygenetic
Category Commons Portal WikiProject

v t e Volcano topics
Topics	Decade Volcanoes Prediction of volcanic activity Volcanic explosivity index Volcanic Seven Summits Volcanic winter Volcano Number Volcano observatory
Lists	Extraterrestrial volcanoes Large volume volcanic eruptions in the Basin and Range Province Large volcanic eruptions Largest volcanic eruptions Earth timeline Quaternary volcanic eruptions Volcanic eruption deaths

v t e Types of volcanic eruptions
Magmatic	Hawaiian Peléan Plinian Strombolian Vulcanian
Phreatomagmatic	Subglacial Submarine Surtseyan
Phreatic	Phreatic
Other classifications	Effusive Explosive Flank Lateral Limnic Subaerial

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Featured work and other approved content

Featured articles: 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens • 2007–2008 Nazko earthquakes • Amchitka • Armero tragedy • Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve • Cerro Azul (Chile volcano) • David A. Johnston • Enceladus (moon) • Geology of the Lassen volcanic area • Io (moon) • Kamaʻehuakanaloa Seamount • Mauna Kea • Mauna Loa • Metacomet Ridge • Mono-Inyo Craters • Mount Cayley volcanic field • Mount St. Helens • Mount Tambora • Nevado del Ruiz • Surtsey • The Volcano (British Columbia) • Triton (moon) • Upper and Lower Table Rock • Volcanism on Io • Volcano (South Park) • Yellowstone National Park

Featured lists: List of volcanoes in Indonesia • List of volcanoes in the Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain • List of largest volcanic eruptions

Featured pictures: There are currently 43 volcano-related Featured pictures. A full gallery can be seen here.

Good articles: Abyssal plain • Amak Volcano • Anahim hotspot • Axial Seamount • Ben Nevis • Bowie Seamount • Crater Lake • Davidson Seamount • Ferdinandea • Gareloi Volcano • Geyser • Glacier Peak • Hawaii hotspot • Hualālai • Kohala (mountain) • Lake Toba • Minoan eruption • Mount Adams (Washington) • Mount Bailey • Mount Baker • Mount Cleveland (Alaska) • Mount Edziza volcanic complex • Mount Garibaldi • Mount Hood • Mount Kenya • Mount Rainier • Mount Redoubt • Mount Tehama • Mount Thielsen • Mount Vesuvius • Peter I Island • Roxy Ann Peak • Rùm • Sakurajima • Sangay • Silverthrone Caldera • Staffa • Types of volcanic eruptions • Volcanic ash • Weh Island • Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field • Yamsay Mountain

Valued pictures: A gallery of volcano-related valued pictures can be seen here.

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