Volcanoes Volcano Trailhead Volcanoes can be exciting and dangerous. They are also educational since they tell us a lot about the earth and even other planets. The inside of the Earth is very hot. A buildup of lava and ash around the area of an eruption becomes a volcano.
Volcanoes can erupt for a very brief time or they can erupt many times over millions of years.
Sometimes they sleep for long periods and people think they are finished, but they aren't. Mount St Helens was one of these sleeping volcanoes and it surprised everyone when it became active in 1980, causing a lot of destruction and loss of life. Getting Ready Terms to learn magma lava volcanologist shield volcano epicenter Concepts 1. Click to take the field trip. Inc. All rights reserved.