How Do Volcanoes Erupt?
Just a quick note, if you want to learn more about volcanoes, check out our episode on this very topic! First we have to talk about the layer of the Earth called the Outer Core. The outer core is literally “liquid metal”!! It is full of magma, which is hotter than the surface of the Sun!! The movement of the outer core creates the Earth’s Magnetic Field. This layer is where the magma seeps up into the crust and causes volcanoes!! The Earth has giant slabs of rock floating on this magma. They are called tectonic plates. When the collide or crash into each other. the form small holes where the magma can seep through. As the magma builds up under that hole or depression, the magma bursts out of the volcano as lava. Repeated eruptions can cause the magma to cool and form mountains!
Did You Know That…
In Iceland, there is a volcano erupting! A volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula is erupting as a new volcanic crater opens up.