Volcanoes are located along the tectonic plate boundaries which includes both on land and underwater.
The most active volcanoes on earth are found along the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is a horseshoe shaped area around the Pacific Ocean in which many subduction zones occur.
And in addition to the plate boundaries, volcanoes can also form over hot spots, that are areas of intense heat within the Earth's mantle, such as those that created the Hawaiian Islands.
60 percent of all active volcanoes are located at the boundaries between the tectonic plates and most volcanoes are found along the belt called the Ring of Fire that encircles the Pacific Ocean.
And some volcanoes such as those that form the Hawaiian Islands occur in the interior of plates at areas called hot spots.
Volcanoes play a crucial role in the geology and climate of the Earth as well as shaping the planet and contributing to the habitability of the Earth.
Volcanoes release gases which formed the early atmosphere and oceans as well as build landmasses and drive recycling of essential elements.
Volcanoes also provide us clues about planetary evolution and also offer resources like fertile soils and geothermal energy.
Volcanoes have also been instrumental in the building of continents, islands and mountains, which includes the creation of over 80 percent of the Earth's surface, both above sea level and below sea level.
Volcanic eruptions released gases which eventually formed the Earth's early atmosphere and oceans and provides the foundation for life to emerge and thrive.
Volcanoes also play a significant role in the regulation of Earth's climate by releasing heat and gases which influence atmospheric composition and temperature.
Volcanoes also drive the recycling of essential elements as well as greenhouse gases which otherwise would remain trapped underground and contribute to the planets habitability and they also create fertile soils, resources such as geothermal energy for electricity and provide pathways for various minerals and precious metals to reach the surface.
Volcanoes also offer valuable insights into the formation and the evolution of planets, moons and other celestial bodies.
The Earth creates lava by the formation of Magma which is formed in the Earth's mantle and crust when temperatures and pressure reach a certain level, causing the rocks to melt into a liquid state.
Magma is also less dense than the surrounding solid rock, which causes it to rise toward the surface of the earth.
And the Magma can then erupt through volcanic vents or fissures on the Earth's surface.
When Magma erupts onto the surface it is called Lava.
And as Lava cools it hardens as it interacts with the surface of the Earth and forms solid volcanic rock.
Lava is basically molten rock or partially molten rock that is expelled from the earth.
Lava on Earth is made of silicate melt, which is a mixture of molten silicate minerals as well as solid particles and also gas bubbles.
The silicate melt is made up of elements such as oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, titanium and potassium.
Silicate melt is the main component of lava as lava is a mixture of molten silicate minerals.
The molten silicate minerals are formed from a combination of elements, which is primarily oxygen and silicon, along with smaller amounts of other elements.
lava can also contain solid particles, which are essentially crystallized minerals, which were floating within the molten rock before the lava erupted.
Another part of lava is volcanic gases.
The volcanic gases like water vapor, carbon dioxide and even sulfur dioxide can get trapped in the lava as the lava cools and solidifies and forms bubbles.
The exact composition of lava can also vary depending on the origin of the lava and the specific geological conditions.
Although lava generally remains a molten rock mixture with a high percentage of silica.
Silicate Lava's are basically molten mixtures that are dominated by silicon and oxygen which are the most abundant elements of the Earth's crust, with smaller quantities of aluminum, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron and potassium and a small amount of other elements.
Magma consists of liquid rock that usually contains suspended solid crystals.
As magma approaches the surface and the overburden pressure drops, dissolved gases bubble out of the liquid, so that magma near the surface consists of materials in solid, liquid, and gas phases.