Volcano · Vulcano
Beauty and power of nature
INTRODUCTION
A volcano is an opening on the surface
of a planet or moon that allows
material warmer than its surroundings to
escape from its interior. When this material escapes, it causes an
eruption.
An eruption can be
explosive, sending material high into
the sky. Or it can be calmer, with
gentle flows of material.
There have been a lot of volcanoes on other planets in the past. Some places in our solar system have active volcanoes erupting right now! Venus and Mars are covered with extinct volcanoes. Some of the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune actually have eruptions happening right now.
ETIMOLOGY
The word volcano is derived from the name of Vulcano, a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands of Italy whose name in turn comes from Vulcan, the god of fire in Roman mythology.
