Volcanoes Facts for Kids
Explosive facts about volcanoes and geology
There are about 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth, and about 50 erupt every year.
Lava can reach temperatures of 1,250°C (2,282°F) — hot enough to melt gold!
Volcanic eruptions can create their own lightning storms inside the ash cloud.
Indonesia has the most active volcanoes of any country — around 130.
When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, it buried the city of Pompeii under 20 feet of ash in just a few hours.
Hawaii's Mauna Kea is taller than Mount Everest when measured from its base on the ocean floor — over 10,000 metres!
Volcanic soil is some of the most fertile on Earth, which is why so many people live near volcanoes.
There's a supervolcano underneath Yellowstone National Park — its magma chamber is big enough to fill the Grand Canyon 11 times.
Volcanoes exist on other planets and moons too — Jupiter's moon Io has over 400 active volcanoes.
The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora caused 'The Year Without a Summer' in 1816 — it snowed in June in North America!