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volcanism

American  
[vol-kuh-niz-uhm] / ˈvɒl kəˌnɪz əm /

noun

Geology.
  1. the phenomena connected with volcanoes and volcanic activity.


volcanism British  
/ ˈvɒlkəˌnɪzəm /

noun

  1. those processes collectively that result in the formation of volcanoes and their products

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of volcanism

First recorded in 1865–70; volcan(o) + -ism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Notably, this happened without the presence of a deep mantle plume, challenging long-held assumptions about the source of such volcanism.

From Science Daily

“The intriguing feature could improve our understanding of volcanism not only on Io but on other worlds as well.”

From Salon

But if many erupted, he says, a feedback loop could take hold, with ice loss leading to more volcanism, and more eruptions to more ice loss and consequent sea-level rise.

From Science Magazine

“Iceland is essentially one of the best places in the world to study this … because we have both volcanism and glaciers,” volcanologist Michelle Parks of the Icelandic Meteorological Office told Reuters.

From Salon

"What's remarkable is that Mars' volcanism has incredible similarities, but also differences, to Earth," said Day.

From Science Daily