volcano

American  

[vol-key-noh] / vɒlˈkeɪ noʊ /

noun

plural

volcanoes, volcanos

1. a vent in the earth's crust through which lava, steam, ashes, etc., are expelled, either continuously or at irregular intervals.

2. a mountain or hill, usually having a cuplike crater at the summit, formed around such a vent from the ash and lava expelled through it.

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volcano British  

/ vɒlˈkeɪnəʊ /

noun

1. an opening in the earth's crust from which molten lava, rock fragments, ashes, dust, and gases are ejected from below the earth's surface

2. a mountain formed from volcanic material ejected from a vent in a central crater

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volcano Scientific  

/ vŏl-kā′nō /

1. An opening in the Earth's crust from which lava, ash, and hot gases flow or are ejected during an eruption.

2. A usually cone-shaped mountain formed by the materials issuing from such an opening. Volcanoes are usually associated with plate boundaries but can also occur within the interior areas of a tectonic plate. Their shape is directly related to the type of magma that flows from them—the more viscous the magma, the steeper the sides of the volcano.

3. ◆ A volcano composed of gently sloping sheets of basaltic lava from successive volcanic eruptions is called a shield volcano. The lava flows associated with shield volcanos, such as Mauna Loa, on Hawaii, are very fluid.

4. ◆ A volcano composed of steep, alternating layers of lava and pyroclastic materials, including ash, is called a stratovolcano. Stratovolcanos are associated with relatively viscous lava and with explosive eruptions. They are the most common form of large continental volcanos. Mount Vesuvius, Mount Fuji, and Mount St. Helens are stratovolcanos.

5. Also called composite volcano

6. See more at hot spot island arc tectonic boundary volcanic arc

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volcano Cultural  

1. A cone-shaped mountain or hill created by molten material that rises from the interior of the Earth to the surface.

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Discover More

Volcanoes tend to occur along the edges of tectonic plates.

Eruptions and lava flows associated with them can be very destructive. (See Mount Saint Helens and Mount Vesuvius.)

Etymology

Origin of volcano

1605–15; < Italian < Latin Volcānus, variant of Vulcānus Vulcan

Example Sentences

In prime toucan- and condor-spotting territory, the 13 suites at the new N’Cielo Adventure Lodge come with volcano views and soaking tubs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Scientists now say a volcano might have triggered Black Death.

From MarketWatch

"Life probably required some very specialized conditions to get started, like near volcanoes or hydrothermal vents with complex chemistry," Browne said.

From Science Daily

Mosses are well known for surviving in places that challenge most life, including the Himalayan peaks, the scorching deserts of Death Valley, the Antarctic tundra, and the cooling surfaces of active volcanoes.

From Science Daily

Some volcanoes, including Mount St. Helens in Washington state and Quizapu in Chile, have occasionally released slow, gentle lava flows even when their magma was rich in gas and considered highly explosive.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• alp
• bluff
• butte
• cliff
• crag
• elevation
• eminence
• height
• mesa
• mount
• palisade
• peak
• pike
• precipice
• range
• ridge
• sierra
• tor