volcano

[ vol-key-noh ]

noun

, plural vol·ca·noes, vol·ca·nos.

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.

volcano

/ 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

volcano

/ 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

volcano

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

Notes

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 .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of volcano¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of volcano¹

C17: from Italian, from Latin Volcānus Vulcan ¹, whose forges were believed to be responsible for volcanic rumblings

Example Sentences

For a rare, if not lucky, few days a year, Yosemite National Park’s famed El Capitan granite cliff converts into what looks like an active volcano jutting 3,000 feet above the valley floor.

From Los Angeles Times

Several airlines have cancelled flights to and from Bali due to dangerous ash clouds from a volcano near the Indonesian holiday island.

From BBC

“The argument had to be fire but not a volcano. A volcano would be she’s completely erupted and now there’s nowhere to go, and as an actor it’s just boring, and I would feel like I’d failed at my job,” Lynch says.

From Los Angeles Times

At least 10 people have been killed after a volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia in the early hours of Monday, officials have said.

From BBC

A recent report from the Icelandic Meteorological Office suggests that magma is building up underground near a volcano known as Askja, a mountain about the size of Mount St. Helens in Vatnajokull National Park in Iceland’s central highlands.

From Salon

Related Words

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