Volcanoes are
mountains that have hot lava and magma inside. Below the
Earth's crust is a solid body of rock called the mantle. Pressure and
extrememly high temperatures melt the rock. This melted rock is called
magma. Magma is
stored
in a magma chamber. The magma pushes up to the Earth's crust
through a
conduit or pipe in the volcano. It can also branch off to side vents
and create parasitic cones. When the magma reaches the surface it is
called lava.
Lava comes through the main vent when the volcano erupts. This can
create a crater at the top of the volcano. Lava flows down the side or
flank of the volcano. When the lava cools, it turns into rock. Each
eruption creates another layer of rock that builds up the volcano.
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