A volcano is an opening on the Earth’s crust from where molten rock, gases and pyroclastic debris erupt. Volcanoes erupt when the plates of the Earth’s surface collide and one plate is pushed beneath another. This collision releases a lot of energy which melts the rocks, and the molten rocks rise and erupt as magma. The lava comes out through a vertical tunnel called a vent and fills a hollow called crater, at the top. The magma that reaches the Earth’s surface is called lava. Cool, solidified lava forms rocks.
Volcano
