How Do Volcanoes Shape Landscapes?

Volcanoes are like giant painters who use lava as their paint and the ground as their canvas. When a volcano erupts, it spills hot lava onto the land, which hardens into new mountains or islands. Over time, this process makes big changes to Earth’s surface, just like an artist creates new pictures with every brushstroke.

Take the quiz →

Examples

  1. A volcano erupting on a beach creates an island like a giant popsicle melting into water.
  2. Lava from a volcano slowly builds up to form a mountain over many years.
  3. Ash from an eruption covers the ground, forming a new layer that changes the shape of the land.

Ask a question

See also

Discussion

Recent activity