What are volcanic systems?

A volcanic system is like a giant underground factory that makes lava and sends it to the Earth's surface.

Imagine you have a toy volcano at home, when you pour baking soda and vinegar inside, it erupts with foam. A real volcanic system works kind of like that, but way bigger!

A volcanic system has parts underneath the ground, just like your toy has hidden pieces inside the box.

• There’s a magma chamber, which is like a big tank full of hot lava below the surface.
• When pressure builds up, the magma moves up through pipes, think of them as straws that carry the lava from deep down to the top.
• Finally, it comes out through a volcano, just like your toy volcano spits out foam.

Sometimes these systems erupt suddenly, like when you press the button on your toy. Other times, they might slowly ooze lava out, like honey coming out of a jar. Either way, they’re doing their job, making cool lava shows for us to see!