Magma is Latin for dregs of ointment which derives from the Proto IndoEuropean mag meaning kneading The term magma in its geological sense as molten rock was first used in 1865.

Iceland is made up almost entirely of volcanic rocks like those found on the ocean floor It gradually built up above sea level through intense and prolonged eruptions.

The myth of the lost city of Atlantis sinking beneath the waves may be based on the Greek island of Santorini of which portions collapsed into the sea after a large volcanic eruption during the Bronze Age.

An acid lake in the crater of Kawah Idjen in Indonesia absorbs gases rising from the volcano creating a lake so toxic it can burn through human flesh in minutes.

Japan has 10 of the worlds active volcanoes.

Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming sits on the site of an ancient supervolcano It erupted around 2 million years ago 13 million years ago and 640000 years ago If it follows the same pattern another eruption is due any time now.

In August 1986 a cloud mixture of carbon dioxide and water rose from Lake Nyos a crater lake in Cameroon western Africa The heavy gas cloud flowed downhill and gathered in the valleys asphyxiating 1700 people and 3500 livestock living in the villages below.

Tamboras 1815 massive eruption and its devastating effects are said to have inspired Lord Byrons gloomy poem Darkness 1816 and Mary Shelleys immortal novel Frankenstein 1818.

The 1815 volcano Tambora in Indonesia was the greatest volcanic eruption ever observed by humans Not only did it kill over 70000 people and it also caused the worst famine in the nineteenth century.

When Paricutin in Mexico erupted from 19431952 no one was killed by ash rocks lava gases or mud flows though three people died from being struck by volcanic lightening Though there were periods of violent explosions Paricutin mainly discharged quiet flows of lava during its

Well into the Middle Ages many believed volcanoes were entrances into the fiery underworld.

Edvard Munchs famous painting The Scream is thought to show a volcanic sunset caused by the massive eruption of Krakatau in Indonesia in 1883 The blood red sunset could be seen as far away as Norway where Munch lived.

“Look at me, I run the daycare center now” 😳

In some volcanic areas such as Iceland heat energy from magma can be used to warm water and run power plants This type of energy is called geothermal earth heat energy.

In 1943 a Mexican farmer named Dionisio Pulido witnessed the birth of a volcano in his cornfield about 329 kilometers west of Mexico City It started as a slight depression in his field and soon became a fissure that emitted smoke and hissing noises During the next nine years the

More than 300 million people nearly 1 in 20 live in the shadow of active volcanoes including Mount Vesuvius in Italy Mount Rainier in the U S and Popocatepetl in Mexico.

There are four major types of volcanoes cinder cone composite shield and lava domes Composite volcanoes are the most common type of volcanoes and often have symmetrical steep slopes Classic examples include Mount Rainier in Washington State and Mount Fuji in Japan.

In 1660 the people of Naples were shocked to find what looked like little black crosses raining down on them While they thought it was proof that St Januarius was looking out for them the crosses were really twin pyroxene crystals which Mt Vesuvius spewed out of its crater

Some volcanic islands such as Iceland and Hawaii have black beaches Their sand is made from basalt an igneous rock formed when lava cools and has been broken down into sand particles.

When the top of a volcano top collapses it forms a caldera which is Spanish for kettle The largest caldera is the La Garita Caldera in Colorado which was formed 2628 million years ago and was one of the largest eruptions if not the largest on Earth.