Volcanoes are openings in Earth’s crust through which molten rock, ash, and gases are ejected. Volcanic erup
(tions) can cre
(ate) islands, moun
(tains), and ot
(her) landforms, but th
(ey) can al
(so) be destr
(uctive), causing dam
(age) to near
(by) areas. Stud
(ying) volcanoes helps scientists understand Earth’s internal processes: for example, how volcanoes form at tectonic plate boundaries or over hotspots in the mantle and how magma rises up from the mantle and erupts as lava on the surface.
