A volcano is an opening in the Earths surface where molten rock can escape from

underneath. The Earths surface is made up of tectonic plates, which are spreading
apart, crunching into each other, or sliding beside one another. Volcanoes are typically
found at the fault lines between these plates. There can be active volcanos, which are
currently, or have recently erupted. There are also dormant volcanoes, which havent
erupted recently, and extinct volcanoes, which will never erupt again.
There are 4 major types of volcanoes:
Cinder Cone Volcanoes:
These are the simplest type of volcano. They occur when
particles and blobs of lava are ejected from a volcanic vent.
The lava is blown violently into the air, and the pieces rain
down around the vent. Over time, this builds up a circular or
oval-shaped cone, with a bowl-shaped crater at the top.
Cinder cone volcanoes rarely grow larger than about 1,000
feet above their surroundings.

Composite Volcanoes:
Composite volcanoes, or stratovolcanoes make up some of
the worlds most memorable mountains: Mount Rainier,
Mount Fuji, and Mount Cotopaxi, for example. These
volcanoes have a conduit system inside them that channels
magma from deep within the Earth to the surface. They can
have clusters of vents, with lava breaking through walls, or
issuing from fissures on the sides of the mountain. With all
this material coming out, they can grow thousands of meters
tall. As weve seen with the famous Mount Saint Helens,
composite volcanoes can explode violently.

Shield Volcanoes:
These are large, broad volcanoes that look like shields from
above hence the name. The lava that pours out of shield
volcanoes is thin, so it can travel for great distances down
the shallow slopes of the volcano. These volcanos build up
slowly over time, with hundreds of eruptions, creating many
layers. Theyre not likely to explode catastrophically. Perhaps
the best known shield volcanoes are the ones that make up
the Hawaiian Islands, especially Mauna Loa and Mauna
Kea.