Volcanic Eruptions and Effects on our Climate

Volcanoes are an integral part of the Earth system and are formed by intrusions of magma that 'bubble up’ from Earth’s interior (e.g., lava lamp). They can form above thin areas of the Earth’s crust/ lithosphere known as ‘hot spots or mantle plumes’ such as the Hawaiian Islands or Yellowstone National Park. More commonly they form along ‘subduction zones’ where the thinner oceanic tectonic plates slide below the thicker continental plates. Many of the most active (and violent) volcanos lie along subduction zones known as the Pacific 'Ring of Fire’.