Volcanoes And Resultant Hazards

Question 1

Explain why volcanoes are not found at all types of tectonic plate boundary.

Answer 1

• Volcanoes are formed by rising magma. An example of this is volcanoes found at divergent boundaries such as the Mid-Atlantic ridge, which allows magma to rise from plates moving away from each other.
• The melting of subducted plate material. An example of this is the Ring of Fire which is a convergent plate boundary.

Question 2

Explain the distribution of volcanoes

Answer 2

• The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a long, underwater mountain range that runs along the center of the Atlantic Ocean. This is because the African plate and the South American plate are moving away from each other, which creates the conditions necessary for magma to form. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is home to many Iceland volcanoes.
• The Ring of Fire is a belt of volcanoes that encircles the Pacific Ocean. This is because the Pacific plate is subducting beneath a number of other plates, which creates the conditions for volcanoes to form. The Ring of Fire is home to some of the world’s most active volcanoes, including Mount Fuji in Japan.