[vol-key-noh] 
| 1. | a vent in the earth's crust through which lava, steam, ashes, etc., are expelled, either continuously or at irregular intervals. |
| 2. | a mountain or hill, usually having a cuplike crater at the summit, formed around such a vent from the ash and lava expelled through it. |
vol·ca·no (vŏl-kā'nō)  (click for larger image in new window) n. pl. vol·ca·noes or vol·ca·nos
[Italian, from Spanish volcán or Portuguese volcão, both probably from Latin volcānus, vulcānus, fire, flames, from Volcānus, Vulcan.] |
A cone-shaped mountain or hill created by molten material that rises from the interior of the Earth to the surface.
Note: Volcanoes tend to occur along the edges of tectonic plates.
Note: Eruptions and lava flows associated with them can be very destructive. (See Mount Saint Helens and Mount Vesuvius.)
noʊ
