Hi. I am doing a research project for my school and I was wondering if you can help me? I have a few questions for you. 1. Which volcano has erupted the most? 2. How many mountains have blew their tops? 3. Why do Hawaii’s volcanoes keep erupting? I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me. Thanks, Kristina
Hello Kristina and thanks for your interest in VW! The best way to find answers to your questions is to simply try typing them into the search box on our homepage @ http://volcano.und.edu which only searches from within VW. For instance, I copied and pasted your first question into the box and found :
2. Your second question is a bit more difficult. If you mean how many volcanoes are there in the world, the Smithsonian Institution book, VOLCANOES OF THE WORLD states that there are about 1511 volcanoes that are considered to be active on Earth (with many more throughout the solar system), though only about 160 of those have erupted in the past decade. If you mean specifically how many mountains have had explosive eruptions similar to the Mount Saint Helens eruption, I’m not sure of the number, but the USGS lists around 700 stratovolcanoes. Check out more information about the types of volcanoes @ http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/volcano_types/type_can.htm.
3. Finally, Hawaii’s volcanoes are the result of what is called a “Hot Spot.” Explore our lesson on Hot Spots and Mantle Plumes @ http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/hotspots.html for more information about them. Also, you should search on “hot spot” in the VW searchbox for many pages of additional information – most specifically worth reading is: http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/frequent_questions/grp9/question164.html Good luck with your project!
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