1
What layer of the Earth is broken into large moving plates?
The lithosphere
What is molten rock called when it is still below the Earth’s surface?
Magma
What do we call molten rock once it reaches the Earth’s surface?
Lava
What natural landform is created when magma erupts onto the surface?
Volcano
What type of plate boundary occurs when two plates move away from each other?
Divergent
Which plate boundary type is most commonly associated with volcanoes and earthquakes?
Convergent
What is the name given to cracks in the Earth’s crust caused by tectonic movement?
What type of volcano has broad sides and gentle slopes, like Mauna Loa?
Shield
What tectonic setting creates volcanic island arcs such as Japan?
Oceanic convergent
What is the area around the Pacific Ocean with frequent volcanoes and earthquakes called
The Ring of Fire
Why do volcanoes often form at subduction zones?
The subducting plate melts and magma rises to the surface
hat type of plate boundary creates no volcanoes but many earthquakes, such as the San Andreas Fault?
Transform boundary
What is a hotspot and how does it form volcanoes?
A plume of hot magma rising from the mantle independent of plate boundaries
Why are stratovolcanoes often more explosive than shield volcanoes?
Their magma is thicker and traps gases
Which plate movement leads to the formation of mountain ranges like the Himalayas?
ontinental convergence
Explain how plate tectonics influence the global distribution of volcanoes.
Most volcanoes occur at plate boundaries where magma can rise due to plate movement
Why are volcanoes rarely found in the middle of tectonic plates?
There is usually no melting or magma movement away from boundaries
What evidence supports the theory of plate tectonics using volcanoes?
Volcanoes align along plate boundaries and hotspots
How does the age of volcanic islands change as they move away from a hotspot?
Islands become progressively older with increasing distance from the hotspot
Why are composite volcanoes commonly found at convergent boundaries?
Subduction creates thick, gas‑rich magma that builds steep, layered volcanoes