So… How Do Volcanoes Work?
Volcanic activity, explained Phoenix is, in essence, “where the insides of the earth are leaking out onto the surface.”
Inside Earth’s subsurface is a substance known as magma, or rock that has melted due to the extreme temperatures in our planet’s interior. “It’s rock that is a solid, but it moves like a liquid,” Phoenix said. “It’s rock that can flow.” There are pockets of magma distributed close to Earth’s crust, as well as some pockets deeper in the mantle. If gases heating up inside that magma expand and get too hot, magma can leak out of Earth’s surface, especially in areas where the crust is thinner.
