GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Sixty percent of all active volcanoes occur at the boundaries between tectonic plates. Most volcanoes are found along a belt, called the “Ring of Fire” that encircles the Pacific Ocean. Some volcanoes, like those that form the Hawaiian Islands, occur in the interior of plates at areas called “hot spots.”

Detailed explanation-2: -There are about 1, 350 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, aside from the continuous belts of volcanoes on the ocean floor at spreading centers like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. About 500 of those 1, 350 volcanoes have erupted in historical time.

Detailed explanation-3: -Plate Tectonics Most volcanoes form at the boundaries of Earth’s tectonic plates. These plates are huge slabs of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle, which fit together like pieces of a puzzle. These plates are not fixed, but are constantly moving at a very slow rate. They move only a few centimeters per year.

Detailed explanation-4: -So far, we know volcanoes are found on Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter’s moon, Io. Right now, active volcanoes are only found on two of these bodies: Earth and Io. However, volcanoes could be erupting on Venus or Jupiter’s moon, Europa.