How does a volcano form?
Volcanoes form when hot material from below rises and starts leaking from the crust. Magma, a hot material, rises from lower ground, and gathers in a place called the magma chamber. Eventually, but not always, the magma erupts onto the surface and forms lava. Sometimes strong earthquakes accompany rising lava. The volcano gets bigger as the lava rises inside it. Then it erupts. Another way volcanoes can form is when plates hit each other. This is where the earths heals and melts rock into gases and magma. This can happen as deep as one hundred miles below the earths. Finally magma settles in pools or chambers near the surface. This is where the eruption takes place.