BACKGROUND:
Volcanoes are fascinating, not only to scientists, but
also to many other people around the world. The strength and beauty of an
erupting volcano, has inspired books and poems around the world. This beauty
is also coupled with the destruction that volcanoes cause when they erupt.
The word "volcano" comes from the
Italian island of Vulcano near Sicily. The Roman god of the underworld used
the volcano’s hot lava to create thunderbolts for Jupiter, the king of
gods, and weapons for Mars, the god of war.