42 volcano trivia questions with answers

Volcano questions for a science class, a family quiz or anyone who loves a big eruption: magma and lava, the Ring of Fire, Pompeii and Krakatoa, Mauna Loa and Mount Fuji, rock that floats, and the tallest volcano in the Solar System. Each of the four sections makes a round, and every answer links to its source.

42 questions · Volcano trivia questions with answers · answers included

Updated 26 Oct 2026

How volcanoes work

1
What is molten rock called while it is still underground?

easy

Answer
Magma.
It is thought to collect in magma chambers inside Earth's crust.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magma?oldid=1371076538
2
What is magma called once it pours out onto the surface?

easy

Answer
Lava.
Most molten lava is about as thick as ketchup.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava?oldid=1378579913
3
About how hot is lava when it erupts, in degrees Celsius?

medium

Answer
800 to 1,200 °C.
That is about 1,470 to 2,190 °F.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava?oldid=1378579913
4
Which Roman god's name gave us the word volcano?

medium

Answer
Vulcan, the god of fire.
It came through Vulcano, a volcanic island in Italy.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano?oldid=1380352685
5
Volcanoes are called active, dormant or what, when they can never erupt again?

easy

Answer
Extinct.
An extinct volcano has no magma source left.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano?oldid=1380352685
6
Where are most of Earth's volcanoes found: on land or underwater?

medium

Answer
Underwater.
A mid-ocean ridge, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has volcanoes along it.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano?oldid=1380352685
7
Which volcano type has gentle slopes, shaped like a warrior's shield lying on the ground?

medium

Answer
A shield volcano.
Runny lava spreads far before it cools, building wide, low slopes.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield_volcano?oldid=1368370482
8
What is another name for a stratovolcano, built of layers of lava and ash?

hard

Answer
A composite volcano.
Stratovolcanoes are steep, with explosive eruptions.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovolcano?oldid=1373162536
9
Which fast current of hot gas and rock is the deadliest of all volcanic hazards?

medium

Answer
A pyroclastic flow.
It hugs the ground and rushes downhill.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyroclastic_flow?oldid=1369932956
10
What is the highest number on the Volcanic Explosivity Index?

hard

Answer
8.
An 8 is a supervolcanic eruption; 0 is a gentle, non-explosive one.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_explosivity_index?oldid=1380834975
11
What is a scientist who studies volcanoes called?

easy

Answer
A volcanologist.
Volcanologists collect ash, pumice and lava samples on active volcanoes.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanology?oldid=1370218461
38
What is the large hollow left when the top of a volcano collapses called?

medium

Answer
A caldera.
Krakatoa's 1883 eruption left one.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovolcano?oldid=1373162536
39
How fast can a pyroclastic flow travel?

hard

Answer
Up to 700 km/h, about 430 mph.
On average they move at about 100 km/h.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyroclastic_flow?oldid=1369932956

Famous eruptions

12
Which Roman city was buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD?

easy

Answer
Pompeii, along with Herculaneum.
Stabiae and Oplontis were destroyed too.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vesuvius?oldid=1369586079
13
Who wrote the only eyewitness account of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD?

hard

Answer
Pliny the Younger.
He watched from the town of Misenum and wrote two letters about it.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruption_of_Mount_Vesuvius_in_79_AD?oldid=1381093639
14
In 1883, the eruption of which island volcano made the loudest sound known in history?

hard

Answer
Krakatoa.
It was heard in Perth, Australia, about 3,110 km away.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1883_eruption_of_Krakatoa?oldid=1381107509
15
What is the new island that rose from Krakatoa's crater in 1927 called?

medium

Answer
Anak Krakatoa, the Child of Krakatoa.
It has erupted again and again since.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa?oldid=1375256291
16
Which Indonesian volcano erupted in 1815 in the most powerful eruption in recorded history?

hard

Answer
Mount Tambora.
It scored 7 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1815_eruption_of_Mount_Tambora?oldid=1380748795
17
Ash from Tambora cooled the world so much that 1816 got which nickname?

medium

Answer
The Year Without a Summer.
Crops failed across the Northern Hemisphere.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer?oldid=1380901837
18
On which date in 1980 did Mount St. Helens erupt?

medium

Answer
May 18.
It was the first eruption in the lower 48 states since Lassen Peak in 1915.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens?oldid=1380453054
19
About how many people died in the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens?

hard

Answer
About 57.
They included the volcanologist David A. Johnston.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens?oldid=1380453054
20
In 2010, ash from which Icelandic volcano shut airspace across much of Europe?

medium

Answer
Eyjafjallajökull.
About 20 countries closed their airspace to passenger jets.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_eruptions_of_Eyjafjallajökull?oldid=1380199425
21
In 1943, the Mexican volcano Parícutin rose up in what kind of place?

hard

Answer
A farmer's cornfield.
Scientists could watch a volcano's whole life for the first time.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%ADcutin?oldid=1369595607

Volcanoes around the world

22
What is Earth's largest active volcano, by mass and volume?

medium

Answer
Mauna Loa, in Hawaii.
Its name means Long Mountain.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Loa?oldid=1379623547
23
Which Hawaiian volcano is among the most active on Earth?

medium

Answer
Kīlauea.
It sits on the southeastern shore of Hawaii Island.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C4%ABlauea?oldid=1380329318
24
In Hawaiian mythology, which goddess of fire and volcanoes lives at Kīlauea?

medium

Answer
Pele.
Her home is the Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C4%ABlauea?oldid=1380329318
25
Which belt of volcanoes and earthquakes runs around the Pacific Ocean?

easy

Answer
The Ring of Fire.
It holds about two-thirds of the world's volcanoes.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Fire?oldid=1378787142
26
About what share of the world's earthquakes happen in the Ring of Fire?

hard

Answer
About 90%.
Most of the largest ones happen there too.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Fire?oldid=1378787142
27
Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, is what kind of mountain?

easy

Answer
An active volcano, a stratovolcano.
It last erupted in 1707 and 1708.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Fuji?oldid=1381203764
28
On which Italian island is Mount Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes?

medium

Answer
Sicily.
Etna is in an almost constant state of activity.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Etna?oldid=1381555985
29
Which volcano, on the border of Argentina and Chile, is the highest on Earth?

hard

Answer
Ojos del Salado.
Its summit is 6,893 meters above sea level.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ojos_del_Salado?oldid=1380807042
30
In which national park does the Yellowstone Caldera mostly lie?

medium

Answer
Yellowstone National Park.
Its volcanism began 2.15 million years ago.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_Caldera?oldid=1380585341
31
On which planet is Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the Solar System?

medium

Answer
Mars.
It is a shield volcano about 600 km wide.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_Mons?oldid=1380866696
32
About how many times taller than Mount Everest is Olympus Mons?

hard

Answer
About 2.5 times.
It rises 21.3 km.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_Mons?oldid=1380866696
40
Near which Italian city does Mount Vesuvius stand?

easy

Answer
Naples.
It is about 9 km east of the city.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vesuvius?oldid=1369586079
41
About how far is Mount Fuji from Tokyo?

medium

Answer
About 100 km, to the southwest.
On clear days it can be seen from the city.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Fuji?oldid=1381203764
42
The Yellowstone Caldera spans parts of which three US states?

hard

Answer
Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.
Most of it lies inside Yellowstone National Park.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_Caldera?oldid=1380585341

Volcanic rocks

33
Which volcanic rock is so full of bubbles that it floats on water?

easy

Answer
Pumice.
It can float for years before it sinks.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumice?oldid=1379044430
34
Which shiny black volcanic glass forms when lava cools very fast?

medium

Answer
Obsidian.
Crystals have no time to grow.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian?oldid=1379380677
35
Rocks that form from cooled magma or lava belong to which family of rocks?

medium

Answer
Igneous rocks.
Granite and basalt are igneous rocks too.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magma?oldid=1371076538
36
Most runny basalt lava flows are one of two kinds with Hawaiian names. Name one.

hard

Answer
ʻAʻā or pāhoehoe.
ʻAʻā is rough and broken; pāhoehoe is smooth and ropy.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava?oldid=1378579913
37
What is the mix of ash and rock pieces thrown out by a volcano called?

medium

Answer
Tephra.
Pyroclastic flows are made of hot gas and tephra.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyroclastic_flow?oldid=1369932956

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