What is the Difference Between Mountain and Volcano

Mountains and volcanoes are both important landforms, but they differ in how they form and their activity. Both landforms can greatly impact the landscape and local environment, influencing factors such as climate, water flow, and ecosystem diversity.

The key difference between mountain and volcano is their nature. Mountains are landforms created primarily by tectonic processes such as the collision or uplifting of Earth’s crust, while volcanoes are openings in the Earth’s crust through which lava, ash, and gases escape during eruptions.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Mountain
3. What is a Volcano
4. Similarities – Mountain and Volcano
5. Mountain vs Volcano in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Mountain and Volcano
7. FAQ – Mountain and Volcano

What is a Mountain?

A mountain is a landform with steep, sloping sides and a high point known as a peak or summit. Geologists classify a mountain as a landform that rises at least 1,000 feet (300 meters) above its surroundings. A mountain range is a series of mountains close together.

Mountains are often formed by plate tectonics, a process where pieces of Earth’s crust collide and push land upwards. The Himalayas in Asia formed from this process about 55 million years ago and contain 30 of the world’s highest mountains, including Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth at 29,035 feet (8,850 meters).

Mountains often serve as natural borders between countries. Their height can impact weather patterns by causing storms to stall and clouds to release precipitation, leading to wetter conditions on one side and drier conditions on the other. Mountains also provide natural barriers and can even act as protection for fleeing and invading armies.

What is a Volcano?

A volcano is an opening in the Earth’s crust where lava, volcanic ash, and gases can escape. Volcanic eruptions are driven by pressure from dissolved gases in the magma, much like a champagne bottle’s cork popping due to pressure. Liquid magma rises through cracks in the Earth’s crust and, as it ascends, the pressure decreases, allowing gases to form bubbles. The behavior of magma when it reaches the surface depends on its gas content and chemical composition.

Lavas with low silica content flow freely because they have low viscosity, allowing gas bubbles to escape easily. Lavas with high silica content are thicker and trap gases, which prevents them from escaping gradually. Large eruptions can affect atmospheric temperatures because ash and sulfuric acid droplets block sunlight, cooling the Earth’s lower atmosphere. Historically, these effects have led to volcanic winters and severe famines.

Volcanoes have shaped more than 80% of the Earth’s surface, creating mountains and craters. Lava flows reshape landscapes, and over time, weathering breaks down volcanic rocks, releasing nutrients and making the soil fertile for plant life and agriculture.

Volcanoes are found on every continent, including Antarctica. Around 1,500 volcanoes are considered potentially active worldwide, with about 161 in the United States. Volcanoes vary in their activity; some erupt explosively, like the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, while others produce steady lava flows, like the 2018 eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano.

Similarities Between Mountain and Volcano

1. Both mountains and volcanoes are elevated landforms that rise greatly above their surroundings.
2. The movement of tectonic plates can influence the formation of both.
3. They can provide unique habitats for plants and animals adapted to high altitudes.

Difference Between Mountain and Volcano

Definition

1. A mountain is a landform with steep, sloping sides and a high point known as a peak or summit.
2. A volcano is an opening in the Earth’s crust through which lava, volcanic ash, and gases escape during eruptions.

Formation

1. Mountains form due to tectonic processes like the collision of Earth’s crustal plates or the uplifting of land.
2. Volcanoes form when magma rises from beneath the Earth’s surface and erupts through vents, producing structures over time.

Structure

1. Mountains typically have steep slopes, ridges, and a high point called a peak.
2. Volcanoes usually have a central opening or vent that releases lava, ash, and gases during eruptions, often creating a conical shape with a crater at the top.

Activity

1. Mountains are generally inactive geological structures that do not erupt or release gases, but they can experience erosion or landslides over time.
2. Volcanoes can be active, dormant, or extinct. Active volcanoes erupt periodically, while dormant volcanoes have the potential to erupt in the future.

Impact on Environment

1. Mountains can affect local weather patterns, serving as barriers to wind and precipitation and creating different climates on either side of a range.
2. Volcanoes can impact the environment by releasing ash and sulfuric acid during eruptions, which can affect the local climate and cause disruptions.

The following table summarizes the difference between mountain and volcano.

Summary – Mountain vs Volcano

In summary, mountains are solid landforms created by tectonic forces, while volcanoes are openings in the Earth’s crust that release magma, ash, and gases. Mountains do not exhibit volcanic activity, whereas volcanoes can erupt. This is the summary of the difference between mountain and volcano.

FAQ: Mountain and Volcano

1. How are volcanoes different from mountains?

• Volcanoes are a type of mountain, but they differ from other mountains in how they form. Instead of being created by folding, crumpling, or uplifting, volcanoes are formed from the accumulation of their own eruptive materials, such as lava, volcanic bombs, ash flows, and airborne ash and dust.

2. Why are volcanoes called mountains?

• Volcanoes are called mountains because they form elevated landforms similar to mountains. Both volcanoes and mountains rise above the surrounding terrain, and volcanoes often have conical shapes with a peak or summit.

3. Are volcanoes also mountains?

• Not all volcanoes are mountains. Some volcanoes form elevated landforms similar to mountains, but not all volcanoes have the conical shape or height of mountains. Although some mountains are formed by volcanic activity, others are formed through tectonic processes without involving volcanic materials.

4. Is Mt Everest a volcano?

• Mount Everest is not a volcano. It is a mountain formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, resulting in the uplift of land and the creation of the Himalayan mountain range. Mount Everest does not have volcanic activity or eruptions.

5. What are the 4 types of mountains?

• The four types of mountains are fold mountains, fault-block mountains, dome mountains, and volcanic mountains.

1. Fold mountains – form when two tectonic plates collide, compressing and folding the Earth’s crust.
2. Fault-block mountains – form when large blocks of the Earth’s crust are uplifted along faults.
3. Dome mountains – form when magma pushes up from beneath the Earth’s crust without erupting and create a dome-like shape.
4. Volcanic mountains – form from volcanic activity, where magma erupts and accumulates to create a mountain.

Reference:

1. “Mountains – Information.” National Geographic.
2. “What is a volcano?” Canadian Hazards Information Service.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Gray and Brown Mountain” (CC0) via Pexels
2. “Erupción en el volcán Sabancaya, Perú” By Galeria del Ministerio de Defensa del Perú – MINISTRO DE DEFENSA ENTREGÓ LENTES Y MASCARILLAS A POBLADORES AFECTADOS POR EMISIONES DE VOLCÁN SABANCAYA (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia