How many active, dormant and extinct volcanoes are there in the world?
Its impossible to know an exact number. New volcanoes form every century, but usually in the same area as existing volcanoes. In 1943 a volcano growing in the middle of a flat cornfield in Mexico was discovered. Paricutin grew to 1,353 feet and erupted for nine years. Today it is 9,213 feet above sea level. In 1973 a new volcano covered the island of Heimaey in Iceland with ash and lava. Most volcanoes form along the edges of the earths plates, where magma comes up where the earths crust is broken. Volcanologists have found more than 10,000 volcanoes. They have observed over 500 eruptions. More than half of the worlds 500 active volcanoes are in the Pacific Ocean. They are in a circle of volcanoes called the Pacific Ring of Fire.
