This document summarizes information about volcanoes. It defines a volcano as a rupture in the Earth's crust that allows hot lava, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface. Volcanoes form over time as a result of magma rising through cracks and releasing pressure during volcanic eruptions, which cool to form new crust. Characteristics of volcanoes include their cone shape and the lava and ash produced during eruptions. Volcanic hazards pose risks and can include lava flows, explosions, toxic gases, ash falls, pyroclastic flows, and mudflows. Volcano forecasts rely on studying past eruptions to estimate potential hazards, and monitoring for earthquake activity and surface deformation to provide useful warnings of