Meaning & use
volcanism
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Meanings
noununcountabletechnical
The set of geological processes by which molten rock, ash, and gases rise from inside a planet and erupt onto its surface.
Grammar: Uncountable: talk about volcanism in general, not 'a volcanism' or 'volcanisms'.
Patterns
- volcanism on a planet
- active volcanism
- the study of volcanism
Scientists study volcanism to understand how the Earth's crust is constantly recycled.
The moon Io shows intense volcanism, with plumes of sulfur shooting hundreds of kilometers into space.
Regions with recent volcanism often have hot springs and geysers.
noununcountabletechnical
The volcanic activity of a particular area or period, considered as a whole.
Grammar: Often used with a place or time: 'the volcanism of Iceland', 'ancient volcanism'.
Patterns
- the volcanism of a place
- ancient volcanism
- recent volcanism
The volcanism of the Pacific Northwest is linked to the subduction of oceanic plates.
Ancient volcanism left thick layers of basalt across the region.
Geologists mapped the volcanism along the mid-Atlantic ridge.
Common combinations
- active volcanism
- Active volcanism on Venus was confirmed by recent radar images.
- submarine volcanism
- Submarine volcanism creates new seafloor along mid-ocean ridges.
- the onset of volcanism
- The onset of volcanism in the area dates back about 50 million years.
- volcanism and plate tectonics
- The course covers the relationship between volcanism and plate tectonics.
Synonyms and how they differ
- volcanic activity
- A more general everyday phrase; volcanism is the scientific term for the whole set of processes.
- eruption
- Refers to a single event, whereas volcanism covers the ongoing processes over time.
Word family
- volcano noun
- A mountain or opening where magma erupts.
- volcanic adjective
- Relating to volcanoes or their activity.
- volcanologist noun
- A scientist who studies volcanoes.
- volcanology noun
- The scientific study of volcanoes.
Commonly confused: volcanism or vulcanism? volcanism or vulcanization?
volcanism vs vulcanism
An older variant spelling, now rare; the standard term is volcanism.
volcanism vs vulcanization
A chemical process that hardens rubber, not related to volcanoes.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'volcanism' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Volcanism' is uncountable and refers to processes, so it can be used with 'the ... of a place' but not with 'a' or in the plural. Option 1 is correct; the others treat it as a countable event or object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “volcanism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.