Below the Surface

The Earth’s estimated age is 4.6 billion years; this is when its solid crust formed. Magma flows broke up the Earth’s crust into pieces, thus forcing the migration of tectonic plates. Throughout the Earth’s history, the outlines and positions of the continents changed with the migrating tectonic plates. Ancient Romans believed that Vulcanus, the god of fire, had his workshop under a mountain that expelled ash and lava. This is where the word volcanism comes from. Today we know that volcanism, as well as earthquakes, are also related to the processes that take place under the Earth’s crust.