EARTHQUAKES:
Earthquakes are caused by the collision of Tectonic Plates. When these Plates bump into each other the give off an energy known as Seismic Waves. These waves can be measured by using a Seismograph. Earthquakes are categorized by how powerful they are. The common earthquakes are around a level three, but there have been cases where they have been up to 7.
Earthquakes happen four different ways. The Tectonic plates can skim each other, drop under another tectonic plate, go above one, and move away from another tectonic plate.
Lots of Earthquakes happen around where there is volcanic activity. They happen there because of the moving magma and shifting tectonic plates. The plates, which are floating on the magma, are shifting and bumping into each other causing earthquakes.
Earthquakes can also cause tsunamis. They do this by shifting up, down, side to side, at the bottom of the Ocean. When it does this it sends a giant wave of energy and water towards the shore.
VOLCANOES:
Volcanoes are mountains that have boiling hot magma underneath. The magma is active and volcanoes can erupt. volcanoes change the atmosphere by giving off large amounts of chemicals. These things that volcanoes give off are nitrogen, oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Volcanoes can change the hydrosphere by making acid rain and raining in the oceans and lakes. The acid rain can kill organisms and slow down the environment. Volcanoes are not just bad, they have benefits. some of these benefits are mineral deposits, fertile soil, and build new land.
Most Volcanoes are connected somehow. When volcanoes are close to each other, sometimes when one erupts, there is a chain reaction to the others around.
Volcanoes are classified three different ways. The three ways are active, dormant, and extinct. Active means the volcano erupts regularly, dormant means the volcano has erupted in history but is quiet now, and extinct means it has not erupted in historical time.
Sources
http://learner.org/interactives/volcanoes/
http://nationalgeographic.com/forcesofnature/interactive/index.html
http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake
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