this creates a crater from which more lava flows down the mountain slopes as red-hot 'rivers'.
The materials in the air then rain down, something covering more than 30 kilometres around the mountain!
A volcanic eruption can be very destructive. The lava flow, for one thing, not only destroys everything in its path, it can also alter the entire ecosystem of the area, wiping out both plants and animals.
For another, the mudslides or rockslides caused by the eruption may bury many houses and fields, as may the volcanic ash which can cover whole towns and villages.
The eruption may also shake the ground so much, it may set off a large earthquake or a tsunami!