Answer:
More than 80 percent of the Earth's surface -- above and below
sea level -- is of volcanic origin. Gaseous emissions from
volcanic vents over hundreds of millions of years formed the
Earth's earliest oceans and atmosphere, which supplied the
ingredients vital to evolve and sustain life. Over geologic
eons, countless volcanic eruptions have produced mountains,
plateaus, and plains, which subsequent erosion and weathering
have sculpted into majestic landscapes and formed fertile soils.
