The amazing world of volcanoes: show your students the secrets of the fire-breathing mountains with these learning-filled activities.Did you know that there are more than 600 active volcanoes on Earth? To explain their origins, it helps to hold up an apple: If our planet were the size of the apple, its crust would be about the same thickness as the apple's skin. Below Earth's thin, hard crust comes the mantle, which--just like the white flesh of the apple--surrounds the core. Earth's mantle is made up of thick, hot rock in liquid form, called magma. The molten magma layer is under intense pressure. When magma seeps or rises through a crack in Earth's hard crust, it forms a volcano. What happens as pressure builds up? Earth's Crust Experiment The earth's hard crust isn't solid rock. It is seven major tectonic plates This is a list of tectonic plates on Earth. Tectonic plates are pieces of the Earth's crust and uppermost mantle, together referred to as the lithosphere. The plates are around 100 km (60 miles) thick and consist of two principal types of material: oceanic crust (also called that glide and collide col·lide intr.v. col·lid·ed, col·lid·ing, col·lides 1. To come together with violent, direct impact. 2. atop magma. To demonstrate the movement of the earth's crust, trim a sheet of brown craft foam to fit the bottom of a large baking pan. Cut the foam into seven pieces to represent the plates. Have students trickle red-tinted water down the sides of the pan. When the "plates" are floating on an inch of "magma," slowly tilt the dish side to side. What happens? Next, have a child gently press down on two adjoining plates and release. Invite students to share their observations about the magma. Explain that when pressure on the plates allows hot magma to seep or squeeze through the earth's crust, a volcano is formed. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ring of Fire Research Nearly half of the earth's volcanoes exist along the edges of the Pacific Plate. This region of volcanic activity encircles the Pacific Ocean and is known as the Ring of Fire. Help students locate several volcanoes found within this region--such as Mt. Pinatubo in the philippines, Mt. Fuji in Japan, and Mt. Saint Helens Saint Helens, city (1991 pop. 114,397) and metropolitan borough, NW England, in the Greater Liverpool metropolitan area. It is a major center of glass manufacture in England. The city also has iron and brass foundries, chemical and soap factories, and potteries. in the U.S.--on a map. Then ask them to select one of these volcanoes to research. When students have learned all they can about their volcanoes, have them write an imagined, eyewitness An individual who was present during an event and is called by a party in a lawsuit to testify as to what he or she observed. The state and Federal Rules of Evidence, which govern the admissibility of evidence in civil actions and criminal proceedings, impose requirements account of one of its eruptions. Encourage them to use volcano-related vocabulary as they write from their own perspectives, or take the perspective of animals, trees, or even rocks found near the volcano. Then have them illustrate their accounts. Finally, invite students to share their work with the class. Build your own volcano ~ MAKING THE DOUGH ~ 1 Gradually stir brown craft paint into a large cup of water. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2 Mix the watery wa·ter·y adj. 1. Filled with, consisting of, or soaked with water; wet or soggy. 2. Secreting or discharging water or watery fluid, especially as a symptom of disease. paint with 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of salt. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 3 Knead knead tr.v. knead·ed, knead·ing, kneads 1. To mix and work into a uniform mass, as by folding, pressing, and stretching with the hands: kneading dough. 2. into smooth dough, adding flour or water as needed as needed prn. See prn order. . [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ~ BUILDING THE VOLCANO ~ 4 Flatten flatten - To remove structural information, especially to filter something with an implicit tree structure into a simple sequence of leaves; also tends to imply mapping to flat ASCII. "This code flattens an expression with parentheses into an equivalent canonical form." a ball of the modeling dough into a large, flat patty. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 5 Cut out the entire bottom piece of a Styrofoam cup. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 6 Using the cup as a cutter, make a hole in the center of the patty. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 7 Turn both the cup and the dough patty upside down. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 8 Spread the dough down around the cup to form a volcano. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 9 Insert a small medicine cup in the top of the volcano, using extra dough to anchor it in place. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ~ ERUPTING e·rupt v. e·rupt·ed, e·rupt·ing, e·rupts v.intr. 1. To emerge violently from restraint or limits; explode: My neighbor erupted in anger over the noise. 2. THE VOLCANO ~ 10 Mix a tbsp of Plaster of Paris, a tbsp of water, a few drops of dish soap dish soap n (US) → lavavajillas m inv dish soap n (US) → produit m pour la vaisselle dish soap dish (US , and red food coloring. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 11 To start the eruption, stir in a tsp of baking soda baking soda: see sodium bicarbonate. . After the mixture settles, try this step again! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Eruption Versus Erosion Volcanoes, although dangerous and destructive, can also be helpful to life on earth. Challenge students to name reasons why this might be true. (Volcanoes fertilize soil, produce rock, provide energy and mineral resources Noun 1. mineral resources - natural resources in the form of minerals natural resource, natural resources - resources (actual and potential) supplied by nature , and more.) A key benefit is that volcanoes build new land, counteracting the force of erosion. After sharing this with students, have small groups collaborate to create landscape models out of layers of pea pea, hardy, annual, climbing leguminous plant (Pisum sativum) of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), grown for food by humans at least since the early Bronze Age; no longer known in the wild form. gravel, potting oil, and sand. Invite them to simulate the effects of wind, wear, and rain by blowing air on their models, "galloping gal·lop·ing adj. 1. Of or resembling a gallop, especially in rhythm or rapidity. 2. Developing or progressing at an accelerated rate: galloping technology. 3. " their fingers across (as a running animal would), and spraying on a bit of water. Finally, have students compare their landscapes to their lava-layered volcanoes. How are they different? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Did You Know? * The word volcano comes from Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and blacksmiths. Once, people believed the lava and ash spewed from Vulcan's forge. * Volcanic gases Volcanic gases include a variety of substances given off by active (or, at times, by dormant) volcanos. These include gases trapped in cavities (vesicles) in volcanic rocks, dissolved or dissociated gases in magma and lava, or gases emanating directly from lava or indirectly are poisonous and deadly. The gases that rise from magma often smell like rotten eggs, can sting the eyes and throat, and can eat through clothing--or even human flesh! * Not all lava is the same: A pahoehoe pahoehoe: see lava. (pa-hoy-hoy) lava flow travels quickly and often forms smooth, ropy rop·y also rop·ey adj. rop·i·er, rop·i·est 1. Resembling a rope or ropes. 2. Forming sticky glutinous strings or threads, as some liquids. patterns, while an aa (ah-ah) lava flow moves slowly and hardens to form sharp chunks. Create a Lava Flow When magma reaches the earth's surface Noun 1. Earth's surface - the outermost level of the land or sea; "earthquakes originate far below the surface"; "three quarters of the Earth's surface is covered by water" surface , it cools and turns into lava. As lava flows, it eventually stiffens, solidifies, and then stops. Invite students to simulate this cooling effect: 1. Mark lines on the bottom of a clear loaf pan, then tape a thermometer thermometer, instrument for measuring temperature. Galileo and Sanctorius devised thermometers consisting essentially of a bulb with a tubular projection, the open end of which was immersed in a liquid. inside it at one end. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2. Make thick lava by adding water (and red food coloring, if desired) to quick-cooking oatmeal. Microwave briefly, then pour into the pan. 3. Using a potholder, tilt the pan so the lava is at one end. Start a stopwatch as that end of the pan is propped up about 3 inches. Stop timing when most of the flow crosses the center. Lower pan, stir the mixture, then have students record the temperature and time. 4. Repeat step 3 every five minutes. Have students plot times and temperatures on a line graph In graph theory, the line graph L(G) of an undirected graph G is a graph such that
Using the Reproducible Invite students to learn about some key U.S. volcanoes--and practice chart-reading and critical-thinking skills at the same time--with the Volcanoes Reproducible on page 44. Have students read through all the information on the chart. Then challenge them to answer the questions in complete sentences, using the chart as a guide. TOP TEN U.S. VOLCANOES Did you know there are volcanoes in the U.S.? There may even be one near you! Read the chart to discover more explosive volcano facts. Then answer the questions below.
NAME OF LAST FEET ABOVE TYPE OF
VOLCANO ERUPTED SEA LEVEL VOLCANO
AKUTAN 1992 4,626 feet Stratovolcano
above sea level
KILAUEA Continuously erupting 4,200 Shield
LASSEN PEAK 1915 10,457 Stratovolcano
MAUNA LOA 1984 13,680 Shield
MT. HOOD 1865 11,247 Stratovolcano
MT. KATMAI 1912 6,715 Stratovolcano
MT. RAINIER 1890s 14,411 Stratovolcano
MT. ST. HELENS 1991 8,364 Stratovolcano
SHISHALDIN 2002 9,373 Stratovolcano
TIMBER Approx. 10,000 years 5,495 Cone
MOUNTAIN ago
NAME OF ADDITIONAL
VOLCANO LOCATION FACTS
AKUTAN Alaska Erupted at least 25 times in the 1900s
KILAUEA Hawaii The world's most active volcano
LASSEN PEAK California 1915 eruption cloud was seven miles high
MAUNA LOA Hawaii The largest volcano on earth
MT. HOOD Oregon Earthquakes struck the area in 2002
MT. KATMAI Alaska In the "Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes"
MT. RAINIER Washington In 1971, a record 93 feet of snow fell
here
MT. ST. HELENS Washington Erupted in 1980, killing 57 people
SHISHALDIN Alaska The highest volcano in the Aleutian
Islands
TIMBER Nevada Unlikely to erupt due to desert climate
MOUNTAIN
1. How many feet above sea level is Mauna Loa Mauna Loa (mou`nə lō`ə), mountain, 13,680 ft (4,170 m) high, in the south central part of the island of Hawaii, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Its many craters include Kilauea and Mokuaweoweo, two of the world's largest active craters. ? Which volcanoes are higher than Mauna Loa? Lower? 2. If there are volcanoes that are more feet above sea level than Mauna Loa, why do you think Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on earth? [Hint: Think about Mauna Loa's location.] 3. Have any volcanoes erupted during your lifetime? If so, write their names. 4. Which volcano is located in the "Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes: see Katmai National Park and Preserve. "? How many more of that type of volcano are listed in this chart than cone volcanoes? 5. Why is Timber Mountain unlikely to erupt? What do you think is needed for an eruption that is uncommon in the Timber Mountain area? 6. What do these U.S. locations of active volcanoes have in common? Bonus: Why do you think this is the case? RELATED ARTICLE: WHAT'S HAPPENING BELOW EARTH'S CRUST? Below Earth's surface, a red-hot storm is brewing, and it's on the move! Magma traveling through the crust collects in magma chambers A magma chamber is a large underground pool of molten rock lying under the surface of the earth's crust. The molten rock in such a chamber is under great pressure, and given enough time and pressure can gradually fracture the rock around it creating outlets for the magma. . The molten rock expels gases, which pressure the crust above and cause it to swell and rise. Eventually the crust cracks and magma spews out, resulting in a volcano. Invite students, working in small groups, to conduct the following experiment to simulate magma's effect: 1 Create a magma chamber by pouring a cup of vinegar into a small, clear plastic soda bottle. Add a few drops of food coloring. Insert a small funnel into a 7-inch balloon. Pour a teaspoon of baking soda into the balloon. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2 Stretch the balloon over the mouth of the bottle, being careful not to spill baking soda into the bottle. The balloon represents the earth's crust. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 3 When ready, carefully empty the contents of the balloon into the bottle and observe. The magma mixture expels gases, which put pressure on the earth's crust above and cause it to swell and rise--similar to an actual volcano! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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