Subject: Science/Vulcanology
Ages: 11 – 13 – Middle School
Length: Snippet: Approximately 20 minutes of film. Lesson: two 45 - 55 minute class periods. Homework: an Internet Research assignment in between the two class periods.
Teachers can integrate the film snippets and other interesting resources referred to into their own lesson plans or they can use the lesson or portions of it.
Learner Outcomes/Objectives: Students will learn about volcanoes, their likely locations, the factors that can lead to an eruption, and the kind of certainty that scientists can and cannot provide. They will become familiar with the way that volcanoes are classified, a range between explosive and non-explosive, and three of the important phenomena, lava flows, ash clouds and volcanic bombs, that happen before and during eruptions of both kinds of volcanoes.
Rationale: The unlikely event of a volcano erupting right in the middle of
Los Angeles can be used to address why this is unlikely and to learn about locations of the likely hot spots for such an event. Also, the erroneous mix of eruption features from both types of volcanoes can be used to distinguish between them and to classify known historical volcanoes. Finally, the events of the movie are loosely based on real facts, which can be recalled to reinforce the differences between fact and fiction in film and provide context for the lesson.
Description of the snippet: The storyline of "Volcano" starts with a clash between public officials reluctant to call an alarm which will disrupt the life and business of the city and scientists who cannot provide certainties but advise concern and action based on the available evidence and the first warning signs. In regards to the specific topic of volcanoes, the unlikely event of a volcano erupting in the middle of Los Angeles lends interest to the question of where and when are volcanic eruptions are more

likely to occur. However, it has happened in real life that a volcano surged suddenly in an unexpected location, so, again, the class will be based with the question of certainty vs. likelihood.
As usually happens in movies, the feared catastrophe occurs. The audience is guided through a succession of events related to volcanic eruptions which are depicted in a more frantic and extreme way than happens in reality: lava flows, ash clouds and volcanic bombs all appear in rapid succession as a consequence of one eruption of a single type, all of which is unrealistic and even impossible in some aspects. Still, these features of a volcanic eruption do happen in different kinds of eruptions and with their own rhythm, and it can be explained how and when they occur, introducing both types of eruptions, namely those more violent ones that produce steep sloped volcanic cones and those with voluminous lava flows and gentle slopes.
A volcano is always depicted as a cone-shaped mountain with a crater at its top. But there is a variety of shapes of volcanoes. They range from the steepest cones that are produced by the most explosive eruptions and formed by the piling up of cinderlike materials to broad shield cones with gentle slopes made up of solidified lava of very fluid flows that travel for up to hundreds of miles.
The spectacular way in which the menacing lava flow is stopped is also a cinematographic exaggeration, but based on a real event. The historical fact can be recalled and used to explain realistic timescales of the cooling of lava and which aspects of the depicted solution would be impossible to implement in real life.
Helpful Background (that can be simplified according to the level of the class; this should be provided as an introduction before showing the movie): The most important geological phenomena, volcanoes and earthquakes, occur because the earth’s crust is being broken into eleven large and five smaller tectonic plates that move relative to each other. This happens in geological timescale, from thousands to millions of years.
Because the plates move relative to each other there are three possible effects at their borders: either they move towards each other and one plate overrides the other ( subduction zones ); they move apart from each other and separate ( rift zones ); or they slide past each other without separating or

overriding ( rift zones ). The areas near the borders where one of these effects occurs are those prone to suffer geological activity.
Zones where one plate slips below the other, known as subduction zones , are prone to earthquakes, as enormous physical forces are in play bending down one plate and/or folding the upper plate onto itself lifting up the land.
The energy accumulated by this process in the form of tension on the edges of the plates is released on certain occasions. We experience the resulting shock waves as earthquakes. The long-term result of this process can be a ridge of islands in the ocean floor or a mountain chain on the land. In zones where the margins move apart, called rift zones , there are earthquakes too, but they are significantly weaker, as there are no folds being formed and the shock waves are caused by superficial fractures in the surface of the earth as it is stretched above the separating plates.
It is now known that volcanoes form in either of these areas because in both cases, the hot molten rock from the interior of the earth, known as magma , on which the plates float finds a way to the surface through the cracks and seams that are produced by tectonic plate movement. The mechanisms are different, and so are the resulting eruptions. It is even hypothesized that it is the magma pushing upwards what drives the motion of the tectonic plates.
Los Angeles lies near a border zone between tectonic plates that falls into the third category, a rift zone, in which the plates slide past each other. Los
Angeles is moving relative to San Francisco in the northwest direction at a speed of 5 centimeters per year along what is known as the San Andreas
Fault. This relative sliding does not happen smoothly, and rock is twisted and torn, resulting in earthquakes too, but volcanoes are unlikely.
The strength or intensity of a volcano is measured in a scale called the
Volcanic Explosivity Index that runs from 0 to 8.
Inset -- Detailed explanations of this scale can be found at: <a href=” http://www.suite101.com/content/types-of-volcanic-eruptionsa75889#ixzz17zjtqsKJ ”> Types of Volcanic Eruptions</a> from
Suite101.com, <a href=” http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/eruptions.html
”>

Types of Volcanic Eruptions</a> from the USGS, and <a href=” http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scales/VEI.html
”> Volcanic
Explosivity Index</a> from the University of North Carolina, at Chapel
Hill.
Using the snippet in class
Preparation
1.
Be familiar with the location of the segments and cue the DVD to the first segment.
2.
Review the links in this Guide, pick those that are appropriate for the class and the lesson, and decide how to present them to the class.
Segment 1:
Starts at the beginning of Chapter 6 (20:25) ends at ends at 24:20; approximately 4 minutes. (The segment starts with Amy Barns talking to a man named Stan and ends with Amy walking disgustedly away from Mike Roark.)
Segment 2:
Starts a few seconds into Chapter 8 (30:05) and goes through the middle of Chapter 10, until 42:00; approximately
12 minutes. (The segment starts with Roarke driving up Wilshire Boulevard and later shows Dr. Barnes emerging from her exploration of the tunnels under MacArthur Park in which her co-worker was killed by magma coming up from below the earth’s surface. The segment ends with the volcano in full eruption and magma spreading along the street toward cars. The segment ends just after Roarke jumps off the car to safety with his daughter and the audience sees the beginning of the cone of the volacano.) This segment shows the three features to be commented upon: volcanic ash falling over everything, lava flows and piroclastic bombs.
Segment 3:
Begins at Chapter 15 ( 1:10.15) and goes to 1:13:47, about 3.5 minutes (The segment starts with the lava approaching the barricade and ends with success in stopping the lava and an announcer stating that,“The steam that is coming off this thing is absolutely unbelievable.”)
Denoumont (optional):
Chapter23 (1:38:04) until the credits start at 1:38:18, about 14 seconds.
( Just before the end credits roll, this segment starts with scenes of LA sky scrapers with the new volcano in the background and the entry for the new volcano in a fictional database of volcanoes)

Step by Step
First Class Period
1.
Provide an appropriate introduction to plate tectonics and volcanic activity, such as the information in the Helpful Background Section.
2.
Introduce Segment #1 by providing the following introduction to the movie:
Dr. Amy Barnes, a geologist, is asked to come to Los Angeles to provide scientific advice on an earthquake and the unusual deaths of seven city workers from excessive heat underground. This scene occurs in the LA City emergency management center. As the scene opens Dr. Barnes is arguing with Stan, an official of the
Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) that runs subways in the city.
MacArthur Park is a large park near downtown Los Angeles. This segment shows the conversations between Dr. Barnes, Stan, and city emergency management director, Mike Roark. The scene shifts to
MacArthur Park where Dr. Barnes and Mr. Roark continue their discussion. Note that Dr. Barnes says something about certainty.
We’ll talk about what she says later.
3.
Play segment 1 , the conversations between the city officials and the scientists. This will take approximately 4 minutes.
4.
Engage students in a class discussion to list the relevant factors they would take into account in determining whether to take action in a similar situation. The list should include, at least: a.
Cost of emergency actions such as evacuation or halting subway service; b.
Economic and personal costs to the citizenry of the disruption, e.g., business losses or children who can’t be picked up from day care on a timely basis; c.
Risk of not calling for such actions and cost in human lives and property damage if the feared catastrophe ensues; d.
Degree of certainty necessary to justify emergency actions; e.
Whether excessive precaution could be counterproductive, for example in making it less likely that the public would react positively in the next emergency if this turned out to be a false alarm; and

f.
Whether a low likelihood is equivalent to impossibility.
At the conclusion of the discussion, describe for the class the following example of effective risk management and cooperative communication between scientists and authorities. In 1991 nearly
75,000 people were evacuated before the eruption of the Pinatubo
Volcano in the Philippines. Experts estimate that the timely evacuation saved between 5,000 and 20,000 lives and prevented at least $350,000,000 in property losses. A large U.S. Air Force base was heavily damaged in the eruption but due to the prediction and prompt action by the Air Force, the planes and some expensive machinery were moved to another location before the eruption. See
<a href=” http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/1997/fs115-97 ”> Benefits of
Volcano Monitoring Far Outweigh Costs–The Case of Mount
Pinatubo</a> .
5.
Discuss briefly the two warning signs that emerged in the segment:
(1) underground heating, of pipes and the water in the lake at
McArthur Park, and (2) small earthquakes ( tremors ). It is a popular belief that animals, and particularly birds, are the first to notice such tremors and to flee. Not depicted in the movie are other effects that forecast an upcoming eruption, such as the release of sulfur dioxide gas that could also contaminate underground water and the bulging of the ground as magma pushes toward the surface. At high altitudes melting snow and ice can also be a sign of hot magma coming closer to the surface. All these effects can be monitored and detected by scientific instruments, sometimes years in advance. However, precise forecasting is still a major challenge for scientists and may never be achieved in full.
6.
Introduce the typical locations of volcanoes in relation to tectonics and plate subduction zones. See charts at <a href=” http://www.maps.com/ref_map.aspx?pid=12871
”>
Earth's
Tectonic Plates Map> at maps.com and <a href= http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/Maps/map_

plate_tectonics_world.html
>Active Volcanoes, Plate Tectonics, and the &quot;Ring of Fire&quot;</a> from the USGS.
7.
Discuss the historical event of Paricutín, Mexico, mentioned by the scientists of the segment. Pictures, video footage and facts can be found at:<a href=” http://www.fogonazos.es/2007/05/paricutinchurch-which-stood-over-sea.html
”>Paricutan: The Church that
Stood Over a Sea of Lava</a> and <a href=” http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/img_paric utin.html
“>Paricutan, Mexico</a> from Oregon State University.
8.
Introduce segment #2 by telling the class that Dr. Barnes has been exploring underground tunnels with her assistant who fell down a chasm into hot lava and died.
9.
Play segment 2 , in which lava eruptions, ash clouds and volcanic bombs cause havoc in Los Angeles. Ask students to note down in two columns which effects shown are realistic and which they consider creations of the filmmakers.
10.
Once the segment is completed, make a single list on the board with all of volcanic effects observed by the class. Note that all effects are realistic, just not at this rapid succession and not all in one volcanic eruption of a single kind. Volcanic bombs are associated with more explosive eruptions. The very fluid lava on the other hand corresponds to gentle eruptions of the Hawaiian type (VEI 0-1)
11.
Ask students to point out similarities and differences between the situation depicted in the movie and the historical event of Paricutín.
The discussion should include the following points: The eruption in
Paricutín occurred in a rural area were light tremors and the possible heating of underground water went unnoticed. The eruption was discovered when the ground opened and lava started to pour out. In the movie, underground heating affected pipes and caused burn injuries in workers before a volcanic eruption was considered as a possibility. On the other hand, in both instances the eruption happened in unexpected locations where no previous eruptions had

taken place and the whole process, from the first signs of lava to the formation of a large volcanic cone could be witnessed and monitored by the population and scientists alike. In Paricutín, though, the lava could not be stopped and the village was covered under a thick layer of lava, above which only the famous church spire remains visible.
12.
Internet Research Assignment: Separate the class into six groups by assigning a number to each student and then assigning the next number to the next student, and so on. Each group will be assigned to do reports on the following. (1) The development and application of the Volcanic Explosivity Index; (2) An example of a volcanic eruption of the Hawaiian type (VEI 0-1) that did not occur in
Hawaii; (3) an example of a Strombolian eruption; (4) an example of a Vulcanian eruption (VEI 2 – 3); (5) an example of a Pelean eruption (VEI 3 – 4) and (6) an example of a Plinian or Ultra-Plinian eruption (VEI 4 - 8). Students with the same number can work in groups or singly. The reports in 2 – 6 should describe the location of the volcano, its current status, and the history and severity of its eruptions, focusing on how it affected the nearby land, people and animals. Where possible, photographs or pictures should accompany the reports. The length and complexity of the reports and whether they are written should depend upon the level of the class.
Second Class Period
13.
Decide upon an appropriate class activity to take up the bulk of the next period so that all students will benefit from what students in the various groups have learned through their homework assignments.
(This step should take between 30 and 40 minutes; Steps 14 – 19 should take only about 15 minutes). For example, you can have students from each numbered group caucus for a few minutes and then present a short verbal report (3 – 5 minutes) summarizing the information they learned in their research.

14.
Teachers in Middle School classes can use the following exercise.
Help students classify the effects into two columns, one for each type of eruption: explosive eruptions and gentle eruptions:
Gentle (Hawaiian, VEI 0-1) Explosive (VEI ≥2)
Lava gentle flow violent bursts
Volcanic bombs
Ash
No low clouds locally yes up to planetary effects*
*Such as the closure of the entire European airspace uninterruptedly for 9 days and intermittently and partially afterwards for several more weeks, due to the volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland in
April 2010, or the clouding of the atmosphere and a brief global cooling period due to the volcano
Pinatubo in the Philippines in June 1991. A useful source relating volcanic hazards with eruption types is http://geology.com/volcanoes/types-of-volcanic-eruptions/
15.
Play segment 3 in which the city of Los Angeles city officials and firemen stop the flow of lava down Wilshire Boulevard using barricades and water from hoses and helicopters.
16.
Engage students in a short discussion on whether this would be possible in real life and why. Let the class come up with a list of objections to the feasibility of the solution in the movie.
17.
Surprise the students with pictures and facts about the real life event of Heimaey, Iceland, in 1973. Pictures and facts can be found at: http://www.centrum.is/~edda/heimaey1.html http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/of97-724/index.html
18.
Point out the differences in timescale and means used in the movie and in the case of Heimaey: In the movie, the use of water achieved to halt a lava flow in a matter of minutes, maybe hours. The real use of water against a lava flow in Heimaey went on over five months. In
Heimaey, seawater was pumped from the sea and the key to the success was the power and number of pumps that became available for the operation. In “Volcano” water was sprayed from fire-engines

and released from helicopters flying above the lava. This is not as simple as is shown in the movie, as fire-engines have a limited amount of water in their tanks, far less than necessary, and the helicopters would need to fly through the dense ash cloud the city is immersed in, and the ash would clog their air filters and stop their engines from working.
19.
A nice (optional) way to end the lesson would be to let the start of end credits roll on the screen, with the image of the formed volcano in the middle of Los Angeles.
20.
Collect the reports for grading at the end of the class.
Supplemental Materials and Links
On-line textbook of Volcanoes by Robert I. Tilling, provided by the US
Geological Survey (USGS): http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/ contains extensive information on all aspects of volcanic eruptions. Most relevant to this lesson plan are the chapters “The Nature of Volcanoes”
( http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/nature.html
) and “Types of Volcanic
Eruptions” ( http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/eruptions.html
).
A clear classification of volcanic eruptions is available at http://www.suite101.com/content/types-of-volcanic-eruptions-a75889 .
Time Lapse Movies of Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii produced the Hawaiian
Volcano Observtory of the US Geological Survey (USGS) http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/gallery/kilauea/volcanomovies/
A classic book on volcanoes with a website with images, animations and a volcano database: Volcanoes, Robert Decker and Barbara Decker,
Freeman, New York. 4 th edition, 2005 http://bcs.whfreeman.com/volcanoes4e/
CA Standards, CA Science: Grade 6, Focus on Earth Sciences 1.a – f; 9 –
12, Dynamic Earth Processes: 3b and e;