A VOLCANO
Objectives:
Students will understand the following:
1.
Volcanic eruptions that take place near populated areas can be disastrous.
2.
The level of destruction caused by a volcanic eruption depends on several factors, including
the kind of volcano eruption and the speed at which the lava or ash flows.
3.
Volcanic eruptions can often be predicted.
4.
Measures can be taken to help people cope with the disaster of a volcanic eruption.
Materials:
For this lesson, we will need:
•
Computer with Internet access
•
Research materials about volcanoes
Procedures:
1.
Review with the students what they have learned about volcanoes.
2.
We shall present the following scenario to the class. The year is 2001, and a large Indonesian
volcano has erupted. It is the worst eruption in recorded history. To make matters worse, Mt.
Pinatubo, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Vesuvius are erupting, all violently.
3.
We shall instruct each student to make a report of their findings and recommendations on
the volcanic eruptions found all over the world. Who is in danger? What are students'
recommendations to save people and towns? How will each eruption affect the environment? How
long will the effects last?
6.
We shall have each student present his findings before the class.
Discussion Questions:
1.
Volcanoes affect the Earth in many ways. Describe why 1816 was called "the year without a
summer."
2.
Discuss the importance of volcanoes to life on Earth.
3.
What can we expect to gain by understanding volcanic discharges?
Extensions:
Watch Out for Vog!
Smog and its offspring, acid rain, are serious problems in some of the world's largest cities. People
create smog by burning fossil fuels. But have students ever heard of vog? Vog is like smog that is
produced by a volcano, and it is a serious problem on the Big Island of Hawaii. During quiet eruptive
phases, Kilauea generates around two thousand tons of sulphur dioxide (a smog-causing gas) per
day. Since 1986, Kilauea has been in a continuous quiet eruptive state, with daily lava flows giving off
deadly vog-causing fumes. They should compare and contrast the two lists and describe how both
smog and vog affect the quality of life. Encourage students to suggest ways to curb both smog and
vog. Have them locate Kona, Hawaii, on a map and explain why it has so much acid rain. For an
online resource, students can visitgeopubs.
Suggested Readings:
1. Fire on the Mountain: The Nature of Volcanoes
Carl Johnson, author; Dorian Weisel, photographry. Chronicle Books, 1994.
More for seeing than reading, this book nevertheless provides the novice with valuable insight into
the nature of volcanoes by demonstrating the volcanoes of Hawai'i.
2. Volcanoes : Crucibles of Change
Richard V. Fisher et al., Princeton University Press, 1997.
This work is rich in scope (from Vesuvius to Mount Saint Helens) and includes personal accounts. In
addition to illustrations, the book also includes a list—a travel guide—of over 40 volcanoes and what
precautions to take when visiting the volcanoes.
Vocabulary:
1. composite volcano
Definition: A steep volcanic cone built by both lava flows and pyroclastic eruptions.
Context: There is a kind of volcano combining features of both the explosive and fluid types. These
are composite volcanoes.
2. pillow lava
Definition: Interconnected, sacklike bodies of lava formed under water.
Context: Occasionally lava erupts under water, creating pillow lava.
3. pyroclastic flow
Definition: Lateral flowage, or the deposit formed by a turbulent mixture of hot gases and unsorted
pyroclastic material (volcanic fragments, crystals, ash, pumice, and glass shards) that can move at
high speed (50 to 100 miles an hour).
Context: These ash flows, called pyroclastic flows, are the most dangerous form of volcanic eruption.
4. tectonic plates
Definition: According to the theory of plate tectonics, any of the large movable segments of the
Earth's lithosphere.
Context: The tectonic plates, carrying ocean and continental landmasses, float on the mantle
surrounding Earth's core.
5. tubes
Definition: Tunnels formed when the surface of a lava flow cools and solidifies while the still-molten
interior flows through and drains away.
Context: The surface of lava rivers cool, forming a roof, and lava is confined to tunnels called tubes.