KEY WORDS
Volcano
Plate boundary
Vent/pipe
Crater
Ash
Lava
Magma chamber
Cause
Effect
Response
Tourism
Geothermal energy
Farming
The Main Features of a Volcano
Task 1
Copy the picture above
into the box to the
left.
Then add the following
labels:
Magma Chamber
Main Vent
Lava Flow
Crater
Ash Cloud
Task 2
Match up the main features of a volcano to their definitions.
LAVA
Main Vent
MAGMA
The dent in the top of a
volcano caused by the
blast of the eruption.
Boiling hot (molten)
rock that has erupted
out of a volcano (and is
therefore above
ground), that will
harden to become rock
again in time.
Place below ground
were the molten rock
sits and boils, waiting to
erupt
CRATER
Magma
Chamber
Boiling (molten) rock
from the earth’s core
sitting below ground and
waiting to erupt.
The pipe or tube which
most of the magma
comes up during the
eruption. (Some times
magma makes other
holes as well)
A special type of volcano
This is a special type of volcano, called a Composite Volcano. It’s name is to
do with the way that it is made.
A composite volcano gets bigger and bigger the more it erupts.
The ash and the lava from each eruptions forms layers.
These layers make new rock which makes the volcano bigger and bigger.
Task 3
Turn back to your drawing of the main features of a volcano and add these
labels:
Layer of Ash
Layer of Lava
Composite Volcano
Plate Tectonics
The surface of the earth is covered by a rock crust. This crust is
made up of lots of pieces we call Tectonic Plates. The picture
above shows where all the plates are.
Task 4
Can you find the France?
Which plate is it on?
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Is it near the edge of this plate?
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Volcanic Eruptions happen on the edge
of plates, at what we call Plate
Boundaries
Iceland
Iceland is an island that sits right on a plate boundary.
The pink line is the boundary
between the two plates.
All those red triangles are
volcanoes.
The Ring of Fire
This picture shows the ring of fire.
The ring of fire is a whole set of volcanoes that are around the
edge of the Pacific Plate.
All of those red triangles are volcanoes that are on the edge of
that plate.
What causes Volcanoes?
Volcanoes are caused when boiling hot (molten) rock is pushed up
from the centre of the earth and escapes through a plate
boundary.
Over a long time, all the ash and lava from the eruption piles up,
making rock and a mountain.
Task 5
Colour the true statements one colour and the false statements a
different colour
Volcanoes are caused
by boiling rock from
the centre of the
Earth
Volcanoes can happen
anywhere.
Iceland has lots of
Volcanoes because it’s
cold
The Ring of Fire is
so called because
it has loads of
Volcanoes
Volcanoes can only
happen on plate
boundaries
The Earth’s crust is all
one piece
Iceland has lots of
Volcanoes because it’s on
the boundary of two
plates
Tectonic
plates are
what we serve
lunch on
The earths crust
is made of pieces
called Tectonic
Plates
This is the crater
of Mount St
Helens. The last
eruption in 1980
blasted the side of
the mountain
away because the
main vent was
blocked.
Lava erupting from a volcano
Lava cools and becomes rock
.
The ash cloud of the volcano
that erupted in Iceland in 2010.
This is the start of the ash cloud
that caused days of travel chaos
because planes couldn’t fly.
You can see a farm at the foot of
the volcano
What are the effects of Volcanoes erupting?
This is a picture from the aftermath of an eruption in 1997 on a Caribbean Island
called Montserrat. It has been buried by ash.
Watch this eclip to see more pictures of the effects from this eruption.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/eclips/pages/eng_11to16_geo_volcanoes_destruction.shtml
Task 6
Try to imagine what happens when a volcano erupts.
Make a list of things you think might happen and what might be damaged by
them
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Task 7
Use the internet to find 3 pictures of different things destroyed by
volcanoes, including one of a lava flow.
Why would anyone live near a volcano?
This is the Blue Lagoon Thermal Spa in Iceland – it has water temperatures of
40°C all year around. The water is heated by the molten rock that bubbles
just below the earth’s crust. This is an extremely popular tourist attraction
and lots of visitors go to Iceland every year just to visit these spas.
Other advantages of living in volcanic areas:
Geothermal energy can be useful for more than just tourist attractions.
It’s green and renewable.
Farming below a volcano can be really good, because the volcanic soil can
produce very good crops.
Good or Bad ?
Task 8
Colour the advantages stated here in green and the disadvantages in red
Ash can destroy town, farm
crops and cause health problems
near and far from the volcano
Lava flows are very
dangerous, people,
buildings and
Tas
vehicles can be
swept away
Soil under volcanoes is
really good for farming
Volcanoes are
tourist
attractions, this
is good for the
economy
Dormant
volcanoes may
not erupt for
hundreds of
years
Volcanoes create geothermal
energy, which is clean and
renewable
Scientists can really
tell when a volcano
will erupt
Task 9
Use the information above to help you decide what you think about the good
and bad things of life near a volcano. Then answer this question: Would you
live under a volcano? You must give reasons.
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