Teaching Geography Workshop 2: Latin America – Part 2: Ecuador
BINKO:
In this half hour, we are investigating one of the Earth's most powerful
and dramatic processes, volcanoes. Our case study takes us to Ecuador,
high in the Andes, to a region known as the Valley of the Volcanoes.
Volcanoes and associated earthquakes occur as a result of movement of
the Earth's tectonic plates. These vast slabs of earthen crust float on the
planet's molten core. Seismic activity is concentrated at the edges of
these plates, and where the plates collide, mountains crash upwards.
Such events are reflected in geography Standard 7: The physical
processes that shape the patterns of the Earth’s surface. One of
today's objectives is for you to be able to explain how physical
systems, such as volcanoes, influence the Earth's features. These
physical systems also have great impact on surrounding human
populations. The people in our case study live with the constant threat of
volcanic eruptions.
Standard 15, how physical systems affect human systems,
addresses some of the human issues associated with natural hazards.
There are both benefits and consequences of living near a volcano.
Volcanoes create fertile soil, but they also pose risks. As you view the
upcoming case study, watch for these positive and negative
influences of physical systems on human activity.
In Ecuador, geographers monitor seismic activity and promote effective
procedures to ensure the safety of people living nearby. Natural hazards
are not preventable, and though our predictive science is improving, the
precise timing and magnitude of volcanic eruptions remains elusive. As
you view, look for ways that technology helps our understanding of
natural hazards. As we see in the case study we can sometimes
manage the risks, but there are costs to every solution.
Finally, in our classroom segment, we will see how one teacher adapts
the inquiry method to provide students of all abilities with a richer
understanding of what it means to live near a volcano.
NARRATOR:
The Andes Mountains of Ecuador. Beautiful yet ominous. 200 of these
peaks are volcanoes, some with active craters like this one. 30 could
erupt again. In 1985, a massive eruption in neighboring Colombia melted
snowfields, causing mudflows that killed more than 23,000 people.
Throughout South America, scientists studied the tragedy and vowed to
prevent the next one.
They may get their chance here, in Ecuador. The Tungurahua volcano
threatens a town of 17,000 at the base of the mountain. It is called
Baños. Although Baños is very near the equator, its elevation in the
Andes gives it a mild climate.
(\children shouting playfully\)
Add spectacular scenery and some geothermal hot springs and you have
a vibrant tourist economy.
On the surrounding hillsides, adequate rainfall and fertile volcanic soil
sustain agriculture. But the same natural forces that sustain the economy
are also a source of danger. Hoping to avoid a tragedy, geographer Patty
Mothes maps and monitors several volcanoes for Ecuador's Geophysical
Institute, including Tungurahua. She is looking for any changes that might
signal an eruption.
MOTHES:
And one of these ways that we do that is to put a prism that's highly
reflective, or a number of prisms up on the flanks of the volcano, and
then, shooting with this very high-powered laser beam...
NARRATOR:
The beams reflect off the prisms and back to Patty's measuring device. It
can detect subtle changes in the shape of the mountain, changes that
may forecast an eruption and save lives. Their concern is based on
history. Inside a church, a mural recalls a deadly eruption in 1773. It
happened again in 1886 and 1918. So why do people live in such a
dangerous place? Some people simply cannot afford to move, due to
limited economic means. Others have businesses and farms here, with
family roots going back many generations. Here, as elsewhere, decisions
to live near hazards result from some attachment to place balanced
against the very real risks. Human perception of those risks often leads to
denial.
“No es peligroso, no...”
TRANSLATOR:
No, it's not going to be dangerous for Baños when the Tungurahua
erupts again. There are some big ravines over there and the mouth of
the volcano is facing that way, so there is no danger that it will spew this
way.
NARRATOR:
In a small eruption, he might be right. A major blast of lava flows would
likely move west and miss the center of town. But shooting down these
ravines, pyroclastic flows could incinerate part of the town in an
avalanche of superheated gas and ash. It's happened before.
“Siempre por meses después...”
NARRATOR:
Mothes tries to communicate the hazard to young civil defense workers.
“Primeros todos bajaren en una velocidad muy, muy alta. Puede ser mucho más rápido...”
TRANSLATOR:
They can go much faster than a horse can run, or a person. We are
talking about hundreds of kilometers per hour. The burning lava can
reach the bottom of the mountain in less than five minutes. It's
something that's truly formidable.
NARRATOR:
The team distributes evacuation maps around town to diagram escape
routes. To gather more clues of an impending disaster, Mothes and her
team bury sensitive seismic monitors all around the volcano to record
telltale earthquakes. The signals are radioed back to the institute, where
each new installation tests the equipment and the scientists' nerves.
(\equipment whirring\)
MOTHES:
Whee!
Good work.
NARRATOR:
Mothes and geologist Peter Hall scrutinize the volcano, hoping that they
won't someday have to make the tough call. Eruptions can kill and
destroy. But evacuations cause great personal and economic loss.
What if they sound the alarm and Tungurahua does not actually blow up?
Will people believe them the next time, before it really does? Suddenly,
after monitoring the mountain for five years, their theoretical problem has
become alarmingly real. (\rumbling explosions echoing\)
MOTHES:
In September 1998 our existing seismic network on the volcano began to
register a greater number of fracture-type earthquakes beneath the
volcano.
NARRATOR:
The next August, Tungurahua releases a column of steam thousands of
feet in the air. The deadly vapor accompanies more earthquakes and
sulfur emissions. It's time for the scientists to go public.
MOTHES:
On the 10th of September, we decided we had better call a yellow alert.
Which changed the way everybody looked at the volcano.
NARRATOR:
Soon, people could not only see but feel the danger.(\volcano rumbling\)
The violent mountain throws out clouds of volcanic ash, suffocating crops
and animals. (\volcano rumbling\) Now, ordinary citizens could taste the
peril lurking in the mountain. Their fears are reflected in Patty's tilt
meters, which show powerful forces pulsing just below the surface. She
believes the surge is caused by molten magma rising to the peak.
MOTHES:
We knew that magma was moving, but we'd not been able to confirm
visually that it was there near the summit.
NARRATOR:
Suddenly, it surfaced. Fiery magma glowing in the midnight sky. (\loud
boom\) (\crowd exclaims; whistling\) (\people cheering\)
HALL:
The incandescence that we saw on the 11th of October led us to believe
that an eruption could come very soon.
“Buenos días, cómo Montecito...”
NARRATOR:
Mothes and Hall need a closer look at the smoking crater. Here, they
confront the odds of disaster.
HALL:
Given that yes, now we have magma in the crater, all the way to the
summit of the mountain, all we need is some big explosions to get that
lava out and down the flanks of the volcano.
NARRATOR:
But rather than send out a red alert, the scientists still show restraint. So
they are surprised in October when the president of Ecuador comes to
Baños and overreacts to their less acute orange alert.
HALL:
He decided right then that we need an evacuation, we need it now.
NARRATOR:
The military forces 25,000 tourists and residents to evacuate all areas
surrounding Tungurahua.
(\sirens wailing\)
“En lo de doña Inés; yo me voy ahora.” (\man making announcement\over loudspeaker\)
NARRATOR:
Even more disruptive: they have 36 hours to leave.
MOTHES:
The Institute had recommended that this evacuation could take place
over a period of days, not in a day and a half. Because we didn't see the
volcano was yet that ready to erupt.
NARRATOR:
They also disagree with the government about a partial evacuation.
MOTHES:
We have always had an opinion that the people living on the west side
are the most vulnerable to these pyroclastic flows but there may have
been other villages that we'd have said, "No, these people can probably
be left there."
NARRATOR:
Instead, the government moved everyone out--some to shelters far from
the blast zone. Outside of Baños, the army erects roadblocks to hold
back residents eager to go home. But the scientists read new and
ominous messages from deep in the mountain.
“Cuando hay más magma, significa más gas.”
NARRATOR:
And more gas signifies new trouble.(\loud explosion\) It is not the
cataclysmic eruption, but a signal of future danger. At the top of the
cone, cooling magma seals off the building gas trapped below. (\volcano
rumbling\) The pressure builds up so much it just bursts the seal.
(\explosions booming\)
NARRATOR:
In blast after blast, Tungurahua throws room-sized blocks all over the
mountainside. What Mothes fears now is a blockage and buildup so large
it will suddenly release the full fury deep in the Earth.
MOTHES:
So this was a scenario that we thought was likely, and the clock is ticking.
There's 25,000 people evacuated, people are clamoring to get back, and
you're trying to read this volcano that has not erupted since 1918.You
need to make certain statements about what you think is going to
happen.
NARRATOR:
But what will happen becomes increasingly unclear. Activity on the
mountain plateaus, but does not end. Meanwhile, people have been away
from their homes and jobs for 2½ months. Crops and animals perish
from neglect, and still no major eruption. Then, in December, the media
reports that soldiers are looting residents' homes. The news touches off
a riot. (\shouting\)
MOTHES:
They came in on busloads-- about 3,000--with sticks and stones and
machetes and they drove the military off. They took some military
hostage also. And then they had a truce that they signed that night with
the governor, saying that we will take back our town, that we do this on a
voluntary basis, and that the government is not responsible for our wellbeing.
NARRATOR:
The citizens of Baños are happy to be home, relieved that Tungurahua
did not kill humans. But are they safe? And what do they think of their
government and the scientists? Peter Hall warns that the last fatal
eruption occurred almost two years after the initial blasts.
HALL:
We keep telling the people, "Don't forget what happened in 1916 and
1918."We went for a long period without activity and the big eruption
came late. If a new eruption threatens, the scientists may have time to
issue another alert. The question is, who will heed the call?
GIL LATZ:
This case study provides a dramatic illustration of Standard 15: how
physical systems affect human systems. The town of Baños exists in
part to exploit Tungurahua's thermal activity, and in part due to the area's
rich volcanic soil. And as we see how people there reap the location's
benefits, we can also learn how they attempt to mitigate the risks. South
America has a wide range of physical environments. Its mountains and
lowlands extend from the equator to the frigid south. And, as is true
throughout the world, these physical environments shape human
settlement and activity.
In Chile, farmers take advantage of micro-climates in the foothills of the
Andes to grow table grapes just in time for the Christmas holiday season
in the lucrative North American market. The temperate climate and fertile
soils of southern Brazil and adjacent states provide a substantial
agricultural base for the large population that has grown there, especially
as found in the world's third largest city, Sao Paulo. Centered in Brazil's
north, Amazonia is the largest and most important rain forest in the world.
From the 1970s and '80s, the Brazilian government promoted
development there by building transportation networks and encouraging
migration into the region. Scientific concern is twofold: rain forest
destruction will lead to the loss of an estimated one-half of the world's
plant and animal species; and loss of this fragile ecological zone may
have serious effects on climate patterns that nourish life across the Earth.
In the final analysis, geographers argue, we need to achieve a difficult
balance. On the one hand, the needs of local populations who depend
on the region for their livelihood. And, on the other hand, the global
concern that rain forest depletion may adversely affect the entire world.
BINKO:
Is there any geophysical phenomenon more interesting to children or
adults than an exploding volcano?
In the following lesson, Carole Mayrose capitalizes on her students'
natural curiosity as she teaches some important ideas about the impact
of physical systems on human activity. She asks her students this
primary geographic question: Is there a relationship between the location
of earthquakes and volcanoes? As they gather and analyze their
information, Carole also asks her students to consider whether they might
like to live near a volcano.
After viewing this segment, you should be able to explain how teachers
can use student curiosity as an entry point for teaching about
physical features. This classroom has a number of inclusion students-that is, students with special needs or requiring special attention. As
Carole teaches, pay particular attention to the skills she uses to promote
success in a supportive yet rigorous learning environment. Watch for the
many ways inquiry instruction can be adapted to accommodate the
learning requirements of students at all levels. Whether or not we
teach inclusion classes, we all encounter pupils who can benefit from
Carole's techniques.
NARRATOR:
Carole Mayrose teaches environmental science in Brazil, Indiana. Her
ninth graders have been studying plate tectonics and earthquakes. What
did we find out about where earthquakes were occurring? What's
happening where those plates are coming together?
BOY:
One's going under another. And that's called...
BOY:
Subduction.
MAYROSE:
Subduction.
NARRATOR:
They've already located a number of earthquake sites. Today they will
look for volcanoes. Carole focuses them with the day's inquiry questions.
MAYROSE:
We're going to see if there's any comparison between where we have
found earthquakes and where we find volcanoes. And then we're going to
talk about: How about living there? Is this where you want to be?
NARRATOR:
Carole introduces the steps for today's activity-- locating volcanoes. And I
have a list of volcanoes. Everybody has a different piece of paper with
five different locations. When you locate what is starred then I want you
to get a pink dot. I want that located on our map. And the other thing I
want you to do is go to the computer and try to find which volcano you
have. I want you to look and see if there's any population nearby, and
then you're going to find out if you want to live there or not. Okay. Any
questions? You look up the volcano. If it's starred, you put a dot on the
map. And then you come over here and find out whether your volcano is
close to people or not. Okay? Grab an atlas and we'll begin.
NARRATOR:
Several of Carole's students are inclusion students, those with special
needs or having difficulty learning geography.
MAYROSE:
If you give them something they feel they can be successful at, any kind
of assignment, any kind of work in class, they love it. Okay, you're 12
north. It's going to be... It's either going to be an island, or it is going to
be...
MAYROSE:
What's the number of the prime meridian?
BOY:
I don't know.
MAYROSE:
What's the number of the equator?
BOY:
Zero.
MAYROSE:
And that's where you begin to measure. Okay. Okay, now you begin to
measure what at the equator? Latitude. If you begin to measure latitude
from zero, where... for latitude, what are you going to measure? Where
are you going to begin to measure longitude? From what number? Zero.
Okay, find the zero meridian.
NARRATOR:
Carole introduces her students to map work by starting with familiar
territory.
MAYROSE:
We started with the map--state map-- because they're all familiar with the
state map and where they use the numbers and the alphabet, which is
latitude and longitude, except it doesn't say so. And they worked with it
very easily--they loved it, and they could handle it, and they knew they
could handle it.
MAYROSE:
Now, you're 90 degrees west.
MAYROSE:
I gave each of them two strips of paper and the first one I said, "Hold it
this way, and write 'latitude' across it." And I wrote "latitude" across the
board in big letters and I said, "Fill up the paper." And as soon as they
got that done, I said, "Okay, take the other one, "let's handle it this way
and write 'longitude' on it this way." And they wrote "longitude" on it. And
I told them to use those as long as they're comfortable.
NARRATOR:
Carole promotes student success with words of encouragement and
praise.
MAYROSE:
That's okay, that's okay, you found out what it was. Look at that. Look at
that. You just come right on it, no problem whatsoever.
NARRATOR:
Students locate their starred volcanoes on the wall map.
MAYROSE:
Dots are just lots of fun, and they're visible, and that's the point of dots.
It's also an activity they get out of their desk and they get to do something
and they have to find it. The different colors is so they can tell that we're
talking about earthquakes or we're talking about volcanoes. The
relationship between the two helps to point out the "Ring of Fire." So it's
just to make the map make a little more sense. And they added
something to the map which may hopefully make it mean a little bit more
to them. You're going to be in northern Chile. Notice that his dot for Chile
is also where we have a dot for earthquakes. You cannot have a
volcanic eruption without earthquakes. You can have earthquakes
without volcanic eruptions.
NARRATOR:
Students continue their research on the computer at Volcano World.
[http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/]
MAYROSE:
Kids really like to work with computers. What we have to remember is a
computer is a tool. It's like having another atlas in the room. It's no more
than that, and a lot of people put a lot of faith in computers that they're
going to be the end-all of everything and that's not true. You still have to
have human contact.
MAYROSE:
All right. Whoo! Hey, nice picture. Nice volcano. Go on down and see if
you've got any population nearby or any way we can see. Hey,
everybody. Look at this. We've got... we've got a volcano here that's
active and we have got a village right at the foot of the volcano. I'll tell you
something else about this particular volcano--it erupts daily.
BOY:
Are those people crazy?
(\Mayrose laughs\)
NARRATOR:
Carole's students have used atlases, a wall map and the computer in
answering their primary question: What is the relationship between
earthquakes and volcanoes? When you think of volcanic eruptions, what
do you think of?
BOY:
Explosions.
BOY 2:
Yeah. And they like earthquakes and volcanoes because it's disaster.
MAYROSE:
Okay. Japan-- you've got 30,000 people living close to this volcano.
You're one of those 30,000 people. What... what do you want going on
for you if you're one of 30,000 people? Evacuation, because if that
earth... or that stuff hits you, you're going to be in trouble.
MAYROSE:
All right, so you want to know... you want to have an evacuation plan,
don't you? Is this your responsibility or is this the responsibility of the
government?
BOY:
The government-- to let us know ahead of time. Usually when a volcano
erupts, it makes an earthquake before. That would be a warning signal
to get out of Dodge.
BOY:
You probably wouldn't have much time
BOY 2:
Yeah, man.
MAYROSE:
It depends. What did you find? I had about 22,000 people around my
volcano. You've got people here in Ecuador that are living close to this
particular volcano. And if they had to have an evacuation the last time it
erupted...What are you going to take with you when you have to have an
evacuation?
BOY:
My beagle.
MAYROSE:
You're going to take your dog.
BOY 2:
My family.
MAYROSE:
Okay. Going to take your family. What are you going to take...along with
your family?
BOY:
Water. My fish.
MAYROSE:
If you can put them in the place that you're talking about, well, that makes
it real. We don't have volcanoes close by. We have no concept of what
it's like for volcanoes. So you have to make them try to think about how it
would enter their daily life if it's going to become a little real to them.
Now, you're living close to this volcano, it's starting to misbehave. You do
expect your government to tell you what to do?(\students murmuring\)
BOY:
Just follow your instincts.
MAYROSE:
Follow your instincts. So would you evacuate early if this thing starts
rumbling or are you going to hang in there and wait?
BOY:
I'm just going to wait.
MAYROSE:
You're going to wait, and Patrick's going to move right away. One thing
we haven't pointed out about this, too, is that dust and ash put out by a
volcano, to begin with, may kill things because it will smother it. But it
happens to be some of the best fertilizer you're ever going to find, so
farming, you will find, takes place on volcanic mountainsides.
NARRATOR:
Fertile farmland is just one powerful geographic incentive for people to
live near volcanoes. In Iceland, fishing is one of the major economic
activities. This is what you do for a living. This is one situation where you
have people that get together to fight the volcano. And they will take their
fishing boats with hoses and they will start pouring sea water on this lava
that's moving into the area, and they are trying to stop it. And they stop
it. However, most of their town gets buried in other ash and material.
Can I talk any of you into moving close to a volcano?
STUDENTS:
Yes.
No.
MAYROSE:
This is one of the most densely populated parts of the world and this part- these people won't move. They've got a wonderful tropical climate.
They live with the threat of volcanic eruptions, but the people aren't going
to move.
NARRATOR:
Most of Carole's students probably won't live near a volcano. But by
using a variety of geographic tools, they have a better understanding of
the physical processes that shape their world. And they have been able
to connect their lives to people living in the shadow of the volcano.
BINKO:
As we saw, Carole Mayrose uses volcanoes as the centerpiece of her
lesson. It is important to note the climate of success our teacher
promotes in the classroom. Students are urged to dig for facts, make
comparisons, use the computer, and conduct their own research. We can
see in this classroom the positive effects of Carole's constant attention to
the personal and academic needs of her ninth graders. Here, the goals
of instruction are accomplished while maintaining the morale of her
students and making the content personal.