Lessons 6,7,8,9: Volcano types, vocabulary
and lava (Lesson 7 Power point, Lesson 8
volcano chart answers)
Question
Answer
What is a volcano?
A cone which is formed above and around a vent by
layering material like lava, ash and cinders.
What is a vent?
It is an opening in the earth's crust surface through
which volcanic materials are released!
Mount St. Helen's and Mt. Vesuvius
are examples of which type of
volcano?
Stratovolcano or Composite Volcano (both mean the
same thing)
Describe a Stratovolcano.
They have mostly violent eruptions if plugged with thick
(viscous) magma. They are formed by ash, cinder and
lava layers.
Do stratovolcanoes erupt violently all
the time?
No they don't. They can quietly erupt too.
What happened to Mount St.
Helen's?
The volcano exploded and the top of the volcano blew
up.
Mauna Loa is located where?
Hawaii
Hawaii has many examples of which
type of volcano?
Shield volcanoes.
Describe shield volcanoes.
They are the largest volcano (very spread out, wide),
they are always active, have gentle slopes and its layers
are made from cooled lava.
Paricutin and Stromboli are examples
of which type of volcano?
Cinder cones.
Describe a cinder cone volcano.
They are the smallest of the 3 types. They are quickly
built and just as quickly eroded. They have steep sides
and a large bowl shaped crater. Ash and cinder form its
layers.
Paricutin was formed in Mexico.
Smoke started coming out of where
when it first started to be built.
Smoke started to come out of a corn field.
Did it take Paricutin a long time to
form?
No it didn't. It was formed in a few days. It was built very
very quickly.
What is a vulcanologist?
A scientist who studies volcanoes!
Kilauea is located where?
Hawaii.
What is a pyroclastic flow?
mix of hot gas and volcanic ash travelling very quickly
down the side of a volcano.
What is a cinder?
Light pieces of hardened lava, still very hot and can start
fires or burn you if they land on you.
What is pumice?
Cinder so bubbly it floats on water. (very light hardened
lava)
What is viscosity?
It is the thickness or stickiness of magma. High viscosity
= very thick magma (like molasses). Low viscosity =
runny magma (water)
What is an active volcano?
A volcano which is erupting or frequently erupts.
What is a dormant volcano?
A volcano which is presently inactive (not erupting) but
which may erupt again.
What does eruption mean?
The way solids, liquids and gases are pushed out of the
earth by volcanic activity. Eruptions can be explosive
outbursts or quiet lava flows.
Opinion question. EX. I would want to live next to a
If you lived next to a volcano, which shield volcano because they are quiet and not explosive
type would you want it to be? Give
which makes them the safest volcano to live next too.
reasons why.
Also the lava flows far from the volcano and this creates
new land.
Pretend you were a resident of
Signs of an active volcano and a possible future
Pompeii before the 79 A D Vesuvius eruption: gas and ash being released from the volcano
eruption. Describe signs you observe
and this increases as time goes on, rumbling (small
of the volcano being active and how
earthquakes,more as time goes on). I died from a
you died.
pyroclastic flow which burned my lungs and insides.
How can we use seimsographs to
help predict volcanic eruptions?
Seismographs are on 1 side of volcano. TNT is
exploded on other side of volcano. The waves from the
TNT explosion go through the volcano and if there is
liquid magma close to the surface, S waves will not
travel through it so no S waves on seismograph.
Which part of a volcanic eruption is
the dangerous?
Pyroclastic flows.