Volcanoes in Mauritius
The little island of Mauritius was formed when a big shield volcano erupted during the Pliocene
period (2.5 to 5.3 million years before present). It is believed that Mauritius was created by three main
volcanic eruptions interspaced by calm periods. These series of volcanic activities gave rise to the
number of mountains, gorges and valleys that can be seen all over the island.
The last volcanic eruptions are thought to have been during the last 600,000 to 700,000 before present
and involved mainly about 20 volcanoes.
There are four main famous volcanoes in Mauritius that are thought to have been most recently active:
Trou aux cerfs, Trou Kanaka, Bassin Blanc and Grand Bassin.
Trou aux cerfs, shaped like a perfect volcano, is found on the central plateau of the island in the
town of Curepipe. It is a monogenetic volcano with a central vent; it has a diameter of 350m at the
surface and a crater that is about 80m deep. It is easily accessible and offers a breathtaking view of
the island. The crater acts as a catchment area where the Grand River North West and the Tatamaka
rivers have their sources.
Grand Bassin is a beautiful volcano whose crater has been replaced by a natural lake. Located in the
district of Savanne, the volcano is at 548m above sea level and is irregular in shape. Sound techniques
have revealed the depth to be about 18m deep. It offers a beautiful view of the forests bordering the
rims of the volcano.
Basin Blanc is found further south and is a type of funnel shaped crater about 800m in diameter that is
filled with water. Here again, the borders are rich in plants and trees.
Trou Kanaka is also found in the south of the island and resembles a true volcano in shape with shrubs
bordering the rims up into the crater. The crater itself is about 350m wide and 50m deep.
Adapted from: http://www.mauritiusuncovered.co.uk/general/volcanoes-in-mauritius/
Vocabulary from the text:
Translation:
Slovene
English
shield volcano
gorge
central plateau
monogenetic volcano
vent
crater
catchment area
Matching the key words to their definitions:
Definitions
English key word
1
An area of fairly level high ground.
A
shield volcano
2
A volcano which erupts once only and then
becomes inactive.
B
gorge
3
An opening in a volcano, through which
magma comes out.
C
plateau
4
A large hole forming the mouth of a volcano.
D
monogenetic volcano
5
A narrow valley between hills or mountains.
E
vent
6
An area into which rain water flows.
F
crater
7
A type of volcano usually built of fluid lava
flows. It has a low profile, resembling a
warrior's shield.
G
catchment area
1
4
2
3
5
6
7
Indicate whether the following statements are true or false.
1. Mauritius was formed by the eruption of a monogenetic volcano.
2. The mountains, gorges and valleys on the island are all results of volcanic activity.
3. Trou aux Cerfs has several vents through which magma came out.
4. The crater of Trou aux Cerfs accumulates rain water which provides water to two main rivers.
5. The crater of Trou aux Cerfs is 350m deep.
6. The volcano at Grand Bassin has a sea altitude of 548m.
7. Laser techniques were used to determine the depth of the crater at Grand Bassin.
8. Bassin Blanc is another volcano whose crater has been filled with water.
Keys:
Matching: 1C, 2D, 3E, 4F, 5B, 5G, 7A
True/False: 1F, 2T, 3F, 4T, 5F, 6T, 7F, 8T
LESSON PLAN
LESSON TITLE: Volcanoes in Mauritius
LEVEL: Intermediate
LESSON OBJECTIVES/AIMS:
Students will learn specific vocabulary about volcanoes in Slovene and English language. They
will complete a reading comprehension and view a PowerPoint presentation.
TIME SPAN: 1 hour
RESOURCES: handout, internet, PowerPoint
I. WARM UP
II. COMPREHENSION
GEOGRAPHY TEACHER
Volcano key words
Show students the PowerPoint
slide with the diagram of a
typical volcano, and explain the
key words. Ask them to
reproduce the diagram into their
notebooks and write down the
keywords.
Ask students to read the text on
their own once.
Support the explanation in
Slovene whenever needed.
III. POWERPOINT
Show students the key words in
the vocabulary exercise in
Slovene.
FOREIGN TEACHER
Volcano key words
Give the students the
keywords in English and
explain them briefly in
English.
Then read the text aloud to
the class and explain the
difficult words.
Ask students to complete the
exercises that follow and
check the answers.
Show students the photos of
the main volcanoes in the
island of Mauritius and
briefly describe them.
LESSON EVALUATION
This lesson was very interesting for everyone. Students were very curious to find out about
Mauritian geography, especially volcanoes. However, they found out that the technical language of
volcanoes can be quite complicated and as a result, they encountered many new words and
concepts.