FOCUS Volcano Web Search Project for Third Grade 2006.
Name_______________________ Home Room Teacher’s Name___________________
The whole world knows about volcanoes. There are myths in many cultures about
volcanoes. How do you say volcano in a different language? Go to this web page and
pick a language. Write the language and their word for volcano.
Multiple Names of Volcano
Language__________________________How they say volcano___________________
The word we use for volcano came from an ancient myth about a blacksmith
named Vulcan. He was believed to be a blacksmith to the mythical gods and goddesses.
The people living near a small island that they called Vulcano in the Mediterranean Sea
thought that the island was a chimney for a his giant forge in which he made weapons for
the Roman gods. They believed that the hot lava fragments and clouds of dust erupting
from the island were from Vulcan beating out thunderbolts for Jupiter, king of the gods,
and weapons for Mars, the god of war.
Click here to see what the beaches of Volcano look like now.
Volcano now
What color is the sand?___________
The unit we are studying is called Pele’s Peak. In Polynesia the people believed
that volcanic eruptions were caused by the beautiful but wrathful Pele, Goddess of
Volcanoes, whenever she was angry or spiteful. Her hair was made of fire and lava.
Here are images of the mythical Goddess Pele.
(There was a world famous soccer (football) player who was named Pele, also.
Sometimes people may think you are thinking of him when you really mean a volcano!)
This is his famous kick.
This is he.
Don’t get confused when you are doing your research!
Click here for a picture and description of the real Polynesian volcano.
Pele's Peak
What does Pele mean? ___________
Mount Pelee is in Martinique. Saint Pierre was the name of the town near Pelee’s
volcano. The eruption instantly killed 45,000 from the intense heat and poisonous gas.
There were only two known survivors. One of them was a prisoner who was locked in an
underground cell.
Click below to read and see some pictures of the destruction of the entire town.
Story and pictures of St.Pierre
Pictures of Mount Pelee- click on slides for show
Click this link and answer these questions.
The eruption of Mt. Pelee, Martinique
The town of St. Pierre was beautiful and expensive. It was sometimes called “The
___________of the West.” One day, the beautiful town was suddenly covered by a giant
cloud of poisonous gas. What color was the sulfuric cloud?___________(Hint : Follow
the link to see the picture of fumorole activity” Animals and insects that had lived on the
mountain slopes entered the city and attacked the people. How big were the centipedes?
____________________________. Fifty humans, mostly children, were bitten and died
from what type of bites? __________________________ The water in lakes began to
boil and the mudflows reached 100 miles per hour. A tsunami flooded the shoreline.
Some people tried to leave (evacuate), but they were turned back so that they could vote
in an election. The local newspaper said that everything in the town was just fine, so
more people who were scared of all the volcanic activity came INTO the town from the
countryside. Then the volcano erupted violently with hurricane force. Who won the
election?_____________________________________________________
Click here to see some beautiful pictures of deadly volcanoes. Find out which volcano is
pictured below.
Slides of volcanoes
This is a picture of ________________________in the state of ___________.
The water fills what part of the volcano? _____________________________
Volcanoes usually erupt at the edges of huge plates of land. When the plates collide they
may cause earthquakes, tidal waves, or volcanic eruptions.
Click here to learn more about plate tectonics.
Earth's Continental Plates
Scientists usually group volcanoes into four main types.
Click here to read about each kind.
Volcanoes: Principal Types of Volcanoes
The four main types of volcanoes are:
1._____________________________ which are simple blobs of built up magma with a
single vent.
2._____________________________which are steep and grand mountains.
3._____________________________come from flowing lava that spreads out.
4.Mount Pelee in Martinique is this type of volcano.__________________________.
Here are some more cool pictures of various volcanoes around the world.
Every year about ______volcanoes erupt, but they are usually very small and weak. Go to
this webpage and see how often the REALLY huge ones erupt.
Eruption Scale
Here is a list of the ones that have been erupting in your lifetime. Pick five and tell where
they are and what they are called.
LIST OF ACTIVE AND ERUPTING VOLCANOES - 1994-present
Update on Current Volcanic Activity
The volcano is called ____________________, and it is in________________________.
The volcano is called ____________________, and it is in________________________.
The volcano is called ____________________, and it is in________________________.
The volcano is called ____________________, and it is in________________________.
The volcano is called ____________________, and it is in________________________.
The lava from a volcano can be hotter than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit!
SANTORINI
We live in Atlanta, GA. Atlanta is named after the myth of Atlantis. Atlantis was
supposed to have disappeared during a volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini in
Greece.
Click here to read a little about the myth of Atlantis.
Where can I find information on the legend of Atlantis
These are pictures of Santorini now.
The beaches are red.
The church of Panagia
is on the island of Therassia.
The volcanic eruption of 150 BC
destroyed the islands around it,
but it remained.
A world-famous musician and composer from Kalamata Island in Greece wrote a
song about the island of Santorini. His name is Yanni. Millions of people watched him
perform the song at the foot of the famous Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Since most
people all over the world know of him, he is often asked to write songs for the Olympics.
Santorini is a famous volcano, and also one of his most well-known songs. It was played
at the World Tennis Open. Double click below to listen to a small bit of the song, or click
on the link and then scroll down to Santorini to play the song while you research the
Santorini volcano. CPR's MIDI ArchivesYanni Santorini
After the volcano erupted, the island looked very different than it does now.
Although nobody has found the mythical Atlantis, they have found many ruins.
Click here to see a picture of a real town named Akroteri that is being excavated. It was
destroyed by the volcano. Be sure to scroll down to see the urns lined up against the
walls. Navigate around the website to learn more about the volcano there.
Excavating Santorini, Greece
About 3-6 feet (1-2 meters) of ash fell on the city, which did have a population of
about 30,000. The residents appear to have been successfully evacuated (made to leave a
dangerous area for their own safety and protection) prior to the eruption. No bodies were
found in the ash like those found at Vesuvius. Archeologists also reported that it seemed
like most objects and possessions that were movable had been taken from the city. They
were lucky! Not everyone escapes the fury of a volcano, though. Let’s learn about some
more famous eruptions…
MOUNT VESUVIUS
The most famous deadly volcanic eruption was Mount Vesuvius, which is in the
country of _________________. It erupted and boiling mud coated and killed anyone it
its path. The mud on the people and animals cooled making them look like statues frozen
in time.
Click here to see what the eruption was like.
Pompeii: Vesuvius - What Did the Eruption Look Like?
People were going about their normal lives living a regular day. Several people
had gathered for an election campaign.
Click here to read about what a typical day in the city of Rome, another Italian city, was
like back then.
Did children go to school?____________________________
ROMA - History and Civilization of the Eternal City
You can see from these pictures that the city of Pompeii was built very close to the
mouth of the Sarnos River and the foot of the volcano. An earthquake had struck a few
years earlier when the volcano rumbled, but the people repaired their city and didn’t seem
to think it would happen again. It was a pretty city with a population of over 20,000
people situated between two other cities called Herculenium and Stabiae and near the big
city of Naples. It had been a city for more than 700 years before it vanished in the year 79
A.D. All three cities lay buried in ash for almost two thousand years!
Vesuvius erupted suddenly. The air became black with poisonous smoke and
burning ash. Some people escaped, but more than 2,000 people from Pompeii died. All
together more than 16,000 people died who lived anywhere near the volcano. The ash and
burning cinders hurt even the survivors. When the ash and mud dried, they hardened like
cement and sealed the city. The survivors wanted their valuable possessions, so they
began to dig tunnels to where they thought houses had been. Later, more people used the
tunnels to excavate the area looking for treasures. They found people, pets, and homes
preserved in the ash just they way they had been thousands of years ago. They even
found loaves of bread that were 2000 years old still in ovens. Some people were
preserved in ash sitting or working while others fell down and were killed.
Would you still live near the volcano?__________________Click these sites to find out
if people still live near Mount Vesuvius and if it ever erupted and killed people again.
Then circle True or False.
Pompeii and Herculaneum
mount vesuvius
People lived close enough to be killed even after 79AD.
True
The volcano erupted more than once since then.
True
Pliny the Younger wrote about his experience during the eruption. True
False
False
False
What are these pictures of?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
AMERICAN TRAGEDY
Your parents will remember when a volcano here in The United States surprised
everyone and killed 50- 82 people. It happened suddenly. Cinders and ash burst out of the
volcano at 300 miles per hour. In less than 15 minutes the cloud reached 80,000 feet into
the air. The sky turned black as far away as 250 miles. Immediately, there was an
avalanche of hot debris and ash. There was a boiling mudflow that was faster than 90
miles an hour at the top and slowed and cooled as it made its way down the sides of the
volcano. It destroyed 27 bridges and almost 200 homes. It killed people and countless
wildlife. It also destroyed enough trees to have built 300,000 new homes! People were
thankful and surprised by how many animals did survive and how quickly plants grew
back.
Check this web page to read more about it. What was it called?
________________________In what year did it kill so many people?__________
The Deadliest Eruptions
Fact Sheet
An Australian scientist named John Seach has a really cool website. Check out the
pictures of him at volcanoes as they erupt in front of him. Surf through his website to
answer these questions.
Volcano Live - Volcanoes of the World
What do you call a scientist who studies volcanoes? ___________________________
Are there volcanoes on other planets?_______If so, name another planet that has
volcanoes.________________
Look at Breaking News. What did the Italian government just recently offer the people
who live close to Mount Vesuvius?_________________________________________
Look at the Famous Quotes. Pick a quote and tell what was said and by whom. Put
quotation
marks
around
the
actual
words
that
the
person
said.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Go to frequently Asked Questions. Find out how long eruptions can last. They can last
from less than one day to greater than_____________________________________.The
largest volcano is in the United States. Which state?______________________.
Go to World Volcanoes. Imagine poking a hole in the classroom globe for every volcano
there is. You’d be busy! Name a volcano in the Artic
Ocean.______________________.___________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
I hope you enjoyed your web tour of researching volcanoes and that you continue to
enjoy learning about them.