Are We Falling Apart?
Understanding Volcanoes
Go to Parts of a Volcano in VolcanoWorld and draw a volcano and label its parts.
Hint: Volcanoes are formed when magma (molten rock) pushes up from under the Earth's crust and reaches the surface as lava.
Complete the Volcanic Terms Worksheet using the information, using these words: magma, ash, lava, vent, eruption, dome, volcano, dome, caldera, and cinder cone.
More information on volcanoes can be found here:
Savage
Earth: Out of the Inferno
VolcanoWorld
Part Two: Kinds of Eruptions
Read about how the viscosity (how gooey it is) of the magma changes the way a volcano erupts. This information can be found at Savage Earth: Out of the Inferno and Volcanic Cones and Eruptions.
Understand that thicker and stickier magma, which traps
expanding gases, usually explodes out of the ground violently. Also, understand
that runny magma, which doesn’t trip the gases, usually almost just oozes out
of the ground.
Part Three: Finding Volcanoes on earth
Use Map It to find volcanoes in the United States.
See if you can find a world map showing recent volcanic activity. Can you find out where and what the “Ring of Fire” is?