Volcano Web
In this lesson you will use the Internet to research information on valcanoes and then write a report on your results.
In this Lesson...
A volcano is a location where magma, or hot melted rock from within a planet, reaches the surface. It may happen violently, in a massive supersonic explosion, or more quietly,as a sticky, slow lave flow.
Volcanoes have been a part of earth's history
long before humans. Compare the history of human
beings, a few million years in the making, to that of
the Earth, over four billion years in the making.
Volumes of Some Well-Known Volcanic Eruptions
The study of volcanoes, or Volcanology, includes many odd terms.
How many of these do you Know?
- caldera
- vesicularity
- pahoehoe
- rheology
- lahar
The term nuée ardente, or "glowing cloud" was first used by La Croix (1904) in his description of the volcanic flows he observed in the 1902 eruption of the Mt Pelée a historically active volcano on the island on the island of Martinique
Listed below are two places in the United States that are
considered "active" volcanic areas.
Mount St Helens
On May 18, 1980, after a long period of rest, this quiet
mountain in Washington provided detailed
observations on the mechanics of highly explosive
eruptions.
Long Valley
This field seismometer measures earthquakes associated
with subsurface volcanic forces and may help to predict
future events. It sits on a plateau known as the "Volcanic
Tableland" formed by a major eruption 600,000 years ago.
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Mars has its fair share of volcanic landforms,
including the largest known volcano in the solar system,
Olympus Mons
Your mission is to find information and report on a volcano,
other than the ones listed above, that has erupted in the last
100 years. Your reports must include:
- Type of volcano
- Geographic location
- Name, distance, and population of nearest major city
- Dates of most recent and most destructive eruptions.
- Other events associated with the recent eruptions
(earthquakes, floods, mudslides, etc)
Then, write a one page description on the major hazards to humans
in the vicinity of this volcano. Speculate on what you would do
if you were in charge of minimizing the risk to the population.
References
Use these references to start your research:
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