Volcanoes

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Volcanoes

• By Mr. Brian Norton
• Lesson Plan for 3rd Grade

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What is a Volcano?

• A volcano is an opening in the earths crust.
• Inside the opening molten hot lava, natural
  gasses, and ash exist.
• When a volcano explodes all of these things come
  flying out of the top of the volcano, called the
  crater.
• When a volcano explodes it is called an eruption.
• The word volcano comes from the name Vulcan, who
  was the Roman fire god. Vulcan was believed to
  work in an active volcano known as Vulcano off of
  the coast of Italy.

Marble statue of Vulcan
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Why do Volcanoes Explode?

• An eruption happens when the natural gasses
  inside a volcano build up.
• They build up because the inside of the earth is
  very hot, and sometimes it needs to cool down.
• The earth cools down by releasing heat and gas
  during a volcanic eruption.

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Volcano Diagram

• Here is a diagram representing what the inside of
  a volcano looks like during an eruption.
• As we can see the lava flows up from the center
  of the earth, pushing lava, ash and gas out
  through the crater and into the air.
• As the volcano erupts over time the hardened lava
  and ash create build up and make it look like a
  mountain.

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Types of VolcanoesThere are 3 Major Types

• Active--gtAn active volcano will erupt on a
  regular basis. There are records of active
  volcano eruptions, and people know to be careful
  around them
• Dormant--gtDormant volcanoes are volcanoes that
  are believed to be sleeping. They are still
  active, emitting gas every now and then, but have
  not erupted in years.
• Extinct--gtExtinct volcanoes are those volcanoes
  that have not erupted in recorded history.

Photo of an extinct volcano in Hawaii
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Volcano VocabHere are some volcano related words
we should know

• Crater--gtOpening at the top of a volcano.
• Magma--gtWhat lava is called before it erupts out
  of the crater.
• Vulcanologist--gtA person who studies volcanoes.
• Pumice--gtA light stone filled with wholes that is
  often ejected by a volcanoes during an eruption.
• Side Vent--gtAreas on the side of a volcano where
  lava can come out of.
• Volcanic Explosivity Index--gtThe scale scientists
  use to measure how bad a volcanic eruption was.

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Where do Volcanoes Exist?

• Volcanoes exist all over the world, they can even
  be found in outer space (Olympus Mons on mars)!
• In the United States volcanoes can be found in
  Alaska, Washington, California, Oregon, and
  Hawaii.
• The majority of earths volcanoes exist in the
  Pacific Ocean in a location known as the Ring of
  Fire.
• There are over 500 volcanoes on the planet.

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Mount St. Helens

• The most active and famous volcano in the US is
  Mount St. Helens located in Washington State.
• It erupts frequently, but the last big eruption
  occurred in 1980. The blast was so loud that it
  was heard in Canada, Montana, and Idaho!

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Mauna Loa

• The largest volcano in the world is Mauna Loa.
• The volcano is located in Hawaii.
• It is over six miles tall and has a volume of
  over 10,200 cubic miles!

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Volcano Safety

• While volcanoes are very interesting to learn
  about, they are very deadly.
• Lava flows and other things associated with
  volcanoes (such as mudslides and tsunamis) have
  destroyed entire communities and have taken many
  lives.
• If you live near or are visiting a volcanic
  location it is important to brush up on local
  safety procedure.
• A good idea is creating a disaster supply kit, so
  in case of an emergency you have some handy tools
  at your finger tips (sheets about disaster
  emergency kits will be handed out at end of
  class)

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Class Activity Becoming a Vulcanologist

• Today in class you will all be divided up into
  groups of four.
• Each group will be assigned a volcano and be
  asked to write a brief composition about it.
• They will include such information as location,
  type of volcanoes, how it affects society, and
  other information that you feel is interesting.

• Students will complete task by searching for
  information on the Internet.
• Once completed we will have an outdoor volcano
  demonstration!

Link to Lesson Plan and Grade Rubric