Have you ever wondered how the Earth changes and moves? Sometimes, these changes happen right under our feet, and one of the most exciting ways this happens is through volcanoes! Let’s dive into the fascinating world of volcanoes and learn about the different types that exist.
A volcano is like a big crack or opening in the Earth’s surface. Deep below this surface, there’s a lot of hot, melted rock called magma. Sometimes, this magma rises up through the volcano and comes out as lava. When this happens, we say the volcano is erupting!
Volcanoes can be active (erupting or likely to erupt), dormant (sleeping but could wake up), or extinct (not expected to erupt again).
Shield volcanoes are huge and have gentle, sloping sides. They are formed by lava that flows easily and spreads out over large areas. The islands of Hawaii are great examples of shield volcanoes. Some of these volcanoes are still active, like the Loihi volcano, which is under the sea and might become a new island in the future!
Cinder cone volcanoes are smaller but have steep sides. They can erupt suddenly and with a lot of force. A famous example is the Parícutin volcano in Mexico, which suddenly appeared in a farmer’s field in 1943. It grew quickly and eventually became dormant after a few years.
Stratovolcanoes are known for their explosive eruptions. They have gentle slopes at the bottom that become steeper at the top. These volcanoes are made up of layers of hardened lava, ash, and rocks. Mount St. Helens in Washington State is a well-known stratovolcano that erupted violently in 1980, causing a lot of destruction.
Many volcanoes are found in an area called the Ring of Fire, which is a path along the Pacific Ocean. This area has lots of volcanoes and is known for frequent earthquakes. Countries like the United States, Japan, and Indonesia are part of the Ring of Fire.
Some of the most famous and powerful volcanoes include Mount Vesuvius in Italy, Krakatoa in Indonesia, and the volcanic areas in Iceland. There’s also a huge magma chamber under Yellowstone National Park in the United States, which could one day become a supervolcano!
Volcanoes are amazing natural wonders that show us how powerful and ever-changing our planet is. Keep exploring and learning about these incredible formations!
Gather materials like baking soda, vinegar, and clay to build your own volcano model. Shape the clay into a volcano structure and use the baking soda and vinegar to simulate an eruption. Observe how the “lava” flows and discuss the differences between shield, cinder cone, and stratovolcano eruptions.
Choose a famous volcano, such as Mount Vesuvius or Mount St. Helens, and research its history and eruptions. Create a poster or digital presentation to share with the class, highlighting key facts and interesting stories about your chosen volcano.
Use cards with images and descriptions of different volcanoes. Sort them into categories: shield, cinder cone, and stratovolcano. Discuss with your classmates why each volcano fits into its category based on its characteristics and eruption style.
Using a world map, identify and mark the countries that are part of the Ring of Fire. Research and label at least five active volcanoes within this area. Discuss why this region has so many volcanoes and earthquakes.
Write a short story from the perspective of a volcano. Describe what it feels like to be dormant, active, or extinct. Use your imagination to bring the volcano to life and explain its role in shaping the Earth’s surface.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
In this video, we’re going to learn about different types of volcanoes. The Earth is always moving and changing, and it never stays the same. You may see it right before your eyes, or you may not see or feel it happen at all, but it’s happening right now beneath our feet. Let’s explore some of the ways the Earth changes.
A volcano is a fracture or opening in the Earth’s crust through which magma escapes. Deep beneath the crust are vast chambers of molten rock we call magma. Magma can slowly cool and become hardened, or it can flow and feed a volcano, rising to the surface. When magma reaches the surface, it becomes lava.
A volcano may be active, dormant (which means it’s only sleeping and may someday erupt), or extinct (which means it was once active but will probably never erupt again).
Let’s explore three types of volcanoes. Millions of years ago, the islands of Hawaii emerged from the sea, powered by erupting volcanoes. The formation of the islands of Hawaii is an example of shield volcanoes. Some of these volcanoes are active and continue to erupt, while others have been dormant for millions of years. These volcanoes are massive in area and have gradual sloping sides. The eruptions are like fountains, and the lava flows are very liquid.
The Loihi volcano, south of the Big Island of Hawaii, is an actively erupting volcano under the sea. Loihi is a seamount rising 10,000 feet from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, and as it continues to erupt molten lava, it will one day become an island of its own in about a hundred thousand years.
Shield volcanoes are not as explosive as cinder cone volcanoes. A cinder cone volcano has steep sides. In 1943, a farmer named Pulido was working in his cornfield near the village of Parícutin, Mexico. He tells the story that as he and his family were working in the field, the earth began to tremble and shake. Suddenly, the ground swelled, and a fissure opened, releasing ash and smoke into the air.
Through the days and weeks that followed, the volcano continued to grow to over 1,300 feet high. Thick, slow-moving lava advanced toward the villages of Parícutin and San Juan, which were destroyed. The Parícutin volcano has been very important to scientists as they have observed its growth and eventual dormancy.
Cinder cone volcanoes can be powerful, but they are no match for stratovolcanoes, which are characterized by gentle lower slopes that gradually increase to steep upper slopes. They are constructed of layers of hardened lava, volcanic ash, and pumice. Stratovolcanoes are known for their violent eruptions, expelling fiery lava fragments and toxic gases into the air. Massive plumes of ash can travel great distances, making aviation travel impossible.
In the Cascade Mountain Range of Southwest Washington State, there are many beautiful snow-covered peaks, some of which are volcanoes. One of these is Mount St. Helens. It had been an active volcano for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years. Scientists who study volcanoes had been monitoring St. Helens, waiting for another major eruption.
In the spring of 1980, tremors and earthquakes shook the ground on the North Face of Mount St. Helens, and a bulge began to form. On May 18, 1980, the caldera erupted with tremendous force. Everything in the path of this eruption was destroyed.
In the world, there are nearly 1,500 potentially active volcanoes, with 169 in the United States. Many volcanoes are located along the Pacific Rim, which extends along South and North America, the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. This area is known as the Ring of Fire.
Among the most frightening and destructive volcanoes are Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii, Krakatoa in Indonesia, and the volcanic complex in Iceland. Deep underneath Yellowstone National Park lies enormous chambers of molten magma, which may one day reach the surface and become a supervolcano.
Thank you for following Clarendon Learning. Be sure to subscribe! If you’re looking for more teaching resources, check us out at clarendonlearning.org.
Volcano – A mountain or hill with a crater or vent through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are or have been erupted from the Earth’s crust. – Mount St. Helens is a famous volcano that erupted in 1980.
Magma – Molten rock beneath the Earth’s surface. – The magma chamber beneath the volcano is filled with hot, liquid rock.
Lava – Molten rock that reaches the Earth’s surface through a volcano or fissure. – When the volcano erupted, lava flowed down its slopes, creating new land.
Erupting – The process of a volcano releasing lava, ash, and gases. – The erupting volcano sent ash clouds high into the sky.
Shield – A type of volcano with broad, gently sloping sides, formed by the eruption of low-viscosity lava. – Mauna Loa in Hawaii is an example of a shield volcano.
Cinder – Small, rough particles of hardened lava, often found around volcanic vents. – The cinder cone was formed by the accumulation of volcanic debris.
Stratovolcano – A volcano built up of alternate layers of lava and ash. – Mount Fuji in Japan is a well-known stratovolcano.
Fire – The rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat and light. – The lava from the volcano glowed like fire as it flowed down the mountain.
Earthquake – A sudden and violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great destruction, as a result of movements within the Earth’s crust or volcanic action. – The earthquake caused the ground to shake and buildings to sway.
Island – A piece of land surrounded by water. – The Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanic activity in the Pacific Ocean.
