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Types of Volcanoes

There are many types of volcanoes:


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Shield Volcano - A gently-sloping volcano that emits mostly basaltic lava (very fluid lava) that flows in long-lasting, relatively gentle eruptions explosions are minimal. Shield volcanoes can be very big. An example is Mt. Kilauea (in Hawaii, USA). Composite or Strato Volcano - A steep-coned volcano that explosively emits gases, ash, pumice, and a small amount of stiff, silica lava (called rhyolite). This type of volcano can have eruptions accompanied by lahars -- deadly mudflows. Most volcanoes on Earth are of this type. Stratovolcanoes kill more people than any other type of volcanoes - this is because of their abundance on Earth and their powerful mudflows. Examples are Krakatoa in Indonesia, Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, and Mt. St. Helens in Washington state, USA. Lava Dome - A bulbous (rounded) volcano that forms when very viscous lava barely flows. An example is Mont Pele in Martinique. Cinder Cone - A cone-shaped volcano whose steep sides are formed by loose, fragmented cinders that fall to the Earth close to the vent. The lava flows through a single vent that is usually only up to about 1,000 feet tall. There is usually a bowl-shaped crater at the top. As the gas-filled lava erupts into the air, the lava fragments into pieces and forms cinders. Rhyolite Caldera Complex - these are the most explosive volcanoes. They do not look like common volcanoes -- after an eruption, the result is a caldera (crater) caused when the area around the vent collapses. Examples are Yellowstone in Wyoming, USA and Lake Taupo in New Zealand (which erupted around A.D. 80).

The Ring of Fire


The area encircling the Pacific Ocean is called the "Ring of Fire," because its edges mark a circle of high volcanic and seismic activity (earthquakes). Most of the active volcanoes on Earth are located on this circumference. On the periphery of the Pacific Ocean, the edge of the Pacific Continental Plate is expanding in the seabed, and is hitting the North American Plate, the Nazca Plate, the Eurasian Plate, and other plates, causing the margins of the plates to collide, buckle, and compress, causing earthquakes and volcanoes.

The Movement of Continental Plates: When two continental plates collide (at a convergent plate boundary like the Ring of Fire), some crust is destroyed in the impact and the plates become smaller. The results differ, depending upon what types of plates are involved. Oceanic Plate and Continental Plate - When a thin, dense oceanic plate collides with a relatively light, thick continental plate, the oceanic plate is forced under the continental plate; this phenomenon is called subduction. Two Oceanic Plates - When two oceanic plates collide, one may be pushed under the other and magma from the mantle rises, forming undersea volcanoes in the vicinity.
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Related Pages: Continental Plates and Plate Tectonics

Ring of Fire: Outline Ring of Fire Ring of Fire Map: Map Printout Continental Plates Label Me! Printout An outline map of the Map: Label Me! Read about the Label the oceans and Ring of Fire to print. Printout plates of crust continents The Ring of Fire is the surrounding the Ring Label the continental that cover the seismically active plates near the Ring surface of the of Fire. area on the margins of Fire. Earth and how Answers of the Pacific Ocean. Answers they move. Label a Volcano Diagram: A Printout

Volcano Printout

Volcano Quiz Printout

Subduction (Plate Divergence)


Color a Label the subduction of volcano and an oceanic plate under a read about continental plate (plate them. convergence). Answers Volcano: Cloze Activity Printout

Answer 10 multiple choice questions on volcanos. Answers

Label the lava, vent, conduit, crater, magma chamber, ash cloud and crust. Answers

Make a Volcano

Fill in the blanks (using a word bank) in an essay about volcanos. Create an erupting volcano with clay, baking Answers soda, and vinegar.

Volcano Craft
More Kinder Crafts

Make a mock volcano that erupts when you mix baking soda and vinegar. This is a very messy project - especially at the end when the volcano erupts. Wear old clothes and work on a pile of newspapers (or even better, outdoors).
In a real volcano, molten rock from deep within the Earth erupts through a volcano (the molten rock is called magma when it is within the Earth and is called lava when it comes out of a volcano). In this project, a mock volcano will erupt with a bubbly, fizzy liquid that is created by a simple chemical reaction. This project shows kids what happens when an acid (vinegar) and a base (baking soda) interact. Chemically, the acid and base neutralize each other, producing carbon dioxide gas as a byproduct. The exact reaction is:
HC2H3O2 (vinegar = acetic acid) + NaHCO3 (baking soda = sodium bicarbonite) = CO2 (carbon dioxide gas) + NaC2H3O2(sodium acetate) + H2O (water)

Supplies:

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Old aluminum pie tin (or baking pan or paper plate) Lots of old newspaper Baking soda (about 3-4 tablespoons) Vinegar (about 1/2 cup) A few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent Small plastic bottle (like a small pop bottle) Modeling clay (for a clay recipe, click here) Funnel Measuring spoon and measuring cup Red food coloring Glitter (optional)

Put the clean, empty bottle on the aluminum pie plate (or baking pan or paper plate).

Using the modeling clay, make a volcano around the bottle. Leave the area around the top of the bottle open and don't get any clay inside the bottle. You can decorate the volcano with little twigs, lichens (that look like tiny trees), etc.
Using the funnel (make sure it's dry), put 3 to 4 tablespoons of baking soda into the bottle. The add a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent and about a half cup of water. Optional: add a little bit of glitter (about half a teaspoon).

Put a few drops of red food coloring into about one-half of a cup of vinegar. The Eruption: Using the funnel, pour the vinegar mixture into the bottle (then quickly remove the funnel).

Your volcano will erupt immediately! When the vinegar reacts with the baking soda, carbon dioxide gas is formed and the bubbles push the "lava" out the "volcano." Be prepared for a mess!
Label Subduction Diagram
Where an oceanic and continental plate converge. Plate Tectonics Page

Read the definitions below, then label the subduction (plate convergence) diagram.

Asthenosphere = Upper Mantle (flowing) - the lower part of the upper


mantle that exhibits plastic (flowing) properties. It is located below the lithosphere (the crust and upper mantle).

Continental Crust - thick parts of the Earth's crust, not located under the oceans. Lithosphere - the crust plus the rigid, upper mantle. Lower Mantle (semi-rigid) - the deepest parts of the mantle, just above the core. Magma - molten rock withing the Earth's mantle. In seafloor spreading, magma moves from the
asthenosphere to the crust.

Ocean - large bodies of water sitting atop oceanic crust. Oceanic Crust - thin parts of the Earth's crust located under the oceans. Subduction Zone - the area in which one part of the Earth's crust (a plate) is pushed
underneath another plate as the two plates collide.

Upper Mantle (rigid) - the uppermost part of the mantle, part of the lithosphere. Volcanos - a place on the Earth's surface where molten rock, gases and pyroclastic debris erupt
through the earth's crust.

Quiz + Label the Tornado Alley Map


Answer the questions, then fill in the name of the states in the map of the heart of Tornado Alley Tornadoes

1. Do most tornadoes in the Northern Hemisphere rotate in a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction?_____________________________________________ 2. Do tornadoes form only in Tornado Alley?________________________________ 3. In what type of storm do tornadoes form? _________________________________ 4. To be classified as a tornado, a funnel cloud must reach to the _________________________. 5. Another name for a tornado is _______________________________________________. Write the abbreviations of the states that are in the heart of Tornado Alley in the map below (see the word bank below).

This is a thumbnail of the Label the Tornado Alley Map. The full-size printout is available only to site members.

Label Seafloor Spreading

Plate Tectonics Page

Read the definitions below, then label the seafloor spreading (plate divergence) diagram.

Lithosphere - the crust plus the rigid, upper mantle. Lower Mantle (semi-rigid) - the deepest parts of the mantle, just above the core. Magma - molten rock withing the Earth's mantle. In seafloor spreading, magma moves from the
asthenosphere to the crust.

Ocean - large bodies of water sitting atop oceanic crust. Oceanic Crust - thin parts of the Earth's crust located under the oceans. Oceanic Ridge - newly-formed region of the oceanic crust. Upper Mantle (rigid) - the uppermost part of the mantle, part of the lithosphere. Asthenosphere = Upper Mantle (flowing) - the lower part of the upper
mantle that exhibits plastic (flowing) properties. It is located below the lithosphere (the crust and upper mantle).

Label Seafloor Spreading

Plate Tectonics Page

Read the definitions below, then label the seafloor spreading (plate divergence) diagram.

Lithosphere - the crust plus the rigid, upper mantle. Lower Mantle (semi-rigid) - the deepest parts of the mantle, just above the core. Magma - molten rock withing the Earth's mantle. In seafloor spreading, magma moves from the
asthenosphere to the crust.

Ocean - large bodies of water sitting atop oceanic crust. Oceanic Crust - thin parts of the Earth's crust located under the oceans. Oceanic Ridge - newly-formed region of the oceanic crust. Upper Mantle (rigid) - the uppermost part of the mantle, part of the lithosphere. Asthenosphere = Upper Mantle (flowing) - the lower part of the upper
mantle that exhibits plastic (flowing) properties. It is located below the lithosphere (the crust and upper mantle).

Label Water Cycle Diagram

Water Cycle Page

Read the definitions below, then label the water cycle diagram.

Accumulation - the process in which water pools in large bodies (like oceans, seas and lakes). Condensation - the process in which water vapor (a gas) in the air turns into liquid water. Condensing
water forms clouds in the sky. Water drops that form on the outside of a glass of icy water are condensed water. (This term appears twice in the diagram.)

Evaporation - the process in which liquid water becomes water vapor (a gas). Water vaporizes from
the surfaces of oceans and lakes, from the surface of the land, and from melts in snow fields.

Precipitation - the process in which water (in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail) falls from clouds in
the sky.

Subsurface Runoff - rain, snow melt, or other water that flows in underground streams, drains, or
sewers.

Surface Runoff - rain, snow melt, or other water that flows in surface streams, rivers, or canals. Transpiration - the process in which some water within plants evaporates into the atmosphere.
Water is first absorbed by the plant's roots, then later exits by evaporating through pores in the plant.

Label the Tsunami Hitting the Coast Tsunami

More Tsunami Activities

This is a thumbnail of the "Label the Label the Tsunami Hitting the Coast" page. The full-size printout is available only to site members. To subscribe to Enchanted Learning, click here. If you are already a site member, click here. Word Bank: Crest Runup Sea level Trough Wave height Wavelength

A Tsunami Hits the Coast: As a tsunami wave approaches the coast (where the sea becomes shallow), the trough (bottom) of a wave hits the beach floor, causing the wave to slow down, to increase in height (the amplitude is magnified many times) and to decrease in wavelength (the distance from crest to crest). At landfall, a tsunami wave can be hundreds of meters tall. Steeper shorelines produce higher tsunami waves. In addition to large tsunami waves that crash onto shore, the waves push a large amount of water onto the shore above the regular sea level (this is called runup). The runup can cause tremendous damage inland and is much more common than huge, thundering tsunami waves.

Label Soil Layers Diagram

Soil Page

Read the definitions below, then label the soil layers (called soil horizons) diagram.

O Horizon - The top, organic layer of soil, made up mostly of leaf litter and humus (decomposed
organic matter).

A Horizon - The layer called topsoil; it is found below the O horizon and above the E horizon. Seeds
germinate and plant roots grow in this dark-colored layer. It is made up of humus (decomposed organic matter) mixed with mineral particles.

E Horizon - This eluviation (leaching) layer is light in color; this layer is beneath the A Horizon and
above the B Horizon. It is made up mostly of sand and silt, having lost most of its minerals and clay as water drips through the soil (in the process of eluviation).

B Horizon - Also called the subsoil - this layer is beneath the E Horizon and above the C Horizon. It
contains clay and mineral deposits (like iron, aluminum oxides, and calcium carbonate) that it receives from layers above it when mineralized water drips from the soil above.

C Horizon - Also called regolith: the layer beneath the B Horizon and above the R Horizon. It consists
of slightly broken-up bedrock. Plant roots do not penetrate into this layer; very little organic material is found in this layer.

R Horizon - The unweathered rock (bedrock) layer that is beneath all the other layers.

Label the Outer Layers of the Earth

Inside the Earth Page

Read the definitions below, then label the outer layers of the Earth.

Continental Crust - the thick parts of the Earth's crust, not located under the ocean. Lithosphere - the crust plus the rigid, upper mantle. Lower Mantle (semi-rigid) - the deepest parts of the mantle, just above the core. Mohorovicic discontinuity - separates the crust and the upper mantle. Ocean - large bodies of water sitting atop oceanic crust. Oceanic Crust - thin parts of the Earth's crust located under the oceans. Upper Mantle (rigid) - the uppermost part of the mantle, part of the Lithosphere. Upper Mantle (flowing) = Asthenosphere - the lower part of the upper
mantle that exhibits plastic (flowing) properties. It is located below the lithosphere (the crust and upper mantle).

Label: The Ring of Fire


Label the oceans and continents on the map below. Then, draw the location of the ring of fire on the map in red.

Geography Volcanoes

The area encircling the Pacific Ocean is called the "Ring of Fire," because its edges mark a circle of high volcanic and seismic activity (earthquakes). Most of the active volcanoes on Earth are located on this circumference. On the periphery of the Pacific Ocean, the edge of the Pacific Continental Plate is expanding in the seabed, and is hitting the North American Plate, the Nazca Plate, the Eurasian Plate, and other plates, causing the margins of the plates to collide, buckle, and compress, causing earthquakes and volcanoes.

This is a thumbnail of the Ring of Fire map. The full-size printout is available only to site members. To subscribe to Enchanted Learning, click here. If you are already a site member, click here.

OCEANS: Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean

CONTINENTS: Asia Australia North America South America

Related Pages:

Volcano Printout

Volcano Quiz Printout

Label a Volcano Diagram: A Printout

Ring of Fire Continental

Color a Answer 10 volcano and multiple choice read about questions on

Label the lava, vent,

Plates Map: Label Me! Printout Label the continental plates near the Ring of Fire. Answers Volcano: Cloze Activity Printout

them.

volcanos. Answers

conduit, crater, magma chamber, ash cloud and crust. Answers

Make a Volcano

Fill in the blanks (using a word bank) in an essay about volcanos. Answers

Create an erupting volcano with clay, baking soda, and vinegar.

Ring of Fire: Outline Map Printout An outline map of the Ring of Fire to print. The Ring of Fire is the seismically active area on the margins of the Pacific Ocean.

Label The Ring of Fire: Continental Plates


Label the continental plates near the Ring of Fire on the map below.

Geography Volcanoes

This is a thumbnail of the Ring of Fire map. The full-size printout is available only to site members. To subscribe to Enchanted Learning, click here. If you are already a site member, click here.

Antarctic Plate - the plate around the South Polar region. Caribbean Plate - the small plate underlying the Caribbean Sea. Cocos Plate - the small plate south of Mexico Eurasian Plate - the plate under Asia and Europe. Indo-Australian Plate - the plate beneath Australia, the eastern Indian Ocean, and the southwestern Pacific Ocean

Nazca Plate - the small plate just west of South America. North American Plate - the plate underlying North America Pacific Plate - the plate beneath most of the Pacific Ocean. Philippine Plate - the small plate under the western Pacific Ocean (north of Australia). South American Plate - the plate underlying South America.

Quiz + Label the Hurricane Diagram

Hurricanes

1. Do hurricanes rotate in a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction?______________________________________ 2. Do hurricanes form over warm or cold water?________________________________ 3. Do hurricanes have high or low air pressure? _________________________________ 4. To be classified as a hurricane, winds in the storm must be at least ______________________________________ 5. Another name for a hurricane is a _______________________________________________. 6. Similar storms in the western Pacific ocean are called____________________________. 7. Is flooding a danger associated with hurricanes? _________________ 8-10. Read the definitions in the word bank below, then label the hurricane diagram.

Label the Earth Diagram


Read the definitions, then label the diagram below. Definitions

Astronomy

crust - the rigid, rocky outer surface of the Earth, composed mostly of basalt and granite. The crust is thinner under the oceans.

inner core - the solid iron-nickel center of the Earth that is very hot and under great pressure. mantle - a rocky layer located under the crust - it is composed of silicon, oxygen, magnesium, iron, aluminum, and calcium. Convection (heat) currents carry heat from the hot inner mantle to the cooler outer mantle. outer core - the molten iron-nickel layer that surrounds the inner core.

Label the Earth's Atmosphere


Label the layers of the Earth's atmosphere using the terms below.

More Astronomy Activities More on the Atmosphere

Exosphere - the outermost layer of the Earth's atmosphere, where atmospheric pressure and temperature are low. Ionosphere - the atmospheric layer between the mesosphere and the exosphere; it is part of the thermosphere. Mesosphere - the atmospheric layer between the stratosphere and the ionosphere. Stratosphere - the atmospheric layer between the troposphere and the mesosphere. The stratosphere is characterized by a slight temperature increase with altitude and by the absence of clouds. Thermosphere - the layer of the atmosphere located above part of the ionosphere (starting at the coldest part of the atmosphere) and below outer space; it consists of the exosphere and part of the ionosphere. Troposphere - the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere. The weather and clouds occur in the troposphere.

Label the Clouds


(Simple Version) Label the clouds using the terms below.

More Astronomy Activities More on Clouds

cirrus - Thin, wispy, curly-shaped clouds. cumulo-nimbus- Large, dense, towering clouds that cause rain and thunderstorms. cumulus - Puffy clouds. fog - Ground-hugging clouds. stratus - Layered, horizontal clouds with a flat base.

Label the Clouds

More Astronomy Activities More on Clouds

Label the clouds using the terms below.

alto-cumulus - Middle-level, medium-sized puffy clouds. alto-stratus - Middle-level, layered clouds. cirro-cumulus - High-altitude, small, wispy, patchy, puffy clouds. cirro-stratus - High-altitude, thin, wispy clouds in layers. cirrus - High-altitude, thin, wispy clouds. cumulo-nimbus- Large, dense, towering clouds that cause thunderstorms. cumulus - Low, puffy clouds. fog - Ground-hugging clouds. nimbo-stratus - Low, dark, rain cloud. stratus - Low, layered, horizontal, wispy clouds with a flat base. strato-cumulus - Low clouds, broad and flat on the bottom, puffy on top (higher than cumulus and lower than altocumulus).

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