Volcanoes

Success Criteria

Aim

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Success Criteria

Aim

• To know about volcanoes and where in the world they can be found.

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To describe the structure of a volcano.

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To locate some of the major volcanoes on a world map.

Have you ever thought about why volcanoes are actually called

'volcanoes'? Can you think of a reason why?

Where Does the Word ‘Volcano’ Come From?

The word 'volcano' comes from
the island ‘Vulcano’, which is a

volcanic island in Italy.

Vulcano, Italy.

The island
actually gets its
name from the
Roman god of
fire – Vulcan.

Roman mythology says that Vulcan lived in a volcano. As well as being
the god of fire, he made many weapons and forged them using metal

and fire. He was a very skilled blacksmith.

The Roman God of Fire

Romans believed that if

Vulcan was made angry, the
volcano would erupt. So they
tried their best to please him

and not anger him.

Click on the word in bold to

find out what it means!

Forged: to have made or

shaped a metal object using

a fire or furnace.

What Is Our Earth Made Of?

Click on the circles to reveal the information.

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The Crust
This is the outer layer of the
earth. It varies in thickness
from 0 – 60km thick. It is
not even and is made up of
pieces which overlap to
cover the entire planet.
These pieces are called
‘tectonic plates’.

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The Inner Core
This is a solid layer and is made of
iron and nickel. It is the hottest
part of the earth and can reach
temperatures of up to 5500ºC!

The Outer Core
The outer core is a liquid layer
made out of molten iron and
nickel. This liquid metal creates the
earth's magnetic field.

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The Mantle
The mantle is approximately
2897km thick and is made of a
solid, rocky substance called
molten rock or magma. This is
what escapes when a volcano
erupts.

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Where Are Most Volcanoes Located?

The ‘Ring of Fire’
is an area of the
Pacific Ocean that
is shaped like a
horseshoe. It is
home to 90% of
the world's
earthquakes and
75% of the
world's volcanoes.

It contains a string
of 452 volcanoes,
which stretches
from the southern
tip of South
America, up along
the coast of North
America, down
through Japan, and
into New Zealand.

How Are Volcanoes Formed?

Deep in the earth, it is extremely hot. It is so hot, in fact, that rocks

actually melt and form magma, which makes up the mantle of the earth.

The upper mantle mixes and moves,
which creates pressure underneath
the crust. This pressure can
sometimes cause the mantle
to leak out onto the
surface of the earth
– this is a
volcano!

Over time, as this magma leaks out,

the volcano will get bigger

and bigger.

The Three Stages of Volcanoes

Scientists have placed volcanoes in to three different categories.

What do you think each one is?

Active

Dormant

Extinct

An active volcano is one that has erupted recently, and there is the
possibility that it may erupt again.

A dormant volcano is one that has not erupted for a long time, however,
it may still erupt in the future.

An extinct volcano is one which has erupted
thousands of years ago, but it will
probably never erupt again.

Why Do Volcanoes Erupt?

We know that the earth's crust is made up of huge slabs called tectonic
plates. These fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and they sometimes move.

The movement causes friction
which causes earthquakes and

volcanic eruptions near the

edges of the plates. The theory

that explains this process is
called ‘plate tectonics’ – this

means the plates are moving in

different directions and at
different speeds. Sometimes

they collide or brush past each

other and cause these

earthquakes and volcanic

eruptions.

Click on the word in bold to

find out what it means!

Friction: the resistance created

when one surface rubs

against another.

What Are the Different Parts of a Volcano?

Click on each label to find out more. Click again to remove.

An opening in the
surface of the Earth

through which volcanic

materials, such as
magma, can escape.

A cloud of ash. It is
formed by volcanic

explosions

vent

ash cloud

The mouth of a volcano.

It surrounds the vent.

crater

throat

The entrance of a

volcano. It ejects lava

and volcanic ash.

conduit

An underground

passage which magma

travels through.

A large underground

pool of liquid rock found

beneath the surface of

the Earth.

magma reservoir

How Many Volcanoes Are There?

There are more than 1500 active volcanoes on Earth. There are also
more than 80 volcanoes under the ocean, although these are just the

ones that have been discovered.

What Types of Volcano Are There?

Composite Volcanoes
These volcanoes are steep-sided volcanoes and are made up of lots of
layers of volcanic rocks. They usually erupt in an explosive way because
the magma in these volcanoes is quite sticky. It clogs up the passage
that it has to pass through. Pressure is built inside the volcanic chamber
and this results in the volcano erupting violently.

Mount St. Helens in Washington, USA is a composite volcano.

What Types of Volcano Are There?

Cinder Cones
Cinder cones are circular or oval cones. They are made up of small
fragments of lava, which are blown into the air through a single vent.
When they cool down, they form rock around the vent. They grow
quickly, but are not usually very big. They are not usually
dangerous either.

Sunset Crater in Arizona, USA is a cinder cone.

What Types of Volcano Are There?

Shield Volcanoes
Shield volcanoes are bowl or shield-shaped in the middle. When they
erupt, the lava is quite runny and it travels long distances down the side
of the volcano before it cools down. This lava forms long, gentle slopes
that look like a warrior's shield, which is how they got their name.
These volcanoes do not often explode.

Shield Volcanoes like this one in Hawaii are common in this part of the world.

More Volcano Facts

What is the difference between
magma and lava?
Magma is liquid rock inside a
volcano. Lava is the name for
liquid rock that has flowed out of
a volcano. Lava takes a long time
to cool down as it is not a good
heat conductor. As a lava flow
cools down, it gets slower and
thicker.

What is a ‘pyroclastic flow’?
This is the most deadly of all
volcano activities.
It is a liquidised mixture of solid
and part-solid fragments and hot,
expanding gases.
They look like a snow avalanche
but are extremely hot and
contain poisonous gases. They
move at the speed of a hurricane.

Click on the word

in bold to find

out more!

Heat Conductor:

something which can
transfer heat from one

object to another.

What Is the Largest Active Volcano?

The largest, active volcano in the world is Mauna Loa in Hawaii. It is
13,677 feet above sea level. From its base below sea level to its summit,

Mauna Loa is taller than Mount Everest.

Mauna Loa

Multiple Choice

What is a cinder cone?

• It is magma that reaches Earth's surface.

• It is molten rock under the crust.

• It is built from particles and blobs of congealed lava ejected from a single vent.

Multiple Choice

What is vent?

• It is magma that reaches Earth's surface.

• It is any opening at the Earth's surface through which magma erupts or volcanic gases are emitted.

• It is built from particles and blobs of congealed lava ejected from a single vent.

Multiple Choice

Where is the RING OF FIRE located?

• Indian Ocean

• Pacific Ocean

• Atlantic Ocean

• Artic Ocean

Poll

Would you want to live near a volcano?

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

In a _______ eruption, lava erupts in a stream of low-viscosity lava, called a lava flow

• quiet

• explosive

Multiple Choice

Where do we tend to find volcanoes?

• In the ocean

• On the land

• Where tectonic plates meet

• Where one has erupted before

Multiple Choice

What is magma?

• Hot semifluid rock that becomes solid rock as it cools off.

• A mix of rocks, minerals, gases, and water from the mantle.

• A weak spot in Earth’s crust where magma can come to the surface.

• Hardened rock.

Multiple Choice

What is lava?

• A weak spot in Earth’s crust where magma can come to the surface.

• A mix of rocks, minerals, gases, and water from the mantle.

• Hot semifluid rock that becomes solid rock as it cools off.

• A really hot part of the mantle.

Multiple Choice

What typically erupts from explosive volcanoes?

• Pahoehoe

• Aa

• A pyroclastic flow

Explanation Slide...

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Volcanoes of the World

Mount St Helens

Mount St Helens is an active

volcano located in

Washington, USA in the
Cascade Mountain Range.

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Click on the numbers to reveal the facts.

On 18thMay 1980, it erupted and

killed 57 people and destroyed

lots of roads and homes.

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This was the first time

pyroclastic flows (the clouds
of hot gas, ash and rock) were

studied using new scientific

techniques.

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Mount St Helens is still
active, and is monitored
closely by geologists to

predict if it will erupt again.

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An earthquake triggered a
landslide, which caused a
sideways blast, sending

clouds of ash, gas and rock

speeding away from the

volcano.

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Mount Vesuvius, Naples, Italy

Mount Vesuvius has a very

famous history. Its base is 30
miles wide and it is estimated
to be around 17,000 years old.

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In 79AD, Vesuvius erupted for a
whole day. Thousands of people

were killed, and the city of

Pompeii was buried.

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In 1995, Vesuvius was made a

National Park. Visitors can

climb the mountain.

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Vesuvius has erupted over 50

times in the last 200 years. The

last time was in 1944 during

the Second World War.

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Volcanoes of the World

Over the years, archaeologists
have found bodies preserved
by the ash from the volcano
along with other items, such
as heating stoves and cooking

utensils.

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Mount Fuji, Japan

Mount Fuji is the highest

mountain in Japan. It is 3776m

high. It is on the island of Honshu,

about 100km from Tokyo.

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Over 100,000 people climb Mount

Fuji every year. It is the most
climbed mountain in the world.

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A forest named

Aokigahara lies at the

foot of the mountain and
is said to be haunted by

ghosts and goblins.

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The volcano is actually
three separate volcanoes
piled one on top of the

other with Fuji at the top.

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Volcanoes of the World

Mount Fuji last erupted in

1708. It has become a symbol
of the country and is featured

in lots of paintings.

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Popocatépetl, Mexico

Until it erupted in 1994,

Popocatépetl was

dormant for 50 years.

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Click on the numbers to reveal the facts.

It is nicknamed 'El Popo'. It has
erupted several times since 1994.

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It is considered one of the
world’s most dangerous

volcanoes. It last erupted in

January 2020.

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Flights over Mexico have

been cancelled several times
due to ash and steam being

produced by the volcano.

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Volcanoes of the World

Are There Volcanoes on Other Planets?

Earth is not the only planet to have volcanoes, although most of the

volcanoes on other planets are now extinct.

Mercury used to
have volcanoes
but when the

planet's interior

cooled down,
the volcanoes

died.

Mars has the
largest known
volcano called
Olympus Mons.
It is no longer
active and will
probably never

erupt again.

Io is one of

Jupiter's moons

and has

several active

volcanoes.

Triton is
Neptune's

largest moon.
Instead of lava,
the volcanoes on
Triton actually

release ice.

Glossary

Forged: to have made or shaped a metal object using a fire or furnace.

Molten: something made in to a liquid by heat.

Magma: hot fluid or semi-fluid below the earth's crust.

Friction: the resistance created when one surface rubs against another.

Heat conductor: something which can transfer heat from one object to
another.

Archaeologist: someone who studies history using evidence from fossils
and artefacts.