Volcano Facts Fun Volcano Facts: • a Volcano Is an Opening (Usually in A

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Volcano Facts Fun Volcano Facts: • a Volcano Is an Opening (Usually in A Fun Volcano Facts: • A volcano is an opening (usually in a mountain) in the Earth’s surface from which gas, hot magma and ash can escape. • The word volcano comes from the Roman name “Vulcan” – the Roman god of fire. • The hot liquid rock inside a volcano is called magma, but once it leaves the volcano, it’s called lava. • Volcanic eruptions can send ash over 17 miles into the air above the Earth’s surface. • Most volcanoes are located above where tectonic plates meet. This is especially true for the Pacific Ring of Fire, located in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. There you can find 452 volcanoes, over 75% the world’s active and dormant volcanoes. • Most volcanoes form near tectonic boundaries, but they can also form in areas that contain abnormally hot rock inside the Earth. Known as mantle plumes, these hotspots are found at a number of locations around the globe. Facts about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the preservation of Pompeii: • One of the most noted natural disasters in the world was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 A.D. It sent a cloud of ashes, pumice, rocks and hot volcanic gases into the sky that people could see for hundreds of miles. • The large amount of ash (known as a pyroclastic flow) that covered the city acted as a preservative. During a pyroclastic flow, enormous volumes of extremely hot gases, ash, and rocks rush down the side of a volcano, like an avalanche; there are also big explosions and large, billowing clouds. This mixture of ash, rock and gas, covered the city and froze it in time. • Ironically, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., happened just one day after VULCANALIA, the festival of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, for whom volcanoes are named. • Archeologists set out to excavate the city from the ashes that surrounded it in 1748. • Mount Vesuvius is still active today. It has produced some of the continent’s largest volcanic eruptions. Located on Italy’s west coast, it overlooks the Bay and City of Naples. Volcano Facts .
Recommended publications
  • North America Other Continents
    Arctic Ocean Europe North Asia America Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean Africa Pacific Ocean South Indian America Ocean Oceania Southern Ocean Antarctica LAND & WATER • The surface of the Earth is covered by approximately 71% water and 29% land. • It contains 7 continents and 5 oceans. Land Water EARTH’S HEMISPHERES • The planet Earth can be divided into four different sections or hemispheres. The Equator is an imaginary horizontal line (latitude) that divides the earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres, while the Prime Meridian is the imaginary vertical line (longitude) that divides the earth into the Eastern and Western hemispheres. • North America, Earth’s 3rd largest continent, includes 23 countries. It contains Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, the United States of America, all Caribbean and Central America countries, as well as Greenland, which is the world’s largest island. North West East LOCATION South • The continent of North America is located in both the Northern and Western hemispheres. It is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean in the north, by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and by the Pacific Ocean in the west. • It measures 24,256,000 sq. km and takes up a little more than 16% of the land on Earth. North America 16% Other Continents 84% • North America has an approximate population of almost 529 million people, which is about 8% of the World’s total population. 92% 8% North America Other Continents • The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of Earth’s Oceans. It covers about 15% of the Earth’s total surface area and approximately 21% of its water surface area.
    [Show full text]
  • Stromboli Mount Fuji Ojos Del Salado Mauna Loa Mount Vesuvius Mount
    Volcanoes Top Cards Volcanoes Top Cards Volcanoes Top Cards Volcanoes Top Cards Stromboli Mount Fuji Ojos del Salado Mauna Loa Italy Japan Argentina-Chile Border Hawaii Height Height Height Height Eruption Cycle Eruption Cycle Eruption Cycle Eruption Cycle Erupting continuously Last Erupted Last Erupted Last Erupted Last Erupted for hundreds of thousands of years Fact: This volcano is the highest Fact: Nevados Ojos del Salado is the Fact: Mauna Loa is one of the five Fact: This volcano has been erupting volcano and highest peak in world’s highest active volcano. volcanoes that form the Island of for at least 2000 years. Japan and considered one of the 3 Hawaii in the U.S state of Hawaii in holy mountains. the Pacific Ocean. twinkl.com twinkl.com twinkl.com twinkl.com Volcanoes Top Cards Volcanoes Top Cards Volcanoes Top Cards Volcanoes Top Cards Mount Vesuvius Mount Pinatubo Krakatoa Mount St. Helens Italy Philippines Indonesia United States Height Height Height Height Eruption Cycle Eruption Cycle Eruption Cycle Eruption Cycle Last Erupted Last Erupted Last Erupted Last Erupted Fact: The most famous eruption Fact: Mount Pinatubo’s eruption Fact: The famous eruption of 1883 Fact: The deadliest volcanic eruption happened in 79 AD. Mount Vesuvius on 15th June 1991 was one of the generated the loudest sound ever caused by this volcano was on erupted continuously for over a day, largest volcanic eruptions of the reported in history. It was heard as May 18, 1980, destroying 250 completely burying the nearby city 20th Century. far away as Perth, Australia (around homes and 200 miles of highway.
    [Show full text]
  • Countries and Continents of the World: a Visual Model
    Countries and Continents of the World http://geology.com/world/world-map-clickable.gif By STF Members at The Crossroads School Africa Second largest continent on earth (30,065,000 Sq. Km) Most countries of any other continent Home to The Sahara, the largest desert in the world and The Nile, the longest river in the world The Sahara: covers 4,619,260 km2 The Nile: 6695 kilometers long There are over 1000 languages spoken in Africa http://www.ecdc-cari.org/countries/Africa_Map.gif North America Third largest continent on earth (24,256,000 Sq. Km) Composed of 23 countries Most North Americans speak French, Spanish, and English Only continent that has every kind of climate http://www.freeusandworldmaps.com/html/WorldRegions/WorldRegions.html Asia Largest continent in size and population (44,579,000 Sq. Km) Contains 47 countries Contains the world’s largest country, Russia, and the most populous country, China The Great Wall of China is the only man made structure that can be seen from space Home to Mt. Everest (on the border of Tibet and Nepal), the highest point on earth Mt. Everest is 29,028 ft. (8,848 m) tall http://craigwsmall.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/asia/ Europe Second smallest continent in the world (9,938,000 Sq. Km) Home to the smallest country (Vatican City State) There are no deserts in Europe Contains mineral resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, copper, lead, and tin http://www.knowledgerush.com/wiki_image/b/bf/Europe-large.png Oceania/Australia Smallest continent on earth (7,687,000 Sq.
    [Show full text]
  • Mount Vesuvius Is Located on the Gulf of Naples, in Italy
    Mount Vesuvius is located on the Gulf of Naples, in Italy. It is close to the coast and lies around 9km from the city of Naples. Despite being the only active volcano on mainland Europe, and one of the most dangerous volcanoes, almost 3 million people live in the immediate area. Did you know..? Mount Vesuvius last erupted in 1944. Photo courtesy of Ross Elliot(@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution Mount Vesuvius is one of a number of volcanoes that form the Campanian volcanic arc. This is a series of volcanoes that are active, dormant or extinct. Vesuvius Campi Flegrei Stromboli Mount Vesuvius is actually a Vulcano Panarea volcano within a volcano. Mount Etna Somma is the remain of a large Campi Flegrei del volcano, out of which Mount Mar di Sicilia Vesuvius has grown. Did you know..? Mount Vesuvius is 1,281m high. Mount Etna is another volcano in the Campanian arc. It is Europe’s most active volcano. Mount Vesuvius last erupted in 1944. This was during the Second World War and the eruption caused great problems for the newly arrived Allied forces. Aircraft were destroyed, an airbase was evacuated and 26 people died. Three villages were also destroyed. 1944 was the last recorded eruption but scientists continue to monitor activity as Mount Vesuvius is especially dangerous. Did you know..? During the 1944 eruption, the lava flow stopped at the steps of the local church in the village of San Giorgio a Cremano. The villagers call this a miracle! Photo courtesy of National Museum of the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Geography Notes.Pdf
    THE GLOBE What is a globe? a small model of the Earth Parts of a globe: equator - the line on the globe halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole poles - the northern-most and southern-most points on the Earth 1. North Pole 2. South Pole hemispheres - half of the earth, divided by the equator (North & South) and the prime meridian (East and West) 1. Northern Hemisphere 2. Southern Hemisphere 3. Eastern Hemisphere 4. Western Hemisphere continents - the largest land areas on Earth 1. North America 2. South America 3. Europe 4. Asia 5. Africa 6. Australia 7. Antarctica oceans - the largest water areas on Earth 1. Atlantic Ocean 2. Pacific Ocean 3. Indian Ocean 4. Arctic Ocean 5. Antarctic Ocean WORLD MAP ** NOTE: Our textbooks call the “Southern Ocean” the “Antarctic Ocean” ** North America The three major countries of North America are: 1. Canada 2. United States 3. Mexico Where Do We Live? We live in the Western & Northern Hemispheres. We live on the continent of North America. The other 2 large countries on this continent are Canada and Mexico. The name of our country is the United States. There are 50 states in it, but when it first became a country, there were only 13 states. The name of our state is New York. Its capital city is Albany. GEOGRAPHY STUDY GUIDE You will need to know: VOCABULARY: equator globe hemisphere continent ocean compass WORLD MAP - be able to label 7 continents and 5 oceans 3 Large Countries of North America 1. United States 2. Canada 3.
    [Show full text]
  • T2-H-5271-Pompeii-Photo-Information-Powerpoint Ver 1.Pdf
    This colonnade forms part of the forum. The forum was a public square which would have been used for meetings, criminal trials, public speeches, and markets. Colonnade Many streets remain in Pompeii. Here you can see cobbled streets with pavements on each side. In the distance is Mount Vesuvius – the volcano that destroyed Pompeii. Street In ancient Pompeii, there were many types of entertainment. One popular pastime was the theatre where people went to watch plays. This theatre had space for 1,000 spectators. Odeon – small theatre The Romans worshipped many gods. This temple is dedicated to Apollo, the god of music, and was built on a high platform to make it look more impressive. Temple of Apollo The House of the Vettii was one of the most impressive and richly decorated houses in Pompeii. It was named after the owners, Aulus Vettius Conviva and Aulus Vettius Restitutus. House of the Vettii The Romans use mosaics to decorate wealthy houses and public buildings. Each mosaic used thousands of tesserae (small pieces of tile or stone) to create a picture or pattern. Mosaic Another popular way of decorating rooms was with wall paintings (frescoes). This one, in the Casa del Menandro (House of Menander) shows a hunting party. Can you see the dogs and the man with a bow and arrow? Paintings in Casa del Menandro Myths and legends were a common source of inspiration for Roman artists. This painting depicts Narcissus who was so beautiful that he fell in love with his own reflection. Painting of Narcissus Archaeologists at Pompeii have found so many artefacts, it is not possible to have them all on display at once.
    [Show full text]
  • Educators Guide
    EDUCATORS GUIDE 02 | Supervolcanoes Volcanism is one of the most creative and destructive processes on our planet. It can build huge mountain ranges, create islands rising from the ocean, and produce some of the most fertile soil on the planet. It can also destroy forests, obliterate buildings, and cause mass extinctions on a global scale. To understand volcanoes one must first understand the theory of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics, while generally accepted by the geologic community, is a relatively new theory devised in the late 1960’s. Plate tectonics and seafloor spreading are what geologists use to interpret the features and movements of Earth’s surface. According to plate tectonics, Earth’s surface, or crust, is made up of a patchwork of about a dozen large plates and many smaller plates that move relative to one another at speeds ranging from less than one to ten centimeters per year. These plates can move away from each other, collide into each other, slide past each other, or even be forced beneath each other. These “subduction zones” are generally where the most earthquakes and volcanoes occur. Yellowstone Magma Plume (left) and Toba Eruption (cover page) from Supervolcanoes. 01 | Supervolcanoes National Next Generation Science Standards Content Standards - Middle School Content Standards - High School MS-ESS2-a. Use plate tectonic models to support the HS-ESS2-a explanation that, due to convection, matter Use Earth system models to support cycles between Earth’s surface and deep explanations of how Earth’s internal and mantle. surface processes operate concurrently at different spatial and temporal scales to MS-ESS2-e form landscapes and seafloor features.
    [Show full text]
  • Travel Through the History of Mount Vesuvius
    Travel Through the History of Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius is one of the most well-known active volcanoes on the planet, and by far the most famous in Europe. It is about 30 thousand years old, but its most famous eruption impacted human history forever at Pompeii. Since then, it has been grumbling in Italy near Naples for about two thousand years. The results of the famous eruption froze an entire city, a beautiful time-capsule of an early Roman society, has encouraged travel to tourists and historians from all over the globe. Mount Vesuvius Despite its age, Vesuvius is still regarded as an active volcano. It is intensely monitored for activity, as about 3 million people live within range of its eruptions. Volcanoes are created due to irregularities in heat from the earth's mantle. Melting and cracking ensues and bubbles up from the surface. Vesuvius is classified as a stratovolcano, also known as a composite cone, similar to other famous volcanoes such as Mount Fuji in Japan and Mount Saint Helens in the United States. Statovolcanoes are dangerous due to their highly variable content, and eruptive style. Plinian eruptions, which Mount Vesuvius has produced, result in plumes of ash ascending up into the stratosphere, high above the earth's surface. Mount Vesuvius can produce both eruptions of ash and pyroclastic flows, making it unique. Even though all of this can be dangerous to humans, volcanoes like Vesuvius are important in the lifecycles of rocks on Earth. • Mount Vesuvius Image from Space • How Volcanoes Work � Stratovolcanoes • Volcanic Landforms and Plate Tectonics • Teacher and Lesson Resources for Vesuvius Pompeii On August 24, 79 CE., an individual nicknamed Pliny the Younger, or Caius Plinius, witnessed the horrible eruption that swept through Pompeii and Herculaneum in a letter to Cornelius Tacitus.
    [Show full text]
  • Structure of the Mount Vesuvius Volcano from Geophysical Exploration
    International Workshop on High Energy Earth Science: Muon and Neutrino Radiography (June 26-27, 2008, Tokyo, JAPAN) Structure of the Mount Vesuvius volcano from geophysical exploration M. Vassallo1,2; A. Zollo1; G. Festa1; C. Satriano2; L. D’Auria3; P. Gasparini1,2 and P. Strolin1 1 Dip. Scienze Fisiche, Università di Napoli Federico II, Italy 2 AMRA S.c.a.r.l., Napoli, Italy 3 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Vesuviano, Napoli, Italy Mt. Vesuvius is a strato volcano near a densely populated area and only a few km southeast of Campi Flegrei, the active calderas on which the city of Napoli has been built. It is composed of a volcanic cone (Gran Cono) that was built within a summit caldera (Mount Somma). The Somma-Vesuvius complex has formed over the last 25,000 years by means of a sequence of eruptions of variable explosiveness, ranging from the quiet lava outpourings that characterized much of the latest activity (for example, from 1881 to 1899 and from 1926 to 1930) to the explosive Plinian eruptions, including the one that destroyed Pompeii and killed thousands of people in 79 A.D. It experienced at least three violent explosive eruptions in historical times (79, 472, and 1631 A.D.). More frequent, less explosive eruptions have occurred from 1631 to 1944. Mt. Vesuvius is presently in a quiescent state, characterized by low-temperature fumaroles (less than 100°C) and moderate seismic activity (about 100 earthquakes per year with magnitudes between 0.5 and 3.6), and it is difficult to predict when it may erupt explosively again.
    [Show full text]
  • THE FORGOTTEN CONTINENT Fossil Finds in China Are Challenging Ideas About the Evolution of Modern Humans and Our Closest Relatives
    NEWS FEATURE THE FORGOTTEN CONTINENT Fossil finds in China are challenging ideas about the evolution of modern humans and our closest relatives. n the outskirts of Beijing, a small BY JANE QIU government is setting up a US$1.1-million limestone mountain named Dragon laboratory at the IVPP to extract and sequence Bone Hill rises above the surround- spread around the globe — and relegated Asia ancient DNA. Oing sprawl. Along the northern side, a path to a kind of evolutionary cul-de-sac. The investment comes at a time when palaeo- leads up to some fenced-off caves that draw But the tale of Peking Man has haunted anthropologists across the globe are starting to DEAGOSTINI/GETTY 150,000 visitors each year, from schoolchildren generations of Chinese researchers, who have pay more attention to Asian fossils and how to grey-haired pensioners. It was here, in 1929, struggled to understand its relationship to they relate to other early hominins — creatures that researchers discovered a nearly complete modern humans. “It’s a story without an end- that are more closely related to humans than ancient skull that they determined was roughly ing,” says Wu Xinzhi, a palaeontologist at the to chimps. Finds in China and other parts of half a million years old. Dubbed Peking Man, Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Ver- Asia have made it clear that a dazzling variety of it was among the earliest human remains ever tebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology Homo species once roamed the continent. And uncovered, and it helped to convince many (IVPP) in Beijing.
    [Show full text]
  • Mount Etna Kilauea
    Mount Etna Location: Sicily, Italy Height: 3,329 m (10,922 ft) Formed: 500,000 years ago Status: Active Mount Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe, and the 59th tallest volcano in the world. It is also one of the most active volcanoes in the world, in an almost constant state of volcanic activity. This is due to the fact that it sits on top of the convergent boundary between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates. Throughout its history the eruptions of Mt. Etna have alternated between explosive, violent eruptions and flowing, gentle eruptions. There have been several major eruptions of Mt. Etna, leading to the formation of calderas on the summit of the mountain. Between 35,000 and 15,000 years ago, Mt. Etna released large pyroclastic flows, some of which traveled as far as 800 km from the volcano. In the last 100 years, there have been several major eruptions. These occurred in 1928, 1949, 1971, 1981, 1983, 1991, 1993, every year from 2001-2005, every year from 2007-2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, and most recently on December 3, 2015. Although Etna’s eruptions have been known to be violent and destructive, it has only claimed 77 lives in recorded history, and most of the damage it causes is to property and structures. In fact, most citizens that live near Mt. Etna consider it be a blessing, as its volcanic soils are rich and good for farming. Mt. Etna is closely monitored and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy. Kilauea Location: Hawaii, U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fury of Vesuvius Pompeii and Herculaneum
    The Fury of Vesuvius Pompeii and Herculaneum . Pompeii Lost . Herculaneum Burned . Trapped in Stabiae . Ash Covers Misenum . Exploring Modern Pompeii Written by Marian Vermeulen This free Book is offered to you by Timetravelrome - a Mobile App that finds and describes every significant ancient Roman city, fortress, theatre, or sanctuary in Europe, Middle East as well as across North Africa. www.timetravelrome.com 2 Part I TimeTravelRome || The Fury of Vesuvius Part I : Pompeii Lost Pompeii Lost Pompeii was one of the Roman cities that enjoyed the volcanic soils of Campania, the region surrounding Vesuvius. Pliny the Elder once called the area one of the loveliest places on earth. Vesuvius had not erupted since the Bronze Age, and the Romans believed that the volcano was dead. Although occasional earthquakes rocked the area, the most violent being in 62 or 63 A.D., the inhabitants did not connect the vibrations to the long silent mountain. On October 24th, 79 A.D.,* catastrophe struck, and Pompeii was lost to the fury of Vesuvius. The poignant stories of the people of Pompeii are heartbreaking, and sometimes difficult to read, but must be told. Eruption During the summer of 79 A.D., the fires built beneath the mountain. Small tremors increased to the point of becoming a normal part of life. The shifting of the earth cut off Pompeii’s water supply, and the volcano rumbled and growled. The citizens of Pompeii spent a sleepless night on the 23rd of October, as the shocks grew frequent and violent. When morning dawned, they rose to begin their day as usual.
    [Show full text]