Kids as Airborne Mission Scientists
 

Volcanology

Related subject area: science

Overall problem: Are there active lava flows on the Kilauea volcano?

Relationship of problem in this lesson to overall problem: The overall problem of KaAMS is: Where are the active lava flows on Kilauea? During this lesson students will develop an understanding of background knowledge about volcanology while identifying what data to collect to determine where active lava flows are in Kilauea. Embedded problems include: How does lava flow? What does vegetation growth have to do with the activity of a volcano? How can the activity of a volcano be sensed?

Estimated time required: Two to Three class periods.

Student outcomes/objectives:

  • Describe the difference between active, dormant, and extinct volcanoes.
  • Describe the different types of eruptions and lava flows.
  • Describe the implications of vegetation growth around volcanoes.
  • Describe an approach to investigating whether or not a volcano is active:
    • What features will you investigate?
    • How can aircraft and remote sensing instruments be used to determine if volcanoes are currently erupting?

Prerequisite skills or knowledge:

  • Basic internet skills
  • Basic reading skills
  • Basic team work
  • Basic presentation skills

Teacher preparation:

  • Print Student Journal / Activity sheets for these activities.
  • Secure internet computers and projection equipment
  • Bookmark websites for initial presentation and discussion of natural disasters.
  • Bookmark student website on student machine. If not available, print and copy student problem scenario website.
  • Collect materials necessary for students to create volcano models.

Student reflection and assessment: Student reflection activities |  Assessment

Education standards supported by this lesson:

National Science Education Standards | Project 2061 Benchmarks

National Standards for School Mathematics | National Technology Standards | National Geography Standards

Cross-curricular connections to support National Education Standards for this lesson:

math | technology | geography

   
Teacher activities
 
Student activities
FRAME the lesson.

Involve students in the demonstration and initial discussion of how volcanoes develop and exist in the world.

Show students pictures of volcanic eruptions and ask them what is going on in the pictures, focus on characteristics of magma flowing inside and lava flowing outside of a volcano:

Prompt students to draw a picture of volcano model on Activity sheet: Volcano model (V-1).

OR

Prepare one of the volcano models in advance, and begin the lesson by demonstrating the models and having students observe and generate questions and ideas about how volcanoes work.

Teacher resources:

 

Student activity:

  • Students observe and participate in initial discussion of volcanoes.

 

 

 

Student activity:

 
INFORM students of important content or activity instructions:

Prompt students to develop background knowledge of how volcanoes develop and exist in the world.

Ask

  • What is an active volcano?
  • How do you know? 
  • In what other ways can scientists explore volcanoes to determine if there are active lava flows? Why is this important?

Describe to students that they will be building a variety of models to demonstrate what volcanoes are and how they work in nature, and conducting research to understand how volcanoes work and how they can be explored by scientists. They will also be developing either a more detailed model of a volcano that illustrates all of the concepts listed below, a presentation on volcanoes, or a report about volcanology. Topics might included:

  • Descriptions, illustrations, pictures, or demonstrations of volcano types, eruption types, lava types, lava layers, lava flow shapes, and vegetation - re-vegetation
  • Descriptions, illustrations, pictures, or demonstrations of how volcanoes are explored by scientists
   

 

 

 

Sample student responses:

  • An active volcano is one that has erupted recently. 
  • Active volcanoes can be watched by visual observations or sensed by gases or heat.
  • Scientist use many different kinds of tools including instruments that detect and record earthquakes, instruments that measure ground deformation, instruments that detect and measure volcanic gases, instruments that determine how much lava is moving underground, video and still cameras, and infrared cameras and cameras that work remotely.

 

 
EXPLORE information about volcanoes by building models of a volcano demonstrating how to determine if it is active, i.e., visible active lava flows and/or underground lava tubes, sensing temperature around volcanoes. Students also explore lava layering and lava flows.

Break students into small groups and assign each group to a different activity on volcanoes.

  • Each team builds their model and then explains to the other student teams how the activity and functioning of their model compares to that of real volcanoes.
  • Team members work to build and investigate the model and review background information on volcanoes.

Circulate around to the groups and randomly ask prompting questions about definitions, features, and activity indicators of volcanoes.

  • What happened when you injected the red dye into the gelatin?
  • What does this mean about lava flow in a volcano? 
  • How do you think scientists determine whether there is active lava or magma?   

 

Debrief research activity and ask students to think about the following questions and to complete Activity sheet: Volcano research project (V-2).

  • What is the difference between active, dormant, and extinct volcanoes?
  • How do you think scientists determine whether volcanoes are active?   
  • What are the different types of volcanic eruptions? Describe each.
  • What is lava and its characteristics?
  • How can you tell the difference between old lava flows and new lava flows? 
  • Why would vegetation around a volcano be important?

Teacher background:

 

 

 

 

 

Student activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sample student responses: 

  • The red color spread through out the jello in different veins, when a lot of pressure was used to push the dye into the jello it broke part of the volcano away.
  • Active volcanoes can have active chambers of magma underground, lava evident above ground, or both. 
  • Physical observation, sensing of heat, gases, etc.

Student activity:
 
TRY using new knowledge, each group presents their current understanding of the volcanoes based on their models and the entire class then brainstorms ideas on how to tell if the volcano in the problem scenario is active - suggesting aeronautic remote sensing as a investigative tool.

Facilitate each group's presentation on their model "How do we know when a volcano is active?"

Class generates a list of the key attributes of an active volcano including lava flows and heat generation.

Ask each group to generate a plan for investigating if Kilauea volcano has active lava flows - using aeronautics remote sensing, i.e., how would aeronautics scientists, remote sensing scientists, and volcanologists work together to determine if the Kilauea volcano currently has active lava flows and complete Activity sheet: My understanding of volcanoes (V-3).

Teacher note: The "generating a plan for investigating Kilauea volcano" activity and accompanying activity sheet are dependent upon students completing the "What is Airborne Remote Sensing" and "What are Airborne Mission Scientists and What do they do" activities. If you have not conducted those lesson plans you may choose not to complete this part of the
lesson plan or you may want to modify this activity by conducting a brief discussion about remote sensing and how different types of scientists collaborate on investigations. See the "What is Airborne Remote Sensing" and "What are Airborne Mission Scientists and What to they do" lesson plans for more information.

Remind students to complete the Activity sheet: Reflection page (V-4) for this lesson in their student journals.

    

 

 

 

Student activity:

  • Students present their volcano models to the class demonstrating their understanding of  "How do we know if a volcano is active ?"

  • Students think about scientific approaches for investigating the volcano in the KaAMS problem and record their understanding of volcanoes Activity sheet: My understanding of volcanoes (V-3).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student activity:

  • Students complete the Activity sheet: Reflection page (V-4) for this lesson in their student journals.
 
     
Student reflection activities:
  • Prompt students to think about how the characteristics of a volcano can be investigated using aircraft and remotes sensing instruments.
  • Prompt students to record the questions they have, the information they know, the information they think they know about volcanoes, and ideas for further investigating the problem in their reflective journal.

Assessment:

  • Students have identified the key characteristics of volcanoes, including:
    • Definition of active, dormant, and extinct
    • Models that demonstrate how volcanoes work, lava above and magma underground
    • List of data that can be collected about volcanoes including, heat/temperature readings, gas levels, etc.
  • Students demonstrate their understanding of how aircraft and remote sensing instruments can be used to investigate volcanoes.

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Ideas for math lesson connections:

  • Students calculate and perimeter and area of the craters of famous volcanoes. Then they create a graphical representation of their calculations to aid in analysis to look for trends or relationships.
  • Students practice metric-metric and metric-British conversions on the dimensions of volcanoes.

Related National Education Math Standards:

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Ideas for geography lesson connections:

  • Students identify the latitude and longitude of volcanoes of interest

  • Students study the formation of volcanic islands.

  • Students use maps and draw concentric circles of appropriate radius around volcano locations and estimate the population contained within each circle. Students can then brainstorm which populations might need to be included in an eruption emergency evacuation plan.

Related National Education Geography Standards:

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Ideas for technology lesson connections:

  • Students learn to use database software to develop database of active, dormant, extinct volcanoes around the country or world

  • Students complete strategic searches to find volcano information.

  • Student learn to use html or web page development software to create website of their understanding of volcanoes

  • Students use email to ask volcanologist questions about volcanoes

Related National Education Science Technology Standards:

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Activity sheet: Volcano model (V-1) answer key

Name: ________________________________________

 1. Draw a picture of your volcano model and describe the process of volcanic eruption.

An example picture of a shield volcano -
Note: There are numerous correct answers that students could draw. At this point, the aim of this activity is to motivate students to think about the volcano model they will build during this lesson. 

 

<reference: http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/volcanoes/vtypesvolcan1.html>

By the expansion of gas, gas is dissolved in magma when the magma is deep within the Earth. As the magma rises, the pressure drops and the gas starts to form bubbles. As the magma rises higher and higher, the bubbles get bigger and bigger. When the magma reaches the surface, the bubbles expand rapidly and a volcanic eruption happens. For example, shield volcanoes are the largest volcanoes on earth that actually look like volcanoes. The Hawaiian shield volcanoes are the most famous examples. <reference: http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/frequent_questions/grp12/question3587.html>

2. What does this model demonstrate about real volcanoes?

The real volcanoes may be different from this model. However, this model demonstrates my present understanding about what volcanoes are and how they work. Based on this model, I can investigate the real volcano model. 

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Activity sheet: Volcano research project (V-2) answer key

 Name: ________________________________________

Research volcanology science and create a project on volcanoes that answers the following questions: Be sure to get teacher approval for your group's project before you begin!

 Volcanoes

 1. What is the difference between active, dormant, and extinct volcanoes?

An active volcano is one that has erupted recently or volcanologists see the possibility of an eruption soon. A dormant or sleeping volcano is a volcano that has been quiet for a long time, but still has signs it may erupt again. An extinct volcano is one that has not erupted for thousands of years. Sometimes it is hard to tell if a volcano is dormant or extinct. They will be listed as dormant until volcanologists are sure there will no more eruptions.

 2. How do you think scientists determine whether volcanoes are active?   

Observation, collect information on lava, heat, radiation, gases, etc.

3. What are the different types of volcanic eruptions? Describe each.

    Volcanoes erupt in many different ways, from big to small, long-lasting to quick, explosive to non-explosive. There have been various attempts made to classify volcanic eruptions. Different types of volcanic eruptions include Hawaiian, Strombolian, Plinian, Vulcanian and phreatomagmatic. The following classification scheme may be suggested for volcano eruptions although it is less than satisfactory because there are no clear distinctions between the different classifications.

The old classification of volcanic eruptions 

(slightly adapted from the book "Volcanoes" by Gordon Macdonald, 1972, Prentice Hall Inc.)

Name Nature of magma Explosive character Flow character
Hawaiian fluid weak ejection of very fluid blebs, lava fountains thin, often extensive flows of fluid lava
Strombolian moderately fluid weak to violent ejection of pasty fluid blebs thicker, less extensive flows of moderately fluid lava; flows may be absent
Vulcanian viscous moderate to violent ejection of solid or very viscous hot fragments of new lava flows commonly absent, when present, they are thick and stubby
Peleean viscous like Vulcanian, commonly with Pyroclastic flows domes and/or short, very thick flows; may be absent
Plinian viscous paroxysmal ejection of large volumes of ash usually no flows

 Lava

1. What is lava and what are its characteristics?

Lava is the magma that has reached the surface through a volcanic eruption. The term is most commonly applied to streams of liquid rock that flow from a crater or fissure. It also refers to cooled and solidified rock.

2. How can you tell the difference between old lava flows and new lava flows?

We can tell the differences by the color of lava. The color of lava depends on its temperature. It starts out bright orange (1000-1150 C). As it cools the color changes to bright red (800-1000 C), then to dark red (650-800 C), and to brownish red (500-650 C). Solid lava is black. Therefore, the old lava has more black and the new lava more bright red. 

3.  Why would vegetation around a volcano be important? 

Vegetation tells us whether there has been time since for plants to grow the last eruption. If the whole volcanic area is vegetated then we will  think that the area is not very active. If on the other hand we see lots of areas that are not vegetated but instead are barren lava then we will think that the area has frequent eruptions. 

 

Volcanology vocabulary: Define each of these terms in your presentation.

Active volcano: A volcano that is erupting. Also, a volcano that is not presently erupting, but that has erupted within historical time and is considered likely to do so in the future.

Dormant volcano: Literally, "sleeping." The term is used to describe a volcano that is presently inactive but that may erupt again. Most of the major Cascade volcanoes are believed to be dormant rather than extinct.

Extinct volcano: A volcano that is not presently erupting and is not likely to do so for a very long time in the future

Magma: Molten rock beneath the surface of the earth.

Lava: Magma that has reached the surface through a volcanic eruption. The term is most commonly applied to streams of liquid rock that flow from a crater or fissure. It also refers to cooled and solidified rock.

Lava flow: An outpouring of lava onto the land surface from a vent or fissure. Also, a solidified tongue like or sheet-like body formed by outpouring lava.

Eruption: The process by which solid, liquid, and gaseous materials are ejected into the earth's atmosphere and onto the earth's surface by volcanic activity. Eruptions range from the quiet overflow of liquid rock to the tremendously violent expulsion.

Re-vegetation: Re-vegetation means the re-establishment of plants after an eruptive event. Climate may influence the process of re-vegetation. Warm, wet climates promote rapid plant growth and cool dry climates hinder it (warm cool and cool wet are intermediate). Therefore, if we have some knowledge of the climate this will give us an idea about how long it has been since the most recent eruption.

    

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Activity sheet: My understanding of volcanoes (V-3) answer key

 Name: ________________________________________

 

1. Is an ongoing eruption the only way to tell if a volcano is active? Are visible lava and gases the only signs of an active volcano?

  • No. There might be other ways to tell active lava flows 

2. What do we need to know about this volcano to determine if it is active?   How can we do to get the information we need?

  • Visual observation, information on lava, heat, radiation, gases, etc. remote sensing images from infrared camera or camera.  

3. How can remote sensing instruments help determine if a volcano has active lava flows?

  • We can sense the active lava flows without going there.

4. What role do aircraft have in collecting remote sensing images?

  • The aircraft can fly over Kilauea in order to get remote sensing images.

5. How would aeronautics scientists, remote sensing scientists, and volcanologists work together to determine if the Kilauea volcano currently has active lava flows?

  • They can work collaboratively to determine where active lava flows are. Aeronautics scientists provide the information for flying over Kilauea, remote sensing scientists provide the information about infrared cameras and cameras that work remotely for investigating active lava flows, and volcanologists provide ground information on Kilauea volcano etc. 

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