Describe and understand key aspects of: physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle
Resources: The handouts, pencils and coloured pencils.
Core Handout (2): The handout provides a space for the children to draw their volcano and label the diagram with the support of a word bank. Space is provided for the children to write a sentence about what a volcano is.
Challenge Handout (4): The handout provides space for the children to draw their volcano and label their diagram. Space is provided for the children to write about what a volcano is and how a volcanic eruption happens.
Ask the children to look at a map that shows the plate boundaries and then show the location of earthquakes that have been recorded. This will reinforce their knowledge that most earthquakes take place along the boundary lines. Then, ask the children to look at a map that shows where volcanoes are located. What do they notice? They should see that most volcanoes are also located along the plate boundaries.
The presentation will introduce the children to how volcanoes are formed and how they erupt. The children will learn that a volcano is an opening in the Earth’s surface. They will be introduced to the layers of the Earth: the crust, mantle, outer core and inner core, and that it is molten rock from the Earth’s mantle that can be seen in a volcanic eruption.
Ask the children to draw a diagram of a volcano, labelling the magma chamber, crater, lava, gas and ash. The children should further demonstrate their understanding by writing an explanation of what a volcano is.
Challenge Task: Ask the children to further explain how a volcanic eruption happens. Can they begin to understand how this might affect people’s lives?
As a class, discuss the dangers of volcanic eruptions for the people living nearby. The children may wonder why populations choose to live near volcanoes; however, volcanic environments can be good locations for farming as the soil from volcanic lava and ash is very fertile.
Volcanoes are openings in the Earth's surface where molten rock (magma), ash and gases escape during eruptions. They typically form at tectonic plate boundaries, where the Earth’s crust is weakest. As tectonic plates move, magma from the mantle is pushed upward, sometimes breaking through the surface and causing an eruption. Volcanoes also form at hotspots, areas where magma rises from deep within the Earth, like in Hawaii.
The Earth has four layers: the crust, mantle, outer core and inner core. Magma originates in the mantle, and volcanic activity is driven by heat from the core, which causes semi-molten rock to move. When enough pressure builds beneath the crust, magma forces its way to the surface, resulting in either an explosive eruption (thick magma traps gases) or an effusive eruption (thinner magma flows more freely).
Volcanoes are classified into three main categories: active, dormant, and extinct, based on their level of activity.
Active volcanoes are those that have erupted recently or show signs of potential future eruptions, such as gas emissions, seismic activity, or ground deformation. Examples include Kīlauea in Hawaii and Mount Etna in Italy. These volcanoes can erupt frequently or sporadically but remain geologically "alive."
Dormant volcanoes have not erupted in a long time but are still expected to erupt again in the future. They might show minimal signs of activity, but the potential for future eruptions remains. Dormant volcanoes, like Mount Fuji in Japan, are often seen as "sleeping" because they are not currently active but could awaken.
Extinct volcanoes are considered unlikely to erupt again due to the lack of a magma supply or tectonic activity. These volcanoes are geologically "dead". Over time, their structure can erode, leaving behind features like volcanic plugs. Edinburgh Castle in Scotland is built on an extinct volcano.
Volcanic eruptions can cause widespread destruction, including loss of life, damage to homes and changes to the landscape. Ash clouds can disrupt air travel and cause health problems, but volcanic ash can also enrich soil, making it more fertile for agriculture. Famous examples of volcanic eruptions include Mount Vesuvius, which buried Pompeii, and Mount St. Helens, which caused significant damage and scientific interest in the 1980s.