Volcanoes
Introduction A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the surface of the earth. A volcano is a vent in the Earth from which molten rock (magma) and gas erupt. The molten rock that erupts from the volcano (lava) forms a hill or mountain around the vent. All volcanic eruptions are not alike. Some eruptions, are quiet, with lava slowly oozing from a vent. Other eruptions are very violent, with lava and other materials being hurled hundreds of miles into the air. Gases from within the earth's interior mix with huge quantities of dust and ash and rise into the air as great dark clouds that can be seen from many kilometers away. Some dark colored lava is thin and runny, and tends to flow.
Guided Questions 1. What is a volcano? 2. Name three types of volcanoes. 3. Name the four major types of lava flows. 4. Name the seven types of eruptions. 5. How are the types of eruptions classified? 6. Name three major eruptions and give their location and date of eruption. 7. What are plate tectonics? 8. What is continental drift? 9. What is the "Ring of Fire"?
The Big Question -Your challenge is to understand the history of volcanoes and how volcanoes are formed. Your task is to answer the question how are volcanoes an important part of constructing the world?	Cross section of a volcanic eruption shows the major components of a volcano.
Web Resources
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/Home.html http://www.indianchild.com/volcanoes.htm http://www.crystalinks.com/rof.html http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/interior/volcanos_general.html	http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/interior/how_plates_move.html&edu=elem http://kids.discovery.com/games/pompeii/pompeii.html http://library.thinkquest.org/17457/english.html http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/glossary.html