p. 470 Volcanic Activity on Earth
Volcano
World
Visit this site by the University of North Dakota for all the
information you might want to know about volcanoes and volcanic activity
on Earth. This comprehensive site is the premier source of information
about volcanoes on the Internet; just about every other site sends you
to this site. The site lists volcanoes by name and by location, and
provides information on current eruptions as well. Spend some time exploring
this site to learn about magma, lava, the anatomy of volcanoes, and
types of volcanoes.
Cascades
Volcano Observatory
At this United States Geological Survey (USGS) site you can
learn all about the volcanoes of the western United States, specifically
the Cascade Range of Washington, Oregon, and northern California. Staff
at the observatory assess the potential for volcanic activity in the
area, and provide information to protect people and mitigate the effects
of any volcanic activity. This is one of three observatories that provide
information on volcanic activity in the United States; the other two
are in Hawaii and Alaska. Scroll down and click on Volcanoes to learn
about specific volcanoes of the world. Volcanoes are listed alphabetically.
Scroll down to M and click on Mount St. Helens. Then scroll down and
click on VolcanoCam to see current photos of this volcano.
VolcanoCams
Around the World
Go to this USGS site to see live (or recent) views of volcanoes
from around the world. You can see photos from the United States, Italy,
Japan, Central America, Mexico, Montserrat, Nepal, and New Zealand.
Click on Mount Fiji to see live views of this Japanese volcano. Remember
that Japan is halfway around the world, so if you visit this site in
the daytime, it will be night in Japan and you won't be able to see
very much!
Earth’s
Active Volcanoes
At this Michigan Technological University site you can find
a great map showing the locations of active volcanoes on Earth’s surface.
Scroll down and choose a region to study. For example, you could scroll
down to region 6 and click on More Recent data on Popocatepetl, a volcano
in Mexico, to see photos, evacuation routes, and reports on this volcano’s
activity.
About
Lava
Go to this Volcano World site to learn about magma and lava.
The magma that erupts from volcanoes may be one of four basic types:
basalt, andesite, dacite, or rhyolite. The type of magma determines
whether the eruption is quiet or explosive. Which type of magma is the
most explosive? Why?
Calculating
Viscosity
If you are interested in lava, you might want to try this exercise
in which you use a formula to calculate the viscosity of lava flows.
This is another Volcano World site that gives you the formula for calculating
viscosity and a data set from a Hawaiian volcano. If you need help,
you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Teacher’s
Guide.
p. 485 Recent Volcanic Eruptions
Update
on Current Volcanic Activity
Go to this University of North Dakota site for a list of the
most current volcanic activity worldwide. Information is listed by the
name of the volcano and location, and by the date of the last eruption
or activity. You can click on a volcano’s name to see a photograph of
the eruption as well as a summary of volcanic activity at that location.
Global Volcanism Program
Visit this site by the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian
Institution, to see materials documenting volcanic activity for the
past 10,000 years. This site includes comprehensive computer databases,
documents, photos, and maps. It also provides preliminary notices of
volcanic activity, volcanic activity reports, and information on the
volcanoes of the world. Click on preliminary notices to see reports
of current volcanic activity worldwide.
Volcano
Watch
At this site by the Space Science and Engineering Center, University
of Wisconsin – Madison, you can see the world’s most active volcanoes.
The site lists about ten volcanoes and includes images that contain
the last four satellite images taken above each volcano. This site is
updated every 30 minutes. Scroll down to Etna and click on latest image
to view recent activity of Mt. Etna in Italy.
The
Electronic Volcano
Go to this Dartmouth College site for a window into the world
of active volcanoes. This site has links to sites with catalogs of active
volcanoes, data sets on active volcanoes, as well as photos, videotapes,
and cinematic coverage of active volcanoes. Scroll down to volcano name
to search for information about a particular volcano.
What
are Volcano Hazards?
Visit this USGS site to learn how scientists are assessing the
hazards of 70 active and potentially active volcanoes in the United
States. In addition to eruptions, volcanic hazards include volcanic
gases, lava flows, pyroclastic flows, and landslides. What is a lahar?
Why are lahars considered to be volcanic hazards?
p. 490 Effects of Eruptions on Sinagua
The
Sinagua Culture
Go to this site by the Logan Museum to learn about the culture
of the Sinagua people of Arizona. The eruption of Sunset Volcano in
1064 provided an important element for the expansion of agriculture
in the area. What element did the eruption provide for these people?
How did this element affect the local culture?
Sunset
Crater Volcano National Park
At this National Park Service site you can find out what happened
to the Sinagua people of Arizona approximately 930 years ago. Click
on Virtual Field Trip to view a photographic tour of the park, or click
on Sunset Volcano to learn some facts about the volcano. What percentage
of the magma that erupted from this volcano was scoria?
Sunset
Crater Volcano National Monument
Visit this site to learn more about the history of the Sinagua
people who abandoned the area when volcanic activity began. Scroll down
and click on Wupatki National Monument to find out how the volcanic
activity benefited the Sinagua people. How did the volcanic activity
change the culture of native people in the area of Sunset Crater?
