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Volcanoes are usually mountainous, but do not always take this form. They are landforms where hot molten rock and erupt through cracks in the surface of the Earth. Volcanoes can even be found under water in oceans. The Pacific Ocean area is literally packed with them. There are thought to be just over one-thousand five-hundred active volcanoes in the world.

The worksheets include the basic anatomy, formation, classification, and locations of volcanoes. We also look at the concept of Tsunamis.

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Volcano Anatomy

The diagram below shows an erupting volcano, provide the names of the features indicated using the following terms.

The Ring of Fire

The world has more than 500 active volcanoes. Over half of these surround the Pacific Ocean along a line called the "Ring of Fire".

Naming Cones

Volcanoes can be classified according to the shapes of their cones. Name each of the cones below with the correct name: cinder, composite, or shield.

When molten rock (i.e., magma) hardens it forms igneous rock, one of the three major types of rock. Magma does not always make it to the surface as lava in a volcano however, sometimes it forms other igneous rock structures underground.

Why Do Volcanoes Erupt?

Hundreds of years ago people believed that the earth was flat because they could not see beyond the horizon. Around the time of Columbus explorers proved that the earth was round.

Multiple Choice Questions

Volcanoes form over a long period of time, sometimes over thousands of years. Other times volcanoes can form quickly.

Short Answer Questions

Explain what tectonic plates are and what controls their movement.

Volcano Disasters

A disastrous volcanic eruption occurred in 1883 on the island of Krakatau, also in Indonesia. Krakatau began erupting on August 26 and put out an ash cloud 17 miles high.

Multiple Choice Questions

Two of the worst volcanic disasters in modern history occurred in the country of ___________________.

Short Answer Questions

In 1883 the sound of the eruption of Krakatau was so loud that people 3,000 miles away thought they heard cannon fire. Sound travels at about 750 miles per hour.

Is It Going To Erupt?

There are two main reasons why scientists want to predict when a volcano might erupt. The first reason should be completely obvious; scientists want to predict volcanic eruptions to save the lives of people who might be affected by the eruption.

Multiple Choice Questions

The earliest way of predicting when a volcano might erupt was to study its history. Volcanoes tend to erupt in a pattern over time. For example, Mount St. Helens in Washington State stays active for 10 to 20 years and then will not erupt again for about 120 years.

Short Answer Questions

Geologists and volcanologists work in volcanoes when they place instruments and take samples of lava. This is dangerous work and some researchers have died while studying volcanoes.

Types of Lava Flows

There are different kinds of rocks and soil on the continents and islands of the world. Some areas may have the same kinds of rocks and soils while others have rocks and soil with a different composition of elements.

Types of Lava Flows

In comparison to other lava flows, Pahoehoe flows have more what?

Types of Lava Flows

Motor oil that you put in your car is marked with a viscosity number after the letters SAE on the label. Which motor oil will flow faster: SAE 30 or SAE 40?

Volcanoes and Climate

When a volcano erupts, it spews out tons of hot gases, ash, and possibly lava. The mix of what comes out of a particular volcano when it erupts depends upon where the volcano is located.

Multiple Choice Questions

When some volcanoes erupt, the cloud of ash and gases that they produce can be miles high above the volcano.

Short Answer Questions

Locate the Tambora volcano on a map and calculate approximately how many miles it is from New York City.

How Volcanoes Form

The earth's crust is composed of about nineteen major pieces called tectonic plates. Some plates are small and others are very large.

Multiple Choice Questions

Over millions of years what major force of nature has reshaped the continents?

Question Set

Mount St. Helens is a volcano in the United States. Locate Mount St. Helens on a map and explain how it formed in terms of plate tectonics.

Types of Volcanoes

Volcanoes all have a similar anatomy. Anatomy is the inside structure of a physical animal or other part of nature. When you see a picture of a smoking volcano that is erupting you are not seeing smoke at all because the volcano is not on fire.

Multiple Choice Questions

Magma rises to the surface through a narrow opening smaller than the size of the magma chamber. This narrow opening is like a pipe connected to the surface and is called the volcano’s vent.

Short Answer Questions

The volcano begins deep underground, maybe 60 miles below the surface, where the temperature can be 2,500 degrees F, hot enough to melt rocks.

The Pacific Ring of Fire

What an exciting and descriptive name for a geological phenomenon, the Pacific Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire refers to the large number of volcanoes that are found surrounding the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Ring of Fire Multiple Choice Questions

The volcanoes near Australia and New Zealand are younger than those found in Indonesia. There are volcanoes on some of the islands of New Zealand as well as in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia.

The Pacific Ring of Fire Short Answer Questions

The United States and Canada in North America also have volcanoes that are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Mount St. Helens in Washington State erupted in 1980 and the area around the mountain still has no vegetation 30 years later.

Volcanoes Help the Earth

Giant plumes of ash and gases from volcanoes pollute the air after an eruption and the particles in the air can reflect sunlight away from the earth, causing temperatures to cool for awhile.

Multiple Choice Questions

Volcanoes may be responsible for the oceans and continents and even life itself. Billions of years ago, volcanoes were much more active than they are today.

Short Answer Questions

Over time, lava flows from a volcano break down and eventually form fertile soil. Volcanic soil is rich in calcium and potassium that growing plants need.

Are There Volcanoes on Other Planets?

Scientists have long been interested in the planet Mars, especially since Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, is next to Earth. While studying Mars, scientists have decided that there are many large volcanoes on the planet.

Multiple Choice Questions

The other planet next to Earth is Venus, the second planet from the sun. Scientists believe that Venus has many more volcanoes than Earth and that the volcanoes on Venus are generally larger than those on Earth.

Short Answer Questions

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is the fifth planet from the sun. Jupiter has more moons than any other planet.