Virtual Volcano Lab

Log onto the Discovery Channel’s Virtual Volcano site

Global Perspectives (see the Menu on the left side)

--Using the topic menu in the lower right corner, read about:
1) Tectonic Plates: Where are most of the active volcanoes found? ________________
2) the Ring of Fire: Where is the Ring of Fire located? _________________________
3) the Layers Within: How do volcanoes form? _______________________________
_________________________________________________________
4) Inside a Volcano (Left side. Menu…)In the space below draw what a volcano looks like on the inside
and label its parts.

Volcano Types (yup…back to the Menu on the left side) For each of the volcano types answer the following
questions…
1) Stratovolcano:

a. How are they made? ____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

b. Look like--___________________________________________________

c. This volcano in Italy was responsible for destroying Pompeii in 19 AD--_______

d. A well-known stratovolcano in the US—_______________________________

2) Cinder Cone Volcano:

a. How are they made?____________________________________________

b. Look like—____________________________________________________

c. 2 famous cinder cone volcanoes & where they are located:

i. _______________________________________________________

ii. _______________________________________________________

3) Shield Volcano:

a. How are they made?_____________________________________________

b. Look like—____________________________________________________

c. A famous shield volcano & where it’s located: __________________________

4) Which type of volcano is the following?

a. Most violent eruptions: ___________

b. Island builders: _____________

c. Smallest: ___________________
Build Your Own Volcano… (Of course, don’t forget to watch it erupt—way cool!)
--But first…
1) Gas Content

a. List 2 factors that can affect the explosiveness of a volcanic eruption.

i. ________________________ ii. __________________________

b. Magma’s gas content usually depends on ____________________________

__________________________________________________________

2) Viscosity

a. What is it? __________________________________________________

b. Thick magmas tend to have ______________________ levels, and runny lavas have
_____________levels.

3) After playing with the settings on your own a bit, build the volcanoes with the settings below and record
the results you create! (don’t forget to click “set conditions” before erupting). #8-10 are YOUR
CHOICE…make a new combo.

Gas Content Type of Eruption

Viscosity Volcano type Other comments
1. Low Low

2. High Low

3. Low High

4. One level UP Low

from Low
5. Two levels UP Low
from Low
6. Two levels Up High
from Low
7. High High

8.

9.

10.