Volcanoes

1. Volcanoes Forces That Build and Destroy The Earth By: Kayleigh

2. Something Vicious “What’s that mountain with a hole in it called?” you may ask. Of course it is not a mountain with a hole in it, silly! It’s a volcano- duh! So you want to know what a volcano is? Well, you came to the right place! A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the earth’s surface. Volcano comes from the word Vulcan. Now you want to know where a volcano is found? Alright, I’ll tell you. Most are located around the Ring of Fire. Oh yea, you don’t know what that is! The Ring of Fire is the place around the Pacific Ocean. Volcanoes in the United States are in Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington. There are about 550 active volcanoes around the world. Make sure you’re not in one of those places! Some volcanoes are hidden under the water. I wouldn’t want to be in one of those oceans! I see stuff coming out of that volcano! It is erupting! If you want to learn about the lava coming out, turn the page!

3. Hot! Hot! Hot! If you see red stuff coming out of a mountain, don’t just stand there and say “Pretty red stuff!” because that is lava and lava is HOT! If you want to know two kinds of lava, please read on. Okay, you do want to know two kinds of lava. One kind of lava is aa. Aa hardens rough when it cools almost like gravel. A second kind of lava is pahoehoe. Pahoehoe hardens smooth when it cools almost like the sidewalk. No! I am not talking gibberish! These are real types! No lie! When lava cools, the lava and ash form landscapes. Also, it turns into a silvery blue color. But it is still its old red self in the inside. I hope you don’t touch lava because the temperature is between 1,500°F to 2,000°F! Even though lava barely injures people, you still really shouldn’t touch it! Hmm… what haven’t you learned about yet for lava? Lava. Check. When it cools. Check. Pahoehoe. Check. Aa. Check. Magma. Check. Wait, you haven’t learned about magma yet! Magma has gas and acid. The heat in the volcano causes the magma to rise. After magma rises, it turns into lava. Now you can be a lava expert with your new knowledge!

4. What’s Going On?! Help! Something is coming out of that mountain! If you are ever in a situation like mine, you might want to know what’s going on. Um… do you want to know or should I just stay here and watch you breathe? Oh! The volcano is erupting! Silly me, I forgot to tell you that! During a volcanic eruption, mostly lava, rock fragments, and gas come out. Ash can come out, too. Hmm… what was I going to tell you next? Oh, yea! I was going to tell you how long they can erupt for! Some volcanoes erupt for YEARS and some can erupt really FAST. Sometimes, volcanic eruptions can be sudden and violent. Most of the time, eruptions are slow and quiet. Those eruptions are completely different from each other! There are A LOT of things eruptions can cause or trigger so brace yourself! They can cause lateral blasts, lava flows, hot ash flows, mudslides, avalanches, falling ash, and floods. They can trigger tsunamis, flash floods, earthquakes, mudflows, and rock falls. See, there are a lot of things eruptions can cause or trigger! Up next we are going to learn about how volcanoes build mountains.

5. That Was Made From A Volcano? Yes, it was made from a volcano! No, I am not lying! I wouldn’t lie to you! Some mountains were made from a volcano and that is final. When a volcano builds a mountain, most take place in the “Subduction zones”. To actually build the mountain, lava is needed. It sounds a little confusing so far, so let me explain. After the volcano erupts, lava piles up and up and up and up on top of each other. When the lava cools, it forms a cone of rock. When the lava cools, it solidifies. It will continue this in one spot for thousands of years! Now you know exactly what to do to make a mountain if you’re a volcano!

6. A Volcano Can Be Good! So you don’t believe me when I say a volcano can be good? It’s like you have no trust in me anymore. Volcanoes can be good to Earth, got it? Good. You believe me now. There are many, many, many things that do to help Earth. I’m sorry to say this but I only took notes on a couple. But don’t worry, I’ll tell you some. When an underwater volcano erupts, the lava reaches the surface and makes a new island. When lava rock hardens over years, rain, wind, and water break it into bits. Then the bits become soil. And by the way, the kind of soil that is from lava is good for plants. Don’t worry, I still have two more reasons for you. The rock from lava can be used for roads. Also people can use underground steam (from a volcano of course!) as a source of energy. Now I have proof that a volcano can be good!

7. So… Is It Constructive or Destructive? There is still one thing you might be wondering. You learned they are constructive and destructive. Ding! Ding! Ding! You are correct! It is both! You learned they can build mountains and islands. Soil from lava is good to Earth. But you didn’t learn much about how they are destructive. Lava can burn you badly (like I said about 2,000ish° F). Ash can choke you. Like I said before, volcanoes can cause a lot of terrible things. But just remember, volcanoes are both constructive and destructive. So have a lava free day!

8. Glossary Active Volcanoes: a volcano that is still alive; can erupt Eruption: when lava, rock fragments, gas, and ash fly out of a volcano Island: a small piece of land that is surrounded by water Magma: molten rock inside a volcano Molten Rock: melted rock/ liquid rock Solidifies: to harden; to turn into a solid