Volcanoes


This is an interactive reading comprehension activity.

Task 1
Answer these questions
  1. Who or what was Vulcan? 
  2. What is a Magma Chamber? 
  3. What are the pipes that the magma creates called? 
  4. What do we find at the summit of a volcano? 
  5. What is a pyroclastic flow?  
  6. What are the two substances that build a volcano? 
  7. What are the four types of volcanos? 
  8. Name the major elements in magma. 
  9. What is the Latin word for volcanic rock and what does it mean? 
  10. What is the difference between the two classes of volcanic rock? 
Find the answers at Volcano Interactive

Task 2
Use this interactive map to see which volcanos are erupting at the moment.
You can also check the Smithsonian map.

Task 3
What is your reaction to this information?
Which new vocabulary have you learnt?
Is there anything that you did not know about volcanoes?
Is this information useful for you?



Answers to Task 1
  1. Who or what was Vulcan? The Roman God of Fire
  2. What is a Magma Chamber? Magma is stored in a reservoir below the volcano.
  3. What are the pipes that the magma creates called? Conduits
  4. What do we find at the summit of a volcano? A vent / the main vent.
  5. What is a pyroclastic flow?  Pyroclastic flows occur during some eruptions. These are super-heated clouds of volcanic material ranging from ash to volcanic bombs. Pyroclastic flows travel very fast, and can destroy everything in their path.
  6. What are the two substances that build a volcano? Lava and tephra.
  7. What are the four types of volcanos? Cinder Cone, Composite Volcano, Shield Volcano and Lava Dome.
  8. Name the major elements in magma. The major elements in magma are those present in Earth's crust: oxygen (O), silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K). These elements combine to form minerals such as magnetite, hauynite, olivine, pyroxene, hornblende, plagioclase, potassium feldspar (k-feldspar), and quartz. Magma also contains dissolved gases like water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
  9. What is the Latin word for volcanic rock and what does it mean? The Latin word igneous means "fire-formed."
  10. What is the difference between the two classes of volcanic rock? Extrusive rocks form on the surface and Intrusive rocks form below the surface.