Volcanoes

Volcanoes

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:
- Explain the formation of volcanoes and their association with tectonic plate boundaries.
- Identify and describe the different types of volcanoes and volcanic features.
- Understand the concept of hotspot volcanism and how it differs from volcanism at plate boundaries.
- Recognize the impact of large volcanic eruptions on climate and human societies.
- Compare and contrast submarine, subglacial, and mud volcanoes with traditional terrestrial volcanoes.

What do you already know about volcanoes?

Overview of Volcanoes and Their Formation

Volcanoes are openings in Earth's crust allowing escape of lava, ash, and gases.
They are often found at diverging or converging tectonic plates.
Volcanoes can also form from stretching of the crust or from mantle plumes in the form of hotspots.

Plate Tectonics and the Location of Volcanoes

Plate tectonics theory explains the movement of Earth's plates leading to the formation of volcanoes.
Volcanoes are often found at diverging or converging tectonic plate boundaries.

Types of Volcanoes and Volcanic Features

Various types of volcanoes exist, including shield, composite, cinder cones, and supervolcanoes.
Submarine and subglacial volcanoes are found under water and ice, respectively.

Hotspot Volcanism

Hotspots are areas where volcanoes are formed above rising columns of hot mantle material.
Hawaiian Islands are an example of hotspot volcanism.

Volcanic Effects on Climate and Human Societies

Large volcanic eruptions can cause a cooling of the Earth's climate, leading to a volcanic winter.
These eruptions have been linked to catastrophic famines and significant impacts on human societies.

Volcanoes Beyond Earth

Mud volcanoes are formations created by geo-excreted liquids and gases, often not associated with magmatic activity.

Definitions

Volcano: A rupture in the planetary crust allowing escape of lava, ash, and gases.
Plate tectonics: A theory explaining the movement of Earth's plates that leads to the formation of volcanoes.
Hotspot: An area where volcanoes are formed above rising columns of hot mantle material.
Volcanic winter: A cooling of the Earth's climate following large volcanic eruptions due to ash and sulfuric acid in the atmosphere.
Submarine volcano: A volcanic formation on the ocean floor.
Subglacial volcano: A volcano that forms beneath an icecap.
Mud volcano: A formation created by geo-excreted liquids and gases, often not associated with magmatic activity.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.