6th Grade Science Project: Volcanos on Mars

[Nicksmom]

Hello, and thank you for creating this forum!

My son is working on his first science fair project, and he is in the sixth grade. I've worked with him to narrow his query from "something about Volcanos" to a comparison of the way volcanos behave on Mars, vs. how they behave on Earth. I did a bit of research and learned that Mars does not have shifting plates, which would explain the huge size of the one on Mars.

My problem is, how to guide my son into crafting that knowledge into a science fair project. It seems to me we've already asked the question (Why is the volcano on Mars so much bigger than the ones we have on Earth?) and answered it (Because the ones on Earth are created by hot spots under moving plates). Do we take a step backward, even though we're pretty sure what the answer is?

Also, I'm wondering what a reasonable demonstration of his findings would be. He has an image in his mind of side-by-side erupting volcanos--one large and one small. I am wondering whether we can somehow simulate the formulation of several small volcanos (like Hawaii) on a moving plate, alongside a volcano continually erupting in one spot.

But.. I am not sure how, and whether that's beyond the scope of his sixth-grade ability.

Can anyone advise me?

Thanks!

[Nicksmom]

Continuing to think aloud..

It could probably be as simple as lighting a candle and moving a piece of thin wood slowly over it, vs holding the wood solidly in one place, for the same period of time.

It'd be nice if there was something that would bubble up through the wood, though.

[shijun]

Hi Nicksmom,

This sounds like an ambitious project! A science fair project requires experimentation, though, rather than simply "researching things" (though research is a part of the game).

So I like your candle idea, but you still need a hypothesis (or rather, your son needs a hypothesis). At the 6th grade level, my recommendation is to pick something that's easy to test and have him design an experiment that involves multiple tries so he can see an understand why things behave the way they did (building an intuition). And I'd say that as it stands right now, it would be nice to do some more thinking to pinpoint what exactly do you want to test/experiment (still seems vague right now).

We have a handy little guide on this: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... tion.shtml

Hope this helps,

Shijun
Science Buddies Staff

[Nicksmom]

Thank you! At this point he is looking at using a soldering iron under a stationary piece of wood and a moving one, then analyzing the scorch marks. I agree that it'd be good for him to explore his ideas in a number of ways and gain a lot of knowledge about both volcanoes and plate tectonics.

At this point his theory is that the reason Olympus Mons is so huge is that there aren't shifting plates on Mars. I'd wager that there are other factors involved as well, but I think he should keep it focused.

So to me the research step is finding the proof about the lack of moving plates, then the experimentation involves simulating volcano formation with and without shifting plates.

Too vague, still?

[shijun]

Hi Nicksmom,

This sounds much better.

Relating a specific experiment (and it can be a simple one) to a larger natural phenomenon is a great approach. You must, however, make sure that Nick states exactly what kind of assumptions and simplifications that he has made in this case.

Also, how do the scorch marks link to the size of the volcanos?

Shijun

[Nicksmom]

He's now added a second step to his plan, where he'll create holes in the wood that correspond to the scorches, and push a viscous liquid up through them. (Toothpaste? Insulation? Caulk? I'm not sure.) That will simulate the volcanos formed by a hot spot under a moving plate vs. a hot spot under a stationary plate. It'll need to be timed, of course.


A friend has proposed a radically different approach: The construction of two "ant-farm" style displays made from plexiglass.

One looks like this:

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And the other like this:

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The red lines correspond to a bead of plaster, inside the "ant farm." The idea is to force liquid up through a small opening in the bottom until it "erupts" through the plaster.

I don't know if it is a valid demonstration of plate tectonics, though. Yes, there are three layers that the lava must penetrate, creating a smaller volcano and lessening the pressure as it breaks through each layer, but there is no movement.

Can you offer an expert opinion, please?

[shijun]

That sounds interesting (though I still need some clarification on what exactly you are trying to prove). I have a couple of specific questions:

Is this solely a demonstration rather than an experiment? In other words, are you simply trying to show something?

If so, I think your model shows the eruption of viscous fluid but that can be anything really. Perhaps if you find the right material e.g. some sort of caulk, then it will "look cool" and seem like hot lava pouring out. Though I still don't see how it applies to volcanos from a scientific perspective.

If not, what is your hypothesis?

Shijun
Science Buddies Staff

[Nicksmom]

That was my concern, too. It doesn't address the whole idea of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics is motion, not a stack of pancakes, right?

I think this friend had a nice idea but a weak grasp of the underlying science.