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Volcanoes

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Summary

Areas of Science
Difficulty
 
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
No issues
*Note: For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

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Abstract

The papier-mâché volcano is a real classic, but there are many other ways to make an even more exciting and interesting science project focused on volcanoes!

To get started on your own volcano-based science project, you will want to first have an understanding of how volcanoes form. This is related to tectonic plates. The entire outer shell of the Earth, known as the lithosphere, is made up of tectonic plates that are constantly moving. There are seven or eight large tectonic plates and many more minor ones. The low parts of the plates are beneath the world's oceans, and the high parts of the plates are landmasses. New plate material is generated at deep sea ocean ridges in a process called sea-floor spreading. Material from plates is also recycled at trenches, where dense, oceanic crust dives back underneath an adjacent plate towards the upper mantle. This subduction of one plate beneath another can provide the massive force to produce uplift of mountain ranges. Overall, where tectonic plates meet and bump together, it is common to find mountains, mid-ocean ridges, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. (What forms depends on how exactly the tectonic plates are moving against each other at the plate boundary.)

The theory of plate tectonics was actually long debated, and detailed mapping studies of cooled molten rocks helped clinch the case. Rocks containing magnetic material reveal the history of when and where they formed. As the molten rocks cooled, the magnetic particles aligned themselves with the Earth's magnetic field at that time. Armed with that information, geologists have been able to map the dates of origin of the oceanic crust, and to confirm that sea-floor spreading at suboceanic ridges and subduction at trenches is a constant process. Although the mechanism for the motion of the tectonic plates is still not well understood, it is thought that convection of heat from the Earth's core is somehow involved.

In this geology science project, you will investigate an aspect of volcanoes, such as by mapping volcanic activity, predicting volcanic eruptions, or developing a realistic volcano model. Which volcanoes are active volcanoes, and just how active are they? Where are the most dangerous volcanoes located? Does volcanic activity follow a certain pattern, such as based on time or location? Does this correlate with the presence of tectonic plates? Can you develop a more dynamic and accurate volcano model based on your understanding of how volcanoes function? You could do your science project on other parts of volcano-based science, such as eruption warning systems, volcanic minerals, and volcanic gases. What are the best monitoring strategies for predicting volcanic activity and developing a useful warning system? Which types of gases come out of a volcano? To find out more about volcanic activity, how to predict volcanic eruptions, and to view data about current and historical volcanic activity, you can visit the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website listed in the Bibliography in the Background tab.

Bibliography

  • United States Geological Survey (USGS). (2012, September 18). U.S. Volcanoes and Current Activity Alerts. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  • Smithsonian Institution. (n.d.). Volcanoes of the World. Global Volcanism Program. Department of Mineral Sciences. National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  • Oregon State University. (n.d.). Volcano World. Oregon Space Grant Consortium. Department of Geosciences. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
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Global Connections

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) are a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

This project explores topics key to Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Careers

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There will always be both man-made and natural disasters, like hurricanes, earthquakes, and terrorist attacks, that affect public health and safety. Emergency management specialists are the officials that plan for these disasters—imagining and preparing for the worst—and then coordinating the emergency responses. Emergency management specialists work for local, state, and federal governments, as well as for law enforcement, the military and private agencies to ensure that people… Read more
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Have you ever climbed up high in a tree and then looked at your surroundings? You can learn a lot about your neighborhood by looking down on it. You can see who has a garden, who has a pool, who needs to water their plants, and how your neighbors live. Remote sensing scientists or technologists do a similar thing, except on a larger scale. These professionals apply the principles and methods of remote sensing (using sensors) to analyze data and solve regional, national, and global problems in… Read more

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General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "Volcanoes." Science Buddies, 23 June 2020, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Geo_p027/geology/volcanoes?class=AQVP2tjUeQ74J1qkgOfc6suJjOUyhQb1ECct4B06Bjjt69mc2W7wvj46P4FHCBFxpIvthK2XQ4xPhMxJJBqx_-of. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2020, June 23). Volcanoes. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Geo_p027/geology/volcanoes?class=AQVP2tjUeQ74J1qkgOfc6suJjOUyhQb1ECct4B06Bjjt69mc2W7wvj46P4FHCBFxpIvthK2XQ4xPhMxJJBqx_-of


Last edit date: 2020-06-23
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