Contributor: Kaitlyn Zimmerman. Lesson ID: 12808
Have you ever seen a mountain blow its top? Not get angry, but put on a major fireworks show! They can get so hot that they melt rock like crayons in the sun! Build your own (safe!) volcano!
Those are temperatures of around 100 degrees.
Read on to find out!
That is some really hot lava!
Many people — from centuries ago until now — have built their homes in these areas because the dirt near a volcano contains a lot of minerals and nutrients that plants need in order to grow. Italy, Hawaii, and Indonesia, are just a few countries or states where people live near volcanoes in order to grow crops in their rich soil.
Sometimes, volcanoes can erupt without much warning. You may have heard many stories of volcanic eruptions, one in particular being the story of the Lost City of Pompeii.
The ancient Roman city of Pompeii was built at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a volcano located in Italy. Very little is known about the city other than that it was quickly buried under ash after the volcano suddenly erupted. To them, it must have looked like ash raining from the sky.
Today, you can go visit the ruins of Pompeii - shown above - and see for yourself how close this city was to a volcano and how the eruption of just one volcano destroyed and buried the city for many years.
For those who have seen a volcano erupt, it must have been a scary sight!
Even though it may not be a real volcanic eruption, you can make the volcano model you made in the last Related Lesson, found in the right-hand sidebar, erupt!
Join Dr. Jo to find out how to make your volcano erupt!
Volcanic eruptions can be both fascinating and scary in real life!
In this experiment, you were able to use materials that, when put together, bubbled up and caused a reaction. Even though the lava in this experiment was not as hot as real lava, you were still able to see how lava flows down the edges of a volcano and can cover anything in its path.
When you've got the answer, continue on to the Got It? section to dive more deeply (sort of!) into volcanoes!