Volcanoes Assignment

This assignment has two parts. 

 Part 1 is the Google Earth mapping activity which aims to get you familiar with the processes that form volcanoes.  You will need to download Google Earth.

Part 2 is designed to get you to learn about how volcanoes played a part in three major events.  This will help you learn more about these events, in preparation for your next assignment.

Part 1: Identifying modern day Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and their causes

You will need these files for this activity: 

Understanding Crust Types and Boundary Types
Understanding Plate Tectonics (interactive website - the section slip, slide, collide is specifically about volcanoes)

Download Google Earth 
Download Google Earth

The Data Files 
You will need to save this file to your computer
Plate Tectonics Exercise If it won't open ask the relief teacher for the USB stick, or ask a friend who has had it emailed to them. 

Part 1: ACTIVITY

1.  Download Google Earth on your device. School computers should have it on their already.  Press the windows button+S and type “Google earth” to find it.  If it is not there, you can download it from the net (a box will pop up on downloading for a teacher to authorise this).

2. Download the Google Earth Data files (on the blog) and save them in a folder.

3. Open Google Earth.  Click ‘Open’ and select ‘Plate Tectonic Exercise’

4. The data for the Plate Tectonic Exercise is now on the left hand side of the screen.  Deselect everything in the Plate Tectonic Exercise folder except for ‘Global Volcanism Program’.

5.  Zoom in until you begin to see the red triangles indicating volcanoes.

6.  Use the Google Earth volcano data to draw on your physical map the areas which have high volcanic activity (don’t worry too much about isolated volcanoes like those in the Pacific Ocean).  Use a key and label this ‘Sites of high volcanic activity’.

7. Deselect ‘Global Volcanism Program’ and now select ‘All EQuakes’.  Zoom in if you cannot see all the Earth Quake Activity.

8. Use the Google Earth earthquake data to draw on your physical map the areas which have high earthquake activity (don’t worry too much about isolated earthquakes like those in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans).  Use a key and label this ‘sites of high earthquake activity’.  Take special note of the earthquake depths (draw in the progression of depths if you wish). 

9.  Finally deselect ‘All EQuakes’ and select ‘Plate Convergence’ (it’s towards the top of the folder).  This is a series of arrows points to spots where two plates are converging

10.  Draw these arrows onto your physical map.

 

PART 1: QUESTIONS: Write on back of map or type up.

a)  What is causing these areas to have such high volcanic and earthquake activity? (1 mark)

b) Use the resources available on the blog to explain why these zones lead to high volcanism.

c) Use the resources available on the blog to explain why these zones lead to high earthquake activity.

 

d) Why in some areas do you tend to get clear lines of  earthquakes that go from shallow, medium to deep depths?  Give an example of an area you found on Google Map where this is evident.  Use the data on Google Earth about Earthquakes to back up your statement. 

PART 2: Significant Volcanic Activity in History

Event 1: First Life

 Q1. The Miller Urey Experiment was crucial for testing the hypothesis that first life formed in “a warm little pond” from the combination of nutrients and proteins 3.8 billion years ago.

What was the Stanley Miller experiment and what did they find? Take notes from the following video to answer this question (dot points fine)  (5 marks)

Stanley Miller: Stated Clearly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNijmxsKGbc

Q2.  Since the Miller-Urey experiment scientists at NASA believe volcano action was crucial for providing these nutrients.  Use the link below to identify how volcanoes may have been crucial in providing the first elements for first life – dot points (in your own words) is fine.  (4 marks)

Volcanoes and First Life 

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2008/volcanic_life_origin.html

 Event 2: Snowball Earth

Q1. Use your notes from the film ‘Snowball Earth’ and further research on the internet, identify the role of volcanoes in ending Snowball Earth and giving rise to the first multi-cellular life.  Please reference your writing using either (Catastrophes dvd Snowball Earth) and/or the url from the websites you use.  Ensure to include information about greenhouse gases.

Event 3: DVD “Planet of Fire”

Q1. Watch this video either on your computer or phone from the URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00ILddHJlKw

TAKE NOTES AND SUBMIT THESE AS PART OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT.

Due on Friday August 5 :

1) Your coloured in map and answers to the first part questions

2) Answers to Event 1 and Event 2 questions

3) Notes from the film "planet of fire" > handwritten and attached to map is fine.

send to 

taroonawork  @    gmail    .    com

Plate Tectonics: A force that shapes our Earth

So far we have looked at three key events:

1.  The formation of the Earth and Moon
2.  First life forming
3.  Snowball Earth

We have also looked at how currents work and how they affect our environment.

During your assignment next week you will be exploring how volcanoes have shaped our planet.

THURSDAY:

Before launching into looking at volcano based events we need to understand:

How do volcanoes work and what drives these processes? 

This leads us to our next event:

4. Movement of the Earth's tectonic plates (aka continental drift)

To Do:

Move through the Dynamic Earth Interactive (from intro until the Quiz)
Pay particular attention to the section slip, slide and collide 

Dynamic Earth Interactive

Earth History Events

Your Task:

Select an Earth History event and research what it was (in a sentence really) and when it occurred. Try and visit a few sites to verify the date.

When you're done come back in and we will place the events in the correct spot on the time-line.


Try looking at the U1: Earth History tab for some helpful links.

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