1 Cosmology and the Earth
2 Journey to the Center of the Earth
3 Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas
4 The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics
5 Patterns in Nature: Minerals
6 Up from the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks
7 A Surface Veneer: Sediments, Soils, and Sedimentary Rocks
8 Metamorphism: A Process of Change
9 The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions
10 A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes
11 Crags, Cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformations and Mountain Building
12 Deep Time: How Old Is Old?
13 A Biography of Earth
14 Squeezing Power from a Stone: Energy Resources
15 Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources
16 Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements
17 Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water
18 Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts
19 A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater
20 An Envelope of Gas: Earth’s Atmosphere and Climate
21 Dry Regions: The Geology of Deserts
22 Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages
23 Global Change in the Earth System

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Chapter 9: The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Geotours

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download Download Geotours.

Getting Started :

  1. If you haven’t done it already, download Google Earth™ and install it on your computer.
  2. If you haven’t done it already, download the Geotours.kmz file and save a copy to your desktop. (The Geotours.kmz file contains the Geotours for all chapters, so you only need to download this once!)

    By downloading Geotours.kmz you acknowledge that it was created solely to accompany Steve Marshak's Earth: Portrait of a Planet and Essentials of Geology and is limited to use with only Steve Marshak's Earth: Portrait of a Planet and Essentials of Geology and may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means for any other purpose without the written permission of the publisher.

  3. Double-click the Geotours.kmz file and Google Earth™ will open automatically.
  4. In the left-hand sidebar you will see a Places menu, and in the Temporary Places folder you will see an EARTH_3e.kmz file. Double-click the file and you will see a list of Geotours for each chapter.
  5. Then open the Geotour folder you want to explore! If you’d like to read more about the features of Geotours see Using Geotours, or go to our Helpful Resources section.

STOPS ON GEOTOUR 9: Volcanic Features

  • Yellowstone Falls, Wyoming
    • See also Worksheet Problem 1, Problem Bonus: Polygon Outline: Snake River Plain
  • Mt. Saint Helens, Washington
    • See also Worksheet Problem 2
    • “What a Geologist Sees” Geofeatures: Log Mat, Resurgent Dome, Lahar; Overlay: Volcanic Features Map
    • Mt. St. Helens Tour
  • Smoking Volcano, Ecuador
  • Mt. Etna, Sicily
    • See also Worksheet Problem 3
  • Mt. Vesuvius, Italy
    • See also Worksheet Problem 4
  • Hawaiian Volcanoes
    • See also Worksheet Problems 5–8
    • “What a Geologist Sees” Geofeatures: Mauna Loa (two Pit Craters, Spatter Cone, Recent Lava Flow, Flank Eruption), Kilauea (Kilauea Iki Lava Lake, Kilauea Iki Fountain, Pumice Field, Series of Spatter Cones, Halemaumau Caldera, Pali Scarp, Kipuka of Former Chain of Craters, East Rift Zone Active Area, Lava Entering Ocean)
  • Mt. Shishildan, Alaska
    • See also Worksheet Problem 9
  • East African Rift

GEOTOUR 9 WORKSHEET 

There are more than 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth and thousands more volcanic landscapes. You visited some of these in Geotours 4 and 6. Here, we continue the journey.


  • Yellowstone Falls, Wyoming


    1. The Problem 1 folder contains a polygon that approximately outlines the Snake River Plain. Volcanic units in the Snake River Plain appear to record motion of North America relative to the Yellowstone hot spot. The placemarks identify the locations and ages for individual eruptive calderas along the hot-spot trace. The hot spot presently lies beneath the Yellowstone area and is responsible for the thermal features there.



    (a) According to the plume hypothesis, the Yellowstone hot spot is relatively stationary. If this hypothesis is correct, in what direction is North America moving?



  • (b) Use the Measuring Tool and determine the relative rate of motion in km per million years.

  • Mt. Saint Helens, Washington


    2. Turn on the Volcanic Features Map in the What a Geologist Sees folder. Change the transparency to see the features that the map highlights.


    (a) What is the distance (in km) from the resurgent dome in the center of Mt. Saint Helens to the farthest area impacted by the blast itself?




  • (b) Zoom down a little closer to the volcano. Has the peak of the resurgent dome risen above the lip of the main crater? (Hint: Compare the elevation of the two features. Note: You can see the elevation difference clearly if you tilt the image and pivot the image so you are look south, through the blasted-out gap in the crater wall.)

  • Mt. Etna, Sicily


    3.Click on the placemark labeled Problem 3 and you will fly to the town of Bronte, on the NW side of Mt. Etna.


    (a) What is the black area that lies to the east of the town?



  • (b) You are a geologic consultant for a company that is considering building a factory in Bronte. Based on your knowledge of volcanoes and on observations that you make as you fly over the region, provide the company with your opinion regarding whether or not it is reasonable to build here, and explain the reasons for your recommendation.

  • Mt. Vesuvius, Italy


    4. The placemark labeled Problem 4 identifies the location of some of the excavated ruins of the city of Pompeii, which was buried by volcanic ash and pyroclastic material from Mt. Vesuvius during the eruption of 79 C.E.


    (a) If a nuée ardent accompanies the next eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and it travels at 300 km/hr, how many minutes would it take to reach the site of ancient Pompeii?



  • (b) Tilt your view and look closely at Mt. Vesuvius. The present conelike peak lies within the remnants of a broader crater. Only a small portion of the rim of the larger crater still exists. What happened to the southern portion of the older, larger crater?

  • Hawaiian Volcanoes


    5. The placemarks for Problem 5a and 5b highlight surface textures of basaltic lava flows.


    (a) What type of volcanic feature is visible at Placemark 5a?




  • (b) What type of lava flow is visible at Placemark 5b?

  • 6. The placemark for Problem 6 lies at the boundary between two lava flows, one older than the other. Which lava flow is oldest—the one to the east of the marker, or the one to the west?


    Explain the basis for your answer:

  • 7. What is the likely cause for the steep escarpment highlighted by the placemark labeled Problem 7?

  • 8. Both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are shield volcanoes. Notably, several smaller, “parasitic” volcanoes have erupted on the flanks of Mauna Kea. Click on the placemark labeled Problem 8 to see some of these.
  • (a) What kind of volcanoes are these small cones?

  • (b) Why are these cones asymmetric?

  • (c) With the placemark for Problem 8 in the middle of the view, tilt the image all the way so that you are looking at Mauna Kea from the side. Now, move away from the volcano so that you can see the whole shield. What is the steepest slope on the flank of the volcano? (You will need to use a protractor to measure the angle, in degrees.)

  • Mt. Shishildan, Alaska
    9. Fly to Mt. Shishildan, Alaska, by clicking on Image G9.10. This is a composite volcano. Tilt the image so that you are looking at the side of the volcano, and zoom out enough to see the whole volcano. What is the steepest slope on side of this volcano?



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