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  • Make a Volcanic Lava Eruption

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For Kids: Activities

Volcanic Eruption

Make a volcanic lava eruption and learn about lava layering. Have your parents help you.

Materials:

• Paper cups, 4 oz size, some cut down to a height of 2.5 cm
• Cafeteria tray or cookie sheet, 1 for each eruption source
• Tape
• Tablespoon of Baking soda
• Measuring cup
• Vinegar
• Food coloring, 4 colors; for example: red, yellow, blue, green
• Playdough or clay in the same 4 colors as the food coloring (recipe for playdough is below if you want to make it.)

Procedure:

1. Take one paper cup that has been cut to a height of 2.5 cm and secure it onto the tray. (You may use a small loop of tape on the outside bottom of the cup.) This short cup is your eruption source and the tray is the original land surface.
2. Place one Tablespoon of baking soda in this cup.
3. Fill 4 tall paper cups each with 1/8 cup of vinegar.
4. To each paper cup of vinegar add 3 drops of food coloring; make each cup a different color. Set them aside.
5. Set aside small balls of playdough one of each color. (There is a recipe to make playdough below. Get your parents to help you!)
6. You are now ready to create an eruption. Pour red-colored vinegar into your source cup and watch the eruption of "lava."
7. As best you can, use red playdough to cover the areas where red "lava" flowed.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for each color of vinegar and playdough. You may add fresh baking soda to the source cup or spoon out excess vinegar from the source cup as needed.
9. Answer the questions below by looking at your model and reading "The Moon's Lava Layering More Information" below.

Lava Layering

Results:

1. After your four eruptions, can you still see the original land surface (tray)? Where?
2. Describe what you see and include observations of flows covering or overlapping other flows. Make a sketch, of what you see.
3. Where is the oldest flow?
4. Where is the youngest flow?
5. Did the flows always follow the same path? (Be specific)
6. What do you think influences the path direction of lava flows?
7. If you had not watched the eruptions, how would you know that there are many different layers of lava? Give at least 2 reasons:
8. What of the reasons listed in answer 7 could be used to identify real lava layers on Earth?
9. What are other ways to distinguish between older and younger layered lava flows on Earth?
10. Which of the reasons listed in answer 9 could be used to identify lava layers on the Moon?
11. What are other ways to distinguish between older and younger layered lava flows on the Moon?
12. Make a vertical cut through an area of overlapping playdough "lava" layers. Draw what you see in the vertical section. Color your sketch and add these labels: Oldest Flow, Youngest Flow.

Playdough for Lava Layering

Preparation:

Baking soda-vinegar solutions and playdough are used to model the basaltic lavas. Different colors identify different eruption events; this activity calls for 4 colors. You will be asked to observe where the flows traveled and to interpret the stratigraphy. Cover the work area and be prepared for spills

Best texture and lasts for months when refrigerated in an air tight container.

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup oil, scant
• 1 cup salt
• 2 cups cold water
• 4 teaspoons cream of tarter
• food colorings (20 drops more or less)

Make this large batch one color or divide ingredients in half to make 2 colors. You will need 4 colors total. Combine ingredients and cook mixture in a large sauce pan, stirring constantly, until the dough forms a ball. Turn dough out onto a floured surface to cool. Then kneed until smooth and elastic. Cool completely; refrigerate in air tight containers.

Playdough (no-cooking recipe)

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup cold water
• 6 teaspoons alum or cream of tarter food coloring (as above)

Make this large batch one color or divide ingredients in half to make 2 colors. You will need 4 colors total. Mix ingredients and kneed until smooth and elastic. Store in air tight containers.

The Moon's Lava Layering

Dark, flat maria (layers of basaltic lava flows) cover about 16 percent of the Moon's total surface. They are easily seen on a full Moon with the naked eye on clear nights from most backyards. The maria, quite similar to Earth's basalts, generally flowed long distances ultimately flooding low- lying areas such as impact basins. Yet, the eruption sources for most of the lunar lava flows are difficult to identify. The difficulty in finding source areas results from burial by younger flows and/or erosion from meteoritic bombardment.

Generally, the overall slope of the surface, local topographic relief (small cliffs and depressions), and eruption direction influence the path of lava flows. Detailed maps of the geology of the Moon from photographs reveal areas of complicated lava layering. The study of rock layering is called stratigraphy.

On the Moon, older flows become covered by younger flows and/or become more pocked with impact craters.

On Earth, older lava flows tend to be more weathered (broken) and may have more vegetation than younger flows. Field geologists use difference in roughness, color, and chemistry to further differentiate between lava flows. They also follow the flow margins, channels, and levees to try to trace lava flows back to the source area.