the great northwest
VOLCANOES CAST LONG SHADOWS
a lesson about the volcanoes of the Northwest
Mt. St. Helen 1980
The eruption of Mt. St. Helen in 1980

by Timothy McDonnell

Victor Jr. High School
Victor, NY

CONNECTIONS TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:
The geographically informed person knows and unders:
Std. 1 - How to use maps and other geogrpahic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
Std. 7 - The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth’s surface.
Std. 15 - How physical systems affect human systems.

CONNECTIONS TO THE NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS FOR MATH, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY:
Std. 4.2 - Many of the phenomena that we observe on Earth involve interactions among components of air, water, and land.
Std. 4.6 - Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment.
Std. 7.1 - Solving interdisciplinary problems involves a varitey of skills and strategies.

OBJECTIVES (to know, to do, and to be like):
1. Students will describe the plate motions of the Earth’s crust that produce the volcanoes of the Northwest (and the Pacific Rim as a whole).
2. They will compare images of Mt. St. Helens before and after its 1980 eruption to determine zones of destruction, and the return of life.
3. They will sketch a profile of Mt. St. Helens to show its shape after the eruption.
4. They will model a volcanic mudslide by pouring a slurry on a plastic volcano.
5. They will look at a map of ancient mudslides of Mt. Rainier, and they will determine the zone of danger caused by this volcanic mountain.

MATERIALS:  Activity Worksheet (in pdf format), plate tectonic map from USGS, article "Understanding Plate Tectonics" from USGS, computer with internet access, model volcano, water and mud, map of Mt. Rainier and environs
(Suggested website: Topozone).

PROCEDURES:
1. Review with students how the collision of plates (North American and Juan de Fucan) are producing magma, which it turns causes volcanic eruptions. Answer questions on worksheet.
2. Have students visit the Earthshots website. (http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/earthshots/slow/tableofcontents).
Find the link for Mt. St. Helens. There are many great images of the volcano from three different dates. They should analyze the images to determine changes to the mountain, the valleys below, the forests, etc.
Responses should be recorded on the worksheet.
3. Using a map made by USGS, the students produce contour profiles of Mt. St. Helens before and after the eruption.
4. Make a model of a volcano using wadded newspaper and a tarp. Produce mudslides by following directions on worksheet.
5. Have students look at a topographic map of Mt. St. Helens. During the 1980 eruption, much of the destruction power came from mudslides. Have them predict where they think the mudslides went.
6. Apply this information to Mt. Rainier, which is very close to metropolitan Seattle-Tacoma. They need to decide, after looking at a map of ancient mudslides, where the areas of greatest danger for future eruptions occur.

SUGGESTED STUDENT ASSESSMENT:
1. Assess their responses to the worksheet, especially their predictions about mudslides.
2. See if they can apply their knowledge of plate tectonics in the Pacific Northwest to other places of the world, such as the Andes Mountains or Japan.
3. Have the students debate the pros and cons of living in the shadow of volcanoes.

ADAPTATIONS AND EXTENSIONS:
1. Have students do additional research on other volcanoes of the Northwest (Mt.Shasta, Mt. Hood, or Mt. Mazama, which produced Crater Lake).
2. Have students come up with a plan of evacuation for populated areas around Mt. Rainier in the event of a major eruption.
3. Younger students could do some of these activities, but with less emphasis on plate tectonics and more on the mechanics of an erupting volcano.


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