Inquiry 18.1 Thinking About Volcanoes

Inquiry 19.1 Investigating Magma and New Landforms

Video: In the Path of a Killer Volcano – video follows scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and geologists from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology as they monitor and try to forecast the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines.

As you watch the video, identify and record in your notebook information about the following things:- two or more instruments or procedures that scientists used to monitor the volcano’s activity- Two or more signs that the volcano was about to erupt- one or more possible causes of the volcano’s eruption- two or more effects of the volcano’s eruption

Notebook entry worksheet

A. Did the scientists work in a group or alone when observing Mt. Pinatubo? Why do you think they did so?

B. How did the scientists monitor the volcano? What were the signs that it would erupt?

C. What were some of the risks posed by the volcano’s possible eruptions?

D. What could the scientists do to reduce or eliminate these risks?

E. What did the scientists consider when deciding whether to issue an alert?

F. In what way did the scientists communicate their ideas to others?

G. What challenges did the scientists face in deciding whether to issue an alert?

What other catastrophic events are related to volcanoes?

Are volcanoes destructive or constructive?

A.Scientists frequently work in a teams, often

for their own safety, to make and share predictions and observations.

BACK

B.Scientists use special tools and scientific

methods to look for the following changes in a volcano: emission of sulfur dioxide gas, growth fo the volcanic dome, increased seismic activity, and ejections of steams and ash cloudsBACK

C. People, houses, and military base personnel

and equipment could be harmed by the blast and its potential ash fall

BACK

D. By issuing an alert, or community warning,

and agreeing on an evacuation plan, scientists could reduce the risks to humans and property

BACK

E.The scientists did a risk analysis and

considered the type of volcanic eruption, the estimated number of people who might be exposed to it, and the number likely to suffer consequences. The scientists used these results to determine the options for reducing or eliminating risks.BACK

F. They recorded all of their information in daily

logs and communicated with local residents and the military base by holding town meetings and making sure that the alerts were disseminated to the entire community at risk.

BACK

G.Forecasting a catastrophic even can be

difficult and stressful. If few resources and little attention are given to a potential event and it does occur, human and property losses can be high. If many resources and much attention are given to a potential event and it does not occur, especially if an area is evacuated, money for unnecessary preventive measures has been lost. If the scientist make a wrong decision, they are at risk of losing both the community’s confidence and future governmental funding for monitoring.

BACK

TableConstructive (+): Destructive (-):