Why are volcanic eruptions so different?

We are continuing with our natural hazards theme with 'Bubble-mania; the bubbling clues to magma viscosity and eruptions'.

This ELI is a simple test of the viscosity of two similar-looking liquids, linked to volcanic eruption style.

Many more 'volcanic' ELIs can be found under Volcanoes in our Natural Hazards category.

How can volcanic eruptions be predicted?

Continuing our natural hazards theme, our ELI today is 'When will it blow? – predicting eruptions; how a simple tiltmeter can demonstrate the bulging of a volcano before eruption'.

There is also a teaching video demonstrating this activity. You might enjoy watching another video too!

This activity demonstrates how a simple ‘tiltmeter’ can show the bulging of a volcano before eruption – using trays of water to highlight ‘bulging’ as a bag or balloon is inflated.

Related activities can be found in our Natural Hazards category - Volcanoes.

Why are some lavas more dangerous than others?

The new ELI today is an extension of one we published many years ago, 'See how they run; investigate why some lavas flow further and more quickly than others'.

This activity involves an investigation into some of the factors which can affect the viscosity of lavas. The two activities included involve varying the temperature and composition of the 'lava' using treacle and honey.

Other related activities can be found in our Natural Hazards category - Volcanoes.

Soil erosion - why do some fields lose their soil while others do not?

Our ELI today is "Why does soil get washed away? - investigating why some farmers lose their soil through erosion whilst others do not".

This ELI investigates the effect of vegetation cover in protecting soil from erosion in heavy rainfall. It provides the opportunity to explore some of the factors involved in limiting soil erosion. A teaching video accompanies this activity.

The extension to the activity also gives some good ideas, including painting with different soil types.

Related activities can be found in our Earth Materials category - Soils and in Earth processes - Sedimentary processes.

Dramatic geological events - natural hazards

Our ELI today is 'What catastrophic natural processes affected your region in the geological past? Use the evidence in your local region to interpret dramatic geological events'.

Several photographs are used to stimulate discussion about possible rapid geological processes in the past which might have had “catastrophic” outcomes if there had been humans on the Earth at those times.

Many related activities can be found in our Natural Hazards category.

Igneous rocks plus a list of other revision activities

Now we are approaching exam time, our ELI today is a good revision exercise, as are the other activities in the 'Picturing . .' series - 'Picturing igneous rocks 1 - visualise and draw igneous rocks from a verbal description'.

This ELI enhances pupils’ skills of description and interpretation using photographs of igneous rocks and scenery. It could form a useful revision activity. The answers to the matching exercise are given in the back-up text.

Related revision activities can be found in the table at the end of each 'Picturing . . ' activity:

Rock history of an exceptional piece of slate

Following on from looking at metamorphic rocks last week, today we investigate an exceptional piece of slate - 'Every rock tells a story; reading the rock history from an exceptional specimen of slate'.

This ELI gives a detailed analysis of structures of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic origin in a single rock specimen. The photo of the specimen is fully annotated in the activity.

Related activities can be found in Rocks in our Earth Materials category.