Famous Eruptions and a Shifting Earth

Science · Volcanoes & Earthquakes · ages 9-11

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What is Pangaea?
- A type of volcano found only in Iceland
- A former supercontinent
- A tool scientists use to measure earthquakes
What happened at Mount St Helens in 1980?
- A landslide led to a sideways blast
- It slowly filled with lava and stayed the same shape
- It turned into a lake
Ash and gas from a huge eruption can affect weather far from the volcano.
Circle one: True False
After a large eruption, less sunlight reaches Earth's surface for several months. If other conditions stay the same, what would you expect?
- A lower global average temperature
- A higher global average temperature
- An unchanged global average temperature
Why did the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland cause trouble for people far away?
- It caused a tsunami that reached North America
- It melted all the snow in Iceland overnight
- Ash over Europe grounded flights
The eruption years are 1980 for Mount St Helens and 2010 for Eyjafjallajokull. What is the difference between these years?
Answer: ______________
After a large eruption, scientists measured a small drop in global average temperature for several months. Sulfur dioxide had reached high into the atmosphere. What best explains the cooling?
- Cold lava cooled the whole planet
- The eruption made the sun shine less bright forever
- Sulfate droplets reflected sunlight
A classmate says continents have always been exactly where they are today. What is wrong with that idea?
- Continents only move during a volcanic eruption
- They drifted apart from Pangaea
- Continents swap places every hundred years

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Famous Eruptions and a Shifting Earth W1-mt_rML9unnd9x-s1

A former supercontinent · Pangaea was a vast landmass joining most continental land. It later broke apart as plates moved.
A landslide led to a sideways blast · A landslide removed the northern flank. This released pressure and triggered a sideways blast. Ash then spread far from the volcano.
True · Wind can carry erupted material far away. Ash can darken distant skies, and droplets formed from volcanic gas can reduce sunlight below.
A lower global average temperature · Reflecting sunlight leaves less energy to warm Earth's surface. This can lower the global average temperature for a time, without cooling every place.
Ash over Europe grounded flights · The ash cloud spread over European skies, and airlines canceled flights because ash can damage jet engines.
30 · 2010 minus 1980 equals 30 years between the two eruptions.
Sulfate droplets reflected sunlight · Sulfur dioxide formed sulfate droplets high in the atmosphere. They reflected sunlight, reducing surface warming and lowering the global average temperature for a time.
They drifted apart from Pangaea · Continental land once joined in Pangaea lies in separate continents today. Slow plate motion accumulated over millions of years to change those positions.