Sunday 25 November 2007

Famous volcanoes


Vesuvius is a cone volcano which is currently dormant but has been very destructive and in AD 79 it erupted and resulted in the destruction of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Thousands of people were killed instantly by pyroclastic flows (most didn’t even see it coming). The area was buried under meters of ash. This is a youtube video here which can’t be embedded but I’ve put the link here. It is quite long but very good.

Mt St Helens
A more up to date eruption but still as strange. This will be good for S2 as you will have to do a newspaper report on this eruption or an earthquake of your choice (!!), probably San Francisco 1906 for homework. If you are reading this you get an extra length of time to do it. Well done! Don’t tell the rest of the class - just smile in class and you and I will know your secret. Short video here.





Look also at the brilliant Rob Chambers links on Mt St Helens at this link to help you investigate this.



Here's also a wee Penalty Shoot out game to revise this! Don’t get carried away and only play then forget your homework. Also another game here. Have fun!



After your homework you may want to have a go at this game.This is from the ISDR (International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) and has many disaster simulations for you to try. For now just start with the earthquake disaster and see how well you get on with managing your population. This game will help you to think what governments might do during an earthquake and some of the decisions they have to make. Click on the image to go to the site and wait for the earthquake scenario to come up.

1 comment:

SuzieDsouza said...

The eruption of famous volcanoes Vesuvius on the 24th and 25th of August, 79, unfolded Plinian and Pelean phases. The former lasted eighteen to twenty hours, producing a rain of pumice southward of the cone; while the latter reached as far as Misenum and was largely concentrated to the west and northwest. Pompeii and Herculaneum were never rebuilt. The towns' locations were accidentally rediscovered in the 18th century. The area around Vesuvius is now open to visitors as a national park.