Science With Mr. Milstid

Mount Pinatubo: Predicting a Volcanic Eruption



 
Mount Pinatubo: Aftermath of a Volcanic Eruption

1. Was the Mount Pinatubo eruption a non-explosive or explosive eruption?
2. Based on your observations, what type of volcano is Mount Pinatubo? On what evidence do you base your answer?
3. Over what type of plate boundary is this volcano located? Is this tectonic setting consistent with your answer to the first question?
4. Because volcanologists were able to accurately predict the timing of this eruption, the lives of hundreds of people who evacuated the nearby area were probably saved. What evidence did the scientists observe that prompted them to call for an evacuation?

1. What problems did the inaccurate eruption forecast of the Tungurahua volcano cause for the people of Ecuador and what difficulties might this cause for community officials in the future?
2. What three variables do scientists monitor when attempting to forecast volcanic eruptions?
3. What are some of the hurdles that volcanologists face when trying to make accurate eruption forecasts?

1. Based on your observations of this video and previous videos you have seen, what type of volcanoes are Kilauea and the other Hawaiian volcanoes? On what evidence do you base your answer?
2. Does Hawai’i experience non-explosive or explosive eruptions?
3. Explain Hawaii’s setting in terms of plate boundaries. What makes it so unusual?

1. Describe what is happening throughout the eruption. What kind of material is being ejected by the volcano? Do you see lava? What happens to all of the ash?
2. Based on your observations, what type of volcano produced this eruption? On what evidence do you base your answer?
3. Based on the before and after images, identify ways in which both the volcano and surrounding area were changed by the 1980 eruption.
4. Based on the satellite images, how has the affected area changed in the time since the eruption?
5. What are some similarities and differences in the destruction caused by effusive and explosive eruptions? What, if anything, was surprising to you about the blowdown, lahar, and pyroclastic flow images?
6. What factors play a part in the recovery of vegetation (and wildlife) in areas affected by volcanic eruptions?

Tags: Case Studies, Earth Science, Volcanoes
Posted in Earth Science, Volcanoes