How Volcanoes Form

Lab Brief #2

🎯 Your mission

Learn the rule. Then catch nature using it.

⚡ The twist

Today's mountain was yesterday's ocean floor.

What you'll learn

Volcanoes form where magma from the mantle reaches Earth's surface. Shield volcanoes have gentle slopes with flowing lava, while composite volcanoes are steep with explosive eruptions.

Key words

volcano
A mountain where hot melted rock can burst out of the Earth.

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: where will the water go first?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Build a working model of a volcano using baking soda and vinegar. Observe the eruption and explain what causes real volcanic eruptions.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Compare the before and after states.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write your conclusion: did the results match your hypothesis? What would you change next time?

Question 1 of 3

What is a volcano?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

What type of rock forms from cooled magma?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

How do fossils form?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🪨 Every grain of sand on every beach used to be a mountain.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: How Sinkholes Form All lessons

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This is shaping the ground you walk on, slowly, every single day.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Find a rock outside and try to guess how old it is.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the slowest change you can think of?”

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How Volcanoes Form

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