ArreniteVolcanoes and earthquakes
Read together
The Earth has layers: a thin crust, a thick hot mantle and a metal core. The crust is broken into large pieces called plates, which move very slowly.
Where plates meet, they can push, pull or slide past each other. This can cause earthquakes and volcanoes. Many are found around the Pacific Ocean in the “Ring of Fire”. The Philippines lies in it.
In 1991, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in one of the largest eruptions of the twentieth century. Careful monitoring and evacuations saved many lives.
Do it
- Draw the layers of the Earth and label them. Use a boiled egg as a model: shell, white, yolk.
- Make a baking-soda volcano: put two spoons of baking soda in a cup in a tray, add a little vinegar and watch it fizz.
- Find the Ring of Fire on a map and mark the Philippines, Japan, Chile and California.
- Practise earthquake safety: drop, cover and hold on under a sturdy table. Talk about where your safe places are.
Talk about it
- Why do earthquakes happen near plate edges?
- What should we do during an earthquake?
For the grown-up
About three-quarters of the world's active volcanoes and most of its earthquakes are in the Ring of Fire. The 1991 Pinatubo eruption killed hundreds of people, but thousands more were saved by warnings. Talk about safety calmly. Children in earthquake and typhoon regions benefit from simple, practised plans.
← Previous lesson Next lesson →
Where this comes from
- U.S. Geological Survey, information on plate tectonics, the Ring of Fire and the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo
- Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), information on Mount Pinatubo, earthquakes and volcano monitoring
- U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Earthquake safety: Drop, Cover and Hold On
Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.