Teacher Resources

Making and Mapping the Albuquerque Volcanoes
Objective:
• Know how the Albuquerque volcanoes produced their lava flows • Construct a model of the Albuquerque volcanoes and flows • Follow a procedure to produce a sequence of flows and interpret flows • Observe, draw and record data
General Information:
Suggested Grade: 3-9 Group Size: 25-30 Duration: About 45 minutes
Materials:
• Small paper cups, spoons, paper towels • Large piece of cardboard • Playdoh, at least 4 different colors • Tape • Baking soda and vinegar • Color markers or crayons of the same color as the playdoh • Paper and pencils
Background:
Students, working in groups, will produce a sequence of lava flows and map them as would a geologist by observation, recording and interpreting the history of the eruptions.
Procedure:
1. This activity may be done by groups of students or individually. 2. Tape 5 small paper cups in a line to the cardboard. These are your volcano source vents. 3. Place one spoon full of baking soda in each cup. Add vinegar to each cup and watch the simultaneous eruptions. When the lava stops, quickly draw around the flow edges with the pencil or marker. 4. Wipe up the fluid with paper towels. Use a thin layer of playdoh to cover the area where the lava flowed. 5. On a separate sheet of paper record the information about the flow. Indicate the shape, direction, thickness, timing, color it has been assigned. 6. Repeat steps 3-5 until you have produced 4-6 flow units. You may add fresh baking soda or remove excess vinegar in the source vent cups as needed. Be sure to mark where the flows go over previous flows. Cover the entire area of each succeeding flow with playdoh of a different color.
Discussion Questions :
• Look at the volcanoes and lava flows and describe what you see. Where is the oldest flow, the youngest? • Did the flows always follow the same paths? What do you think influences the directions of the flows? • If you had not watched and mapped the eruptions, how would you know that there were many different eruptions and layers? (This is exactly what a geologist must do when mapping older eruptions)
Extensions:
Have the students write a “filed geology report” about this fissure line small volcanoes and flows. This short history of the volcanoes should include the sequence of flows and a geologic map color-coded to represent the different flow units. Research the Albuquerque volcanoes and compare and contrast them with the model you have just produced. Have several teams each produce a volcano with a series of flows, then trade with other teams who must interpret what they see and draw a map of the volcano and its flows. Ask the students to come up with the ways they should “see” the flows beneath the surface or distinguish between flow units.
Resources:
Volcanoes of New Mexico web site (access through the NM Museum of Natural History and Science web site www.NMnaturalhistory.org Volcanology in New Mexico, Bulletin #18, NMMNHS edited by L.S. Crumpler and S. Lucas, 2001 Volcanoes of North America, edited by C.A. Wood and J. Kienle, Cambridge University Press, 1990.