Physical Geography Natural Disasters Volcanoes Earthquakes

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Volcanoes & Earthquakes School Workshops

Physical Geography Natural Disasters & Extreme Earth processes

Volcanoes Workshops

One of the most popular Physical Geography topics we are asked for at Key Stage 2 is volcanoes. Often requested alongside earthquakes and natural disasters, volcanoes are very visual, and they illustrate an incredible earth process in a very dangerous and explosive way.

Occurring at plate boundaries, Volcanoes, or volcanic eruptions are the way in which gasses and molten lava are vented from within the earth's crust. There are different types of volcanoes and different types of volcanic eruptions. Beginning as a series of earthquakes caused by the pressure building up beneath the earth's surface, a volcano may vent gas or even lava over an extended period of time, or it may erupt more spectacularly, send a huge plume of gas high into the atmosphere, causing pyroclastic flows, landslides or significant lava flows.

There are plenty of examples you can use to illustrate your volcanoes lesson. Perhaps the most famous volcano is Vesuvius, whose eruption in AD 79 destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Early examples that were caught erupting on film include Mt St Helens in America, and Mt Pinatubo in the Philippines. While more recently, the volcanic activity in Grindavik, Iceland has been in the headlines.

Earthquake Workshops

Another form of natural disaster is an earthquake. Earthquakes are shockwaves caused by friction in the earth's crust. The outer shell of the earth, or the crust, is made up of a series of interlocking plates that very slowly move in different directions. At the boundaries where these plates meet, energy slowly builds up, and from time to time, is released in the form of an earthquake.

Earthquakes are measured on a magnitude scale from a very small number like 2, which is not felt, up to 8 or more, where extensive damage is caused. The recent earthquake in Japan was measured at 7.6. The scale is logarithmic, which means an increase of 1 magnitude means an earthquake 10 times more powerful. While small earthquakes occur multiple times a day across the globe, the very big earthquakes may only take place once every couple of years.

Within the earthquakes topic, you can teach about understanding the structure of the earth, the causes of an earthquake, epicentres, the types of energy waves involved, how they can damage buildings and cause tsunamis.

If you are looking for some ideas of how to teach natural disasters such as earthquakes or volcanoes to your class in an engaging and memorable way, we have a number of workshops able to describe and demonstrate key aspects of these key geographical topics.