Hot Spot Volcano (Juliana Capra)

Author

Juliana Capra

Principle(s) Illustrated

1. Convection of fluids

2. Heat transfer

3. Formation of hot spot volcanoes

4. Density

Standards

• MS- ESS 2-1: All Earth's processes are the result of energy flowing and Matter cycling within and among the planet's systems.

• MS- ESS 2-1: Models can be used to represent Systems and their interactions

Questioning Script

Prior knowledge & experience:

Students already know the driving force behind heat transfer beneath Earth's surface

Students know how the fluids move with convection- that warmer and less dense fluids rise, and colder more dense fluids sink

Root question:

1. What causes the wax to rise from the sand and move towards the surface of the water?

2. How does this relate to hot spot volcano formation?

Target response:

1. The process of convection (movement of fluids during heat transfer) causes the fluid to become less dense and rise above the cooler fluid that is more dense. As the fluid cools it becomes more dense and sinks beneath the warmer fluid.

2. Convection is the heat transfer process that causes the movement of material (mantle) beneath Earth's crust. Some spots of the Earth's crust are thinner and form a weak spot. As mantle convects and pressure changes, the material is able to break through the crust and create an opening. This newly created opening is what we refer to as a volcano. Volcanoes that form usually away from plate boundaries and near weakened spots in Earth's crust are referred to as hot spot volcanoes. Famous hot spot volcanoes include the Hawaiian Island volcanic chain and Yellowstone park in Wyoming.

Common Misconceptions:

Pressure is the only cause for the wax to bubble up from beneath the sand

Photographs and Movies

Juliana's YouTube video demonstration

References

Reference 1: Oregon State University's website reference for Hot Spot volcanos:

Reference 2: National Geographic's encyclopedia reference on volcanoes

Reference 3: Royal Society of Chemistry's guide for wax and sand volcano activity