Eruption column

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/eruption-column

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is Eruption column?Can reach the stratosphere, exceeding 50 kilometers (30 miles) in extreme cases
2. What is the scientific name?Eruption column
3. What is the primary driving force?Expansion of volcanic gases and buoyancy of hot ash and gas mixture
4. Why can eruption columns be dangerous for airplanes?The ash in the column can get into engines, damage them, and cause flights to cancel.
5. Where does the ash from a very tall eruption column go?It can reach the stratosphere, stay there for months or years, and be carried around the world by high winds.

Pyroclastic Flow: A fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter that flows along the ground.
Terminal Velocity: The constant speed that a freely falling object eventually reaches when the resistance of the medium through which it is falling prevents further acceleration.
Aerosols: Tiny solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in the atmosphere, such as volcanic ash and sulfur dioxide.