Pumice

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/pumice

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. What is the material composition?Extremely vesicular, rough-textured volcanic glass, often containing crystals
2. What is the formation mechanism?Rapid cooling and simultaneous rapid depressurization of highly gas-charged magma/lava
3. What is pumice and why does it float?Pumice is a bubbly volcanic rock made of glass that has lots of tiny gas bubbles. Because the bubbles make it light, it can float on water.
4. How does pumice form during a volcanic eruption?When hot magma rises, the pressure drops and the gases inside come out like bubbles in soda. The magma cools fast and locks the bubbles in place, creating the porous rock.

Extrusive Igneous Rock: Rock formed from magma that erupts onto the Earth's surface and cools rapidly.
Exsolution: The process by which dissolved gases separate from a liquid, forming bubbles.
Pyroclastic Flow: A fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter that moves away from a volcano.