Activity: Volcano and earthquake challenge with MC Grammar

Your class joins MC Grammar as he investigates the Natural History Museum and finds out about volcanoes and earthquakes.

Key Stage: KS2

Time required: Video - 15 minutes in total. Quiz and observation activity: 10-15 minutes

Volcano OR Earthquake challenge

MC Grammar learnt all about Volcanoes and Earthquakes in this challenge. But can you work out if each of these sentences is related to volcanoes or earthquakes?

The class can give an erupting-volcano hand action or a trembly-earthquake action to answer.

• This can happen when tectonic plates move close to each other and create pressure and vibrations: volcano or earthquake?
• This is an opening of the earth’s crust where magma flows out: volcano or earthquake?
• This can be eruptive or effusive: volcano or earthquake?
• This can be measured in the Richter scale: volcano or earthquake?
• This can be active, dormant or extinct: volcano or earthquake?
• Olympus Mons on Mars is an example of: volcano or earthquake?

Observation Station

Volcanic rock is formed when lava or magma cools down and becomes a solid. We call this type of rock igneous rock. Here are three different types of igneous rock from the Museum’s collection.

Investigate these igneous rocks by making observations.

• Describe these rocks - what colours, shapes and textures can you see?
• Are they all the same? What is different about them?
• One of these igneous rocks formed when lava cools down very quickly, maybe with water. Can you work out which one it is? Hint: sometimes it is called 'volcanic glass'.