VOLCANOES

What is a Volcano? A volcano is a landform (usually a mountain) where molten rock erupts through the surface of the planet. In simple terms a volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock (magma) below the surface of the earth. It is a hole in the Earth from which molten rock and gas erupt. Did you know? The name "volcano" has its origin from the name of Vulcan, a god of fire in Roman mythology. As pressure in the molten rock builds up it needs to escape somewhere. So it forces its way up fissures which are narrow cracks in the earths crust. Once the magma erupts through the earths surface its called lava. What is the difference between lava and Magma? Magma is liquid rock inside a volcano. Lava is liquid rock (magma) that flows out of a volcano. Fresh lava ranges from 1,300 to 2,200 F (700 to 1,200 C) in temperature and glows red hot to white hot as it flows. How many volcanoes are there in the world? There are around 1510 'active' volcanoes in the world. We currently know of 80 or more which are under the oceans.

What are the three layers the Earth is made of? 1. Crust The crust is the outer layer of Earth. It is about 18 miles thick. It is the part we live on. 2. Mantle The second layer is called the mantle. It is about 1,800 miles thick. 3. Core The inner layer is called the core.

What causes volcanoes to erupt? The Earth's crust is made up of huge slabs called plates, which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. These plates sometimes move. Between the Earth's crust and the mantle is a substance called magma which is made of rock and gases. When two plates collide, one section slides on top of the other, the one beneath is pushed down. Magma is squeezed up between two plates. Did you know? Volcanoes are like giant safety valves that release the pressure that builds up inside the Earth. When magma erupts, what is it called? When magma erupts through the earth's surface it is called lava What is the Ring of Fire? Over half of the worlds volcanoes arise in a belt around the Pacific Ocean called the Ring of Fire.

TRY THIS AT HOME! (BAKING SODA VOLCANO)

What do you need:

6 cups of flour 2 cups of salt 4 tablespoons cooking oil 2 tablespoons of baking soda dishwashing detergent food color vinegar warm water baking dish or pan

How to do it?
First, make the cone of the baking soda volcano. Mix 6 cups flour, 2 cups salt, 4 tablespoons cooking oil and 2 cups warm water. The mixture should be smooth and firm. Add more warm water if needed. Stand the soda bottle in the baking pan and mold the dough around it into a volcano shape. *Don't cover the opening or drop dough in it. Fill the bottle most of the way full with warm water and a bit of red food color. Add 6 drops of detergent to the bottle contents. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda to the contents. Slowly pour vinegar into the bottle.

Watch the eruption!

EXPLANATION:
Why does this happen? The red lava is the result of a chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar. In this reaction, the carbon dioxide gas is produced, pressure builds up inside the plastic bottle until the gas bubbles out of the volcano. This is a good representation of what happens in real volcanoes.

Funny Science Facts

Rabbits and parrots can see behind themselves without even moving their heads! Butterflies taste food by standing on top of it! Their taste receptors are in their feet unlike humans who have most on their tongue. Most of the dust in your home is actually dead skin! Yuck! Although the Stegosaurus dinosaur was over 9 metres long, its brain was only the size of a walnut. Humans get a little taller in space because there is no gravity pulling down on them. Because of the unusual shape of their legs, kangaroos and emus struggle to walk backwards. A hippopotamus may seem huge but it can still run faster than a man. Even if an analog clock is broken, at least it shows the correct time twice a day. Sneezing with your eyes open is impossible. The trickiest tongue twister in the English language is apparently "Sixth sick sheiks sixth sheeps sick". Give it a try and see for yourself.

Facts About Endangered Animals

The saddest fact is that human activities are bringing an ever-increasing decline in the number of animal species. While numerable species have gone into extinction and belong to the museums of the world, there are still many that are endangered as of today. They are slowly moving towards being extinct. There are animal activists around the world, who are making every attempt to save these species. Here are some interesting facts about endangered animals Presently there are 38 known species of mammals that are extinct. However, of them there are some that are kept in captivity with scientists trying to save them from going extinct. With global warming becoming a major issue, the fact is the existing 28,270 animal species of mammals are threatened by the harms done to the planet. 6,524 vertebrate-species were listed as threatened, in the year 2006. In the same year 2006 2,101 invertebrate-species were listed to be threatened. In 2006, 253 fish-species were listed as critically endangered. In 2006, 442 amphibian-species were listed as critically endangered. 81 species of animals are considered extinct or critically endangered, as well as endangered or vulnerable. The number of animal listed in the U.S.A., is 935. There are over 1,000 animal species that are endangered at varied levels, across the world. The endangered animal species are classified into the following for categories: The vulnerable species : They are not a threatened species, but are at risk because of their natural declining numbers. The threatened species : This is that category of species that are adequate in numbers, but are facing high-risk in their natural surroundings that can lead to the probability of extinction. Examples of such species are eastern indigo snake and the red kangaroo. The endangered species : This category includes species that are in the immediate probability of becoming extinct. These species require protection to exist. Examples of such species are the Siberian tiger, the southern

Endangered Species/Species Terancam: Reptiles

Common name: American Alligator Scientific name: Alligator Mississippiensis Historic range: Southeastern United States and East Texas

Common name: Concho Water Snake Scientific name: Nerodia Paucimaculata Historic range: Central, West Texas

Endangered Species: Birds

Common name: Bald Eagle Scientific name: Haliaeetus Leucocephalus Historic range: North America south to New Mexico, including Central and East Texas

Common name: Interior Least Tern Scientific name: Sterna Antillarum Historic range: Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Mississippi River basin, Greater and Lesser Antilles, Bahamas, Mexico, winters in Central America, northern South America. Terns can be found in North, East and Central Texas

Common name: Black-capped Vireo Scientific name: Vireo Atricapillus Historic range: Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Central and West Texas

Common name: Peregrine Falcon Scientific name: Falco Peregrinus Anatum Historic range: Nests from central Alaska across north-central Canada, to central Mexico, winters in South America. In Texas, falcons can be found in the Rio Grande Valley

Common name: Whooping Crane Scientific name: Grus Americana Historic range: Central and Western North America, winters near Gulf of Mexico from Florida to central Mexico. In Texas, whooping cranes nest throughout North, East and Central Texas

Common name: Red-cockaded Woodpecker Scientific name: Picoides Borealis Historic range: South central and Southeastern United States, including East Texas

Why is the sky blue?

Follow these instructions to find out why the sky is blue and sunsets are red.

What you need What to do What's happening

On a clear day, the sky looks bright blue. At dusk, a sunset can show reds, pinks and oranges. Why is the sky blue? What makes the sunset red? Try this activity to find out.
You will need

To do this activity you need to collect:

a large glass jar or vase water milk or powdered milk a torch a dark room.

What to do 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Fill the jar with water. Add a few drops of milk or half a teaspoon of powdered milk. Switch on the torch and shine down into the water - it should appear blue. Shine the torch through one side of the jar. The torch should be near the middle. Go to the other side and look at the light through the water. The water should appear pink, while the area directly in line with the torch should appear a yellow-orange colour.

What's happening

When you look up in the sky it is actually scattered blue light that you are seeing. The sun produces white light, which is made up of light of all colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet - these are the colours you find in a rainbow. Light is a wave and each of these colours corresponds to a different frequency, and therefore wavelength, of light. The seven colours of the spectrum all have different wavelengths and they are arranged accordingly. Violet, indigo and blue light have a higher frequency - which means shorter wavelength - than red, orange, and yellow light. When the white light from the sun shines through the Earth's atmosphere, it collides with gas molecules. It is these molecules that scatter the light. Blue light has a high frequency, and it is scattered ten times more than red light. But why does the sky become pink and red at sunset? The sky changes colour because the atmosphere spreads the light in a different way according to the position of the sun. The red light that is not scattered continues on in its original direction. When the sun is on the horizon, its light takes a longer path through the atmosphere to your eyes than when the sun is directly overhead. By the time the light of the setting sun reaches your eyes, most of the blue light has been scattered out. The light you finally see is reddish orange, the colour of white light minus blue. In this activity you changed the colour you saw by changing the position of the beam of light. Similarly, the sky appears a different colour depending on the position of the sun. The water containing milk molecules causes the light to scatter in the same way the molecules in the atmosphere do.

The atmosphere is the mixture of gas molecules and other materials surrounding the earth. It is made mostly of the gases nitrogen and oxygen. Argon gas and water are the next most common things. There are also small amounts of other gases, plus many small solid particles like dust, soot and ashes, pollen, and salt from the oceans. It is these molecules and particles that cause the scattering of light. The most brilliant sunsets occur when there are lots dust and smoke particles in the air - so beautiful sunsets often occur over polluted cities.