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Volcanic Erosion
4th Grade
Michael Boehm, Cindy Bradley
Benchmarks & Objective:
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ES-10: Describe evidence of changes on Earth’s surface in terms of slow processes (e.g.
erosion, weathering, mountain building, and deposition) and rapid processes (e.g.
volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides)
Materials:
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Science journals
Styrofoam balls (3”-4” diameter works well)
Potting soil
Elmer’s Glue
Coke
Antacid tablets
Film containers (the small, plastic bottles that hold film rolls)
Target Concept:
Students will learn about the destructive nature of volcanoes and how they contribute to erosion.
Initial Introduction:
The teacher should first prompt the students about erosion with questions like:
1. What is erosion?
2. What causes erosion?
3. What are some signs of erosion?
4. On what time scale does erosion occur?
5. What is a volcano?
6. Do volcanoes erode Earth’s surface?
Now, with them thinking about volcanoes and erosion ask them how we can visualize how much
destruction a volcano causes. Additionally, ask them what the erosion would look like.
Procedure:
Day Zero
1. The teacher will need access to a power sander and drill press.
2. Take the Styrofoam balls and sand one portion flat then randomly sand the sides at different
angles
a. The ball should be able to sit on a table without rolling if this step is done correctly.
3. Drill a 1” hole in the center of the flat side, but DO NOT drill all the way through the
Styrofoam ball
a. This 1” hole is simply there to offer a place to put the ball onto the film bottle
4. Drill a ¼” hole through the center of the entire ball
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Day One
1. Pass out the balls to each student
2. Pass out some glue for each student
3. Have the students smear glue onto the entire surface of the ball (except the flattened
portion)
4. Walk around the classroom with the bag of potting soil and have the students dip their
ball into the soil
a. You don’t want the glue to completely set so run Steps 5-9 shortly after
5. Pass out the film bottles
6. Pour the Coke half-way up the bottle
7. Pass out 1 antacid tablet to each student and have them break it into smaller pieces
8. Have the students dump the tablet pieces into the film bottle and then press the ball onto
the film bottle (the film bottle should just barely fit into the 1” hole you drilled)
9. Have the students make observations
a. Is there erosion?
b. How much erosion?
c. How do you know there’s erosion?
Target Observations:
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Volcanoes cause erosion
Volcanoes erode surfaces over a very short time scale
Volcanoes are very destructive
Final Target Concept:
When a volcano erupts the soil and mountain around it will be eroded, often times causing
serious geological changes and even death to animals and humans. The erosion that occurs
happens over a very short time scale.
Summary & Discussion:
The teacher should prompt the students about what they observed. You should discuss how
much erosion occurred, how fast it was and how the experiment compares to real life. The
teacher can discuss what would happen if a real volcano erupted close to a city or town.
Vocabulary:
Erosion - displacement of soil, mud, rock or other particles by the agents of ocean currents,
wind, water, or ice by downward or down-slope movement in response to gravity or by living
organisms
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