Lesson: Mapping the Ash Cloud

Plate Tectonics is a key part of Geography, particularly with regards to studying the effects of tectonic hazards - volcanoes and earthquakes. With the proliferation of recent tectonic events, teachers should have ample material for demonstrating geographic relevance in the classroom. Some examples include:

• 2010 - Earthquake, Chile (Maule)
• 2010 - Volcanic Eruption, Eyjafjallajökull
• 2011 - Earthquake, New Zealand
• 2011 - Earthquake and Tsunami, Japan

Of course, there are classic case studies that are useful even now, such as the 1995 Kobe earthquake (a great example for students to critique government response) and the 1995 Montserrat Eruption, for which there is a proliferation of resources. These also allow us to examine long-term effects. However, with a focus on recent events, I developed a resource pack based around the Maule earthquake and the Eyjafjallajokull eruption. This post contains the first lesson from the Eyjafjallajokull portion. 

This lesson focusses on map skills and familiarising students with the scope of this particular event. I would suggest that this is a Y9+ activity, but as with most things can be modified (feel free to) for older or younger students. 

Ideally, there will be a brief introduction or starter i.e. students should be aware of the event before diving into the mapping. 

Lesson

Lesson 1: Mapping the Ash Cloud (Map skills and overlays)

Topic: Using maps to map the movement of the Eyjafjallajökull ash cloud over a 48-72 hour period.

Rationale and outcomes: Students will become familiar with creating overlay maps, and build on prior knowledge of drawing maps with BOLTSS. They will also gain skills in visual analysis of maps. If the extension activity is undertaken, students will also learn about correlation, and be able to identify relationships between different phenomena.

Procedure:

1. Using the following URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8625813.stm , find images of the ash clouds every 24 hours over a 48-72 hour period.
2. Students will then create a base map of Europe, the North Atlantic, and North Asia, labelling country boundaries and capital cities. Ensure that they include BOLTSS in these maps.
3. Students will then use the images (most likely as printouts – perhaps they can share in pairs?) and tracing paper to create 3 overlay maps (make sure that they are dated!). Have them arrange them in order above the base map – the map with the earliest date should be closest to the map, and that with the most recent date should be farther away.
4. Students will then use their maps to answer the following questions:

•  Describe the movement of the ash cloud over the 3 days. Make reference to the specific locations and directions.
•  Using your map, list the capital cities in Europe that were affected by the ash cloud. How might they have been affected?

Extension: Have students research the weather patterns of the Earth at the time of the volcanic eruption. Describe any correlations between the weather patterns (wind, rain, etc) and the movement of the ash cloud. What effect might the weather have had on the ash cloud?

Assessment:

Formative – participation and attitude in class

Summative – completed maps and questions

A couple of video resources:

This is a BBC News report:

This is a beautiful time-lapse video by Sean Steigemeier:

Some links to information and images:

• Wikipedia Entry on the 2010 Eruption
• NASA Images
• USGS - Collates links to other useful sites
• BBC article - column on the side of the page contains lots of other useful BBC articles and features