This month�s theme: Volcanoes

ContentsFeature Fun pageFamous Places Next MonthFrom the Attic

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October, 2005

From theProspector

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Howdy New Prospectors!

Welcome to the fourthgrade and the Pros-pector Club Junior

Historian Program. My name islucky Noah and I’m in charge ofwriting your monthly newsletter.Although most of the time I’mout in the mountains looking forgold, my mule and I have anoffice in the basement of theState Historical Museum, whichis located in Boise, our state’scapitol city.

This is the first of eightnewsletters you will receive as aprospector. Each issue will haveexciting stories on a differentIdaho history topic and funactivities for you and your classto do. For this month’s theme,prepare to go way back inhistory to ancient Idaho, whengiant volcanoes covered the landin lava and ash.t

When does Idahohistory begin? Doesit start when we

became a state in 1890 or whenwe became a territory in 1863?Those dates might seem farenough back to someone whois studying Idaho history forthe first time, but a historianmight consider going backeven further. After all, goldminers, Oregon Trail pioneers,and fur trappers had beencrisscrossing the state eversince the Lewis and ClarkExpedition crossed our moun-tains on the way to the PacificOcean in 1805. But maybeIdaho history starts even

further back than that. Forthousands of years, NativeAmerican tribes lived and workedin what is now Idaho. It is hardto tell for sure, but some arche-ologists think the first peoplemight have arrived in Idaho12,000 years ago. Is that whenIdaho History begins? For somescholars, the arrival of the firstpeople marks the beginning ofour history, but there are otherswho would disagree. Geologists,scientists who study the Earth,point out that before people cameto Idaho, there were importantgeological events that made ourstate what it is today. Thousandsof years ago, giant volcanoes

Volcanic Idaho

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ripped through the earth andchanged the Idaho landscape. If you were to visit southernIdaho 15,000 years ago thingswould look startlingly different.Imagine a landscape that replacespeople with giant sloths andenormous mammoths. Picture ascene that has no towns, orhouses, or cars, but has steamingrivers of red hot lava bubblingover the ground. It might be hardto believe, but Idaho at one timehad some of the biggest volca-noes in the world. Even morestartling than that, one day in thefuture volcanoes and lava willonce again return to the state. There are two series ofvolcanic events that shapedsouthern Idaho, the first startedabout 17,000 years ago near whatis now the border of Oregon andIdaho. Scientists aren’t sureexactly what happened, butsomething opened a hole deepinto the Earth’s crust that letintense heat escape to the surface.Holes like this are known as hotspots. As the heat moves upwardit melts rock into a liquid calledmagma. When enough pressurebuilds up, the magma, along withgases and ash, explodes throughthe surface in a volcanic eruption.A hot spot is a rare and uniquephenomenon because it doesn’tonly form one volcano, but awhole chain. Remember that theearth’s surface is not stable.Although it doesn’t seem tomove, the continent below ourfeet is moving a few centimetersevery year. This is called conti-nental drift. Imagine holding a

match below a piece of paper.The match is like the volcanic hotspot and the paper is the outersurface of the earth that we callcontinental plates. The match’sheat will quickly burn through thepaper. Imagine that hole as a hot

spot volcano. Now hold thematch steady, but move the papervery slowly in one direction justlike the continents move. Thematch will burn new holes, all ina line. Imagine each new hole asanother volcano. That’s whathappened in southern Idaho. These volcanoes were tremen-dous in size and power, throwingash thousands of miles into the airand in some places leaving lavaover 700 feet deep. As time wenton, the older volcanoes in theWest died out and newer ones inthe East became active. If youlook at a map you can see the path

they made by looking at the SnakeRiver Plain. The hot spot isn’tgone. If you follow the SnakeRiver plain east you can see that itends at Yellowstone NationalPark. That’s the latest location forthe volcano. Most people don’trealize it, but Yellowstone is agiant caldera (volcano mouth). Ithas erupted in the past and oneday it will erupt again. After the hot spots movedthrough, another series of volca-nic events shook Idaho. Scientistsaren’t sure what caused these laterevents, but most think it hassomething to do with heat andmagma left behind by the hotspot. Across southern Idaho,from west to east, smaller volca-noes, called shield volcanoes,slowly grew from the earth andpoured thick black lava calledbasalt over the landscape. Evi-dence for these volcanoes is easyto find. From Mountain Home toMenan, tiny shield volcanoes stillpoke out from the flat SnakeRiver Plain. The most startlingexample is in south central Idahoat Craters of the Moon NationalMonument. Here, basalt from2,000 years ago covers the groundlike thick black frosting. You canpeer into the mouth of small ashvolcanoes called cinder cones andexplore tunnels that once flowedwith liquid rock called lava tubes.The volcanic activity at Craters ofthe Moon is not over. Just likeYellowstone, Craters of the Moonwill one day erupt again, shootinglava and ash into the Idaho sky.t

Volcanic Idaho Continued

Famous Places

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Although it might not lookthat way, YellowstoneNational Park sits in the

caldera of one of the biggestvolcanoes of the world. Not farbelow the hotels and parking lotsand tourists’ feet sits asource of almost unbeliev-able heat. It is this heatthat causes the geologicalfeatures that makeYellowstone famous. Inplaces in the park, theground beneath the surfacesis a maze of cracks andtunnels. When water seepsinto these chambers andcomes into contact with thevolcanic heat below spec-tacular things can happen.If the heated water can

quickly escape back to the sur-face, hissing fountains calledgeysers can form. Old Faithful,by the park’s hotel is the mostfamous example. On the otherhand, if there isn’t enough cold

water or if the heat source isn’thot enough, large colorful poolscalled warm springs are created.In still other locations in the park,the heat is intense, but there islittle water seeping through the

ground. Here, steam ventscalled fumaroles and bub-bling thick pools called mudpots can develop. Yellowstone was theUnited States’ first nationalparks. One of the reasons itwas protected was for itunique geology. Because ofthe foresight, generations farinto the future will enjoy theweird volcanic features ofthis treasured park.t

Yellowstone National Park

A geyser explodes at Yellowstone

From the Attic

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Rocks that form fromvolcanic activity are calledigneous rocks. Although

there are many kinds of igneousrocks there are only two you aremost likely to find across southernIdaho. Basalt is the most com-mon volcanic rock across thestate. It is easy to recognize onceyou know what to look for. Basaltis usually black because ithas a lot of iron metalinside of it and forms intochunky pieces that can havetiny holes or bubbles inthem. Occasionally basaltwill form spectacular cliffsthat look like rows androws of tall pillars. One ofthe best places in the stateto study basalt rock isCraters of the Moon Na-tional Monument.

Although it might seem old to us,the basalt at Craters is still veryyoung in geological time. Lavalast erupted from the ground alittle over 2,000 years ago. Backthen, when the basalt lava hard-ened, it took on weird shapes thatare still visible today. Sometimesthe lava formed soft rollingmounds that look like frozen

pancake batter. These rocks areknown as pahoehoe (pa-hoy-hoy)lava. Other times the lava hard-ened into spikes and points thatare as sharp as broken glass.These rocks are a’a (ah-ah) lava.The other type of igneous rockcommon in Southern Idaho isrhyolite. Rhyolite looks verydifferent than basalt. It is much

lighter in color andsometimes forms faintbands instead of thebubbles and holes inbasalt. Rhyolite lavacan be very dangerous.It doesn’t ooze andflow like basalt lava.Instead it can build upenormous pressure andexplode. The ancientsnake river volcanoeswere mostly made up ofrhyolite.t

Types of Lava

Pahoehoe lava looks soft and ropey

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The Fun Page

You live in a small town in the PacificNorthwest surrounded by three volcanoesthat are always erupting . Your job is to

figure out how to switch all of the mountainsfrom active to dormant so that your communitycan get some peace. Get three paper cups. Eachone of them stands for a different mountain.When a cup is right side up (with the hole ontop), the volcano is active. When a cup is upside

down, the volcano is dormant. Line the three cups upin a row. Start with the first and third cups dormant(hole side down), and the second cup active (hole sideup).Your job is to get all three cups to be dormant at thesame time. There are only two rules. 1) For eachmove you must turn over two cups at a time-never oneat a time 2) You only get three moves.

Can you save the town? Good luck!

Start like this

End like this

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First Move: Turn over the first andsecond cups.

Second Move: Turn over the first andthird cups.

Third Move: Turn over the first andsecond cups

Puzzle Solution

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Next Month�s Activities

I love sharing Idaho’s richhistory with you Prospectors,but writing a newsletter is

hard work. That’s where youcome in. Each month, I’ll ask forsubmissions for the next issue.As official junior historians youcan write stories, draw pictures,and turn in projects that we’llprint right here in the magazine. This month you can pick fromone of the activities listed belowor make up your own volcanoproject and send it to our prospec-tor headquarters. We’ll take someof your best work and print innext month’s magazine. Remem-ber to include your name, thetown and school where you arefrom, and the name of yourProspector Club. We can’t wait tosee what you come up with.

Mount St Helens Stirs: Idahoisn’t the only state with a volcanichistory. Nearby states like Cali-fornia, Oregon, and Washingtonhave all seen their share of erupt-ing volcanoes. One of thesevolcanoes, Mount St. Helens, hasonce again begun spitting steamand ash into the sky. Do someresearch in the library, newspaper,or internet and give the rest of theprospectors a short report about

the Washington mountain’shistory and current activity. Hasit exploded in the past? Do scien-tists think it might blow upanytime soon? What excitingfacts can you find out about ourdangerous neighbor?

Backyard Volcano: Even thoughit’s been a long time since Idahohas seen an erupting volcano,parts of the state are still volcani-cally active. What would happenif a volcano started to grow inyour local city park, or worse yet,your lawn? Write us a short story

or draw a picture showing whatwould happen in your town if youwoke up one morning and found avolcano in your backyard.

aMAZing Volcanoes: Whenvolcanoes erupt, people have toget out of the area fast. Flyingash, boiling mud, and red hot lavacan often make escape difficult.Choosing the right way to go iskind of like finding your waythrough a maze. Pretend a largevolcano is threatening a smalltown and you are the safetyworker in charge of gettingeveryone out. Draw a challengingmaze for the rest of the prospec-tors, where we have to find ourway out of town to a safety shelterfar from the volcano. Rememberto include lots of tricky twists andturns.

Send in your work by November15th to:

Prospector Club, Lucky NoahIdaho State Historical Museum610 North Julia Davis DriveBoise, ID 83702

Or email it to us atkzwolfer@ishs.state.id.us

A scene of devestation at Mt. SaintHelens

Resources for Teachers

Dear Idaho Teachers:

Welcome to the Prospector Club Newsletter. Eachmonth, in addition to the articles and student sections,we’ll try to include a short lesson plan pertaining tothat month’s theme. We’ll also include a bibliogra-phy of the resources we used to put together thatissue.

Please feel free to use this latter section of the news-letter to share your ideas with other educators across

the state. Do you have a sure-fire activity youdo in class to teach about the fur trade? Doyou have a great field trip for a class that isstudying the history of gold mining? Have youheard about a great training opportunity at alocal university? We want to hear from you.

Kurt Zwolfer, Education SpecialistIdaho State Historical Society.

Field Trip Ideas

There is evidence of volcanicactivity almost everywhere insouthern Idaho. Just a short tripout of town is probably all that isneeded to discover a basalt flow.There are several areas spreadthroughout the Snake River Plainthat yield impressive examples ofour volcanic history. They in-clude: Big Southern Butte andCraters of the Moon NationalMonument near Arco, ShoshoneIce Caves near Shoshone, HellsHalf Acre Lava Field betweenBlackfoot and Idaho Falls, and ofcourse Yellowstone NationalPark.

Books and Articles(Suited for adults)

Alt, D. and Hyndman, D.Roadside Geology of IdahoMountain Press Publishing Com-pany, 1989A thorough, but disjointed look atthe geology of Idaho

Alt, D. and Hyndman, D.Northwest exposures: A Geologi-cal Story of the NorthwestMountain Press Publishing group,1995Although it deals with Idaho, thisbook also gives an overview ofvolcanism in the nearby region

Krafft, M.Volcanoes: Fire from the EarthHarry N. Abrams, Inc., Publish-ers, 1993A small volume on the historyand science of volcanoes

Shallot, T. editorSnake: The Plain and its PeopleBoise State University. 1994

Not only is the easy-to- read booka great overview of the geologicalhistory of the Snake River Plain,but it also tells the story of thepeople and industry of southernIdaho. Highly recommended.

Web Resources

Yellowstonehttp://www.nps.gov/yell/The official web site ofYellowstone National Park

Craters of the Moonhttp://www.nps.gov/crmo/The official web site of Craters ofthe Moon National Monument

Lesson Plan

Goals of Lesson:

In a real volcano, molten rockfrom deep within the Earth ispushed through the surface byintense pressure and heat. Sincevolcanic eruptions are a rarephenomenon, people seldom get achance to witness this awesomespectacle. In this activity, stu-dents will get a chance to maketheir own mock volcano. Thesimulated eruption can be used asspringboard for lessons on history,science, or even writing.

Inventory:

Old aluminum pie tin, newspaper/plastic tablecloth/ or tarp, smallempty plastic soda bottle, 3tablespoons baking soda, ½ cupvinegar, a few drops of liquiddishwashing detergent, red foodcoloring, funnel, modeling clay orplay dough.

Activity:

This project is very messy. Startby covering up your work surface

with newspaper, table cloth, ortarp. Better yet, build your vol-cano outside. Place the sodabottle on the pie plate and thenhave the class build the mountainaround it by molding the clay.Make sure the opening of thebottle remains uncovered and noclay gets inside. If you want to getmore elaborate, have the kids addtwigs, grass, and leaves to the clayto represent vegetation.

After the mountain is complete,use the funnel to add the bakingsoda to the bottle. Follow thatwith about ½ cup of water, a fewdrops of dish detergent, and a fewdrops of red food coloring. Alittle glitter can also be added togive your eruption some extrasparkle.

When you are ready for theeruption, pour the vinegar into thebottle using the funnel. Quicklyremove the funnel and stand back.Your volcano should immediatelybegin to erupt with red, soapybubbles.

Discussion:

The mock eruption can be used toexplain the simple mechanics of avolcano. Molten rock and metaldeep below the earth’s surface isknown as magma. Extreme heatcan cause bubbles of carbondioxide and other gases in magmato expand. If there is a vent, likea volcano, this expanding magmawill rise to the surface and over-flow. Vinegar and baking soda,when mixed together, react tocreate carbon dioxide. The gasbottles build up inside the bottle,forcing the liquid and bubbles out.In this way, the clay volcano issimilar to a real volcano.

From here, the experiment can beused to go further into the scienceof volcanoes, the geography ofvolcanic sites in Idaho and thePacific Northwest, or even asinspiration to write a story about afirsthand account of an eruption.

Make Your Own Volcano