Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
The Petrified Forest of Sigri Lesvos
The Eruption of a Prehistoric Volcano
Introductory section and preparatory phase• Short Description: The Petrified Forest of Lesvos is one of the most
fascinating and rare monuments of geological heritage in the world. Its creation, 20.000 000 year ago is connected with the intense volcanic activity in the Aegean during the Miocene period. A study visit to the petrified forest is proposed for students. Prior by use of ICT we will try to calculate the energy emitted from the volcanic eruption. We will encourage students to find out how trees transformed into stone and how was the Aegean Sea during the Miocene Geological Period. Furthermore we will learn how volcanoes form and erupt, the sequence of geological periods and the reformations of landscape in the Aegean Sea. Mainly students will estimate the volcano’s emitted energy, acting as scientists.
• Keywords: Petrified Forest, Volcano, Miocene, Geology, Aegean Sea, • Target audience: Students studying Physics Chemistry, Biology and
Geology.• Age range: 14-18 years old• Context: Natural Sciences School Lab, Computer School Lab, Internet
Connection, Study visit: Petrified Forest. • Time required: 5-6 hours
Introductory section and preparatory phase• Technical Requirements: Internet connection, appropriate software: Down 2
Earth - Crater Impact, Google Earth, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows, Computers, video projector could be useful.
• Author’s background: Knowledge of Physics, knowledge of Chemistry, Biology, Geology, Volcanoes, Geological Periods, , internet.
• Connection with the curriculum: Strongly related to Geology (Second Class of Greek Junior High School), Physics (First, Second and Third Class of Greek Junior High and High School).
• Learning Objectives: Hands on learning, Inquiry based learning, ICT in education, Study visit to Museum and geological monument, use of Open Science Resources, learn students to cooperate and act as researchers.
• Guidance for preparation: Search in literature, bibliography, internet and other sources, about geology, geological periods, volcanoes and petrification. Study visit, petrified forest, volcanic eruptions, geological formation. Discovery of landscape changes.
Pre-Experiment / Observation– Teaching Phase 1:Questions Eliciting Activities – PROVOKE CURIOSITY
1. Teacher asks students about the geological periods.
2. Then he asks students about reformations at the landscape during thousands or million years.
3. Teacher then presents to students a video referred to
The Geological Periods of Earth and about
“The Story of Earth and Life”
Pre-Experiment / Observation– Teaching Phase 1:Questions Eliciting Activities – DEFINE QUESTIONS FROM CURRENT KNOWLEDGE
Teacher presents to students the ODS educational material: “Earth's active volcanoes”
How a Volcano forms?Where can we find Volcanoes?
Teacher can use the educational material from the ODS GeoThink site.
Teacher asks students if the landscape changes after volcanic activity?
Have they happened such changes in the Aegean?
Pre-Experiment / Observation– Teaching Phase 2: Active Investigation – PROPOSE PRELIMINARY EXPLANATION OR HYPOTHESES
Students are asked by examining the geological differences in the map of Lesvos to find out where
volcanic activity took place in Miocene.
• Then we ask students, by analyzing the maps of the petrified forest, to find where the Volcano was.
• Teacher helps student to realize the energy emitted from the eruption and how far the results where effective.
Pre-Experiment / Observation– Teaching Phase 2: Active Investigation – PLAN AND CONDUCT SIMPLE INVESTIGATION
Students, then visit the petrified forest
recording the size and collecting real
evidence from study visit
Pre-Experiment / Observation– Teaching Phase 2: Active Investigation – PLAN AND CONDUCT SIMPLE INVESTIGATION
Students are using the “Faulkes Telescope Project” to observe space objects and find how far they are from us. They are looking at the
past!
Knowing the exact position of the volcano, and the size of the of the petrified forest we can assume the effective area of the volcano.Students are asked to use Google Earth software in order to represent and mark the effective area of the volcano as shown bellow.
Pre-Experiment / Observation– Teaching Phase 2: Active Investigation – PLAN AND CONDUCT SIMPLE INVESTIGATION
• Of course we use two different states in order to make comparisons. • On one hand we are investigating a volcanic eruption while on the other
hand we have a meteor crash.• What we really want is to get information about the energy emitted. Down 2
Earth – Crater Impact can provide information about the energy of impact causing this disaster. We can assume same energy emitted from the volcano, under satisfactory accuracy.
Then students are asked to use the “Down 2 Earth – Crater Impact” in order to simulate the volcano’s effective area by a crater caused by a meteor.
We encourage students to extract a scheme like the one in the picture.
Experiment / Observation– Teaching Phase 3: Creation – GATHER EVIDENCE FROM OBSERVATION
• Selecting the “Data View” function we can read the energy that caused this disaster.
• We can thus depict the emitted energy from the Volcano.• Furthermore we can study the damages many Km away from the
crash site (e.g. “Up to 90 percent of trees blown down”) leading to useful information about the formation of the petrified forest.
Experiment / Observation– Teaching Phase 4: Discussion – EXPLANATION BASED ON EVIDENCE
• Students can now explain how trees failed around the volcano.• Can relate the pyroclastic flow with peer to peer petrification of
a tree, by replacement of Carbon molecules by Silicon molecules
Experiment / Observation– Teaching Phase 4: Discussion – CONSIDER OTHER EXPLANATIONS
Consider the existence of animals.
Why no anima fossils were found in the Geological Park of Sigri –
Lesvos?What kind of animals dominated Erath in that period (23 million
years ago)?
Post-Experiment / Observation– Teaching Phase 5:Reflection – COMMUNICATE EXPLANATION
• Students can now explain why we must look for petrified trees under the water.
• Students can realize the morphological reformations of the landscape.
Students can now show the changes in Aegean Sea
throughout million years. How sea covers land and the peaks of mountains
turned out to islands
• Students can practice with the Volcano Simulator
Post-Experiment / Observation– Teaching Phase 5:Reflection – FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS
• Try to relate earthquakes with volcanoes.• Find the Volcanic Bows all over the world.• Are these volcanic bows related to the tectonic plates?• Become members of the ODS GeoThink group.
Contact Information• Name Surname: Chiotelis Ioannis• Affiliation: Model Experimental High School of
University of Patras• Address: Arakinthou 20, 26226, Patras, Greece• Telephone: +306948372341• Email: [email protected]
