Volcanoes and Earhtquakes

1. Measuring earthquakes and volcanoes

There are many ways to measure and earthquake. Magnitude is the most common way to measure an earthquake’s size. It is a measure of the size of the earthquake source and is the same number no matter where you are or what the shaking felt like. The Richter scale measures the largest shake on the recording, but there are other magnitude scales that measure different parts of the earthquake. Another way to measure an earthquake is to measure the intensity, or the shaking or damage done. This value changes depending on the epicenter or focus; the closer to the fault of the earthquake, the more damage done, and visa versa.1



Measuring Earthquakes; http://teamforce.wikispaces.com/CSTC+2.2

The area around a volcano swells, deflates or shifts as the lava or magma moves around inside of it. There are scientists that can watch the movement of these volcanoes and determine if they are going to blow. They use spirit level surveys to measure elevation changes. A spirit level is a telescope with its optical axis aligned to horizontal with a level vial.2

Erupting Volcano; http://denialdepot.blogspot.com/2009/04/co2-levels-may-have-been-over-2000ppm.html

2. Chemical Composition of Magma

Magma is a mixture of liquid rock, crystals, and dissolved gas. The human eyes have seen the only part on earth that is liquid which is the outer core. But the core is not likely to be the source of magma because it doesn’t have the right chemical composition. The outer core, or crust, is mainly Iron, but magma is a silicate liquid. Thus, Magma doesn’t come from the Earth’s crust. Since the rest of the Earth’s crust is sold, some part of the earth, below the surface, must get hot enough to melt the rocks to form magma.3

How does magma move the tectonic plates?

            The earth is like a giant puzzle with the tectonic plates as the pieces. Every year, the tectonic plates move a centimeter or two. The ocean floors are constantly moving and spreading. As these tectonic plates move, the earth’s crust is moving and magma deep in the earth’s core is being pushed upward causing the earth’s crust to bend upward, creating mountains and volcanoes. These plates spread farther to make room for this pressure the magma lays on the earth’s outer core. When the magma is under a great amount of pressure, the volcano will erupt sending tons of ash, lava, and rocks into the air and plummeting down onto earth’s surface.4

Volcano creation; http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/nature_gallery/volcanoes.html

C.) The Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, and other Earth Systems

The Atmosphere:

Volcanoes affect the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions releasing lots of gases into the air, some of which pollute the environment and affect the atmospheric content. A main problem in Hawaii is that the volcanoes create a volcanic fog which lingers in the air long after a volcano erupts. Lava that spurts into the air also releases chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen fluoride. These gases can add to the greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming. These gases can also create acid rain.5

Hydrosphere:

In Hawaii, the volcanoes erupt quietly but lava will spill out into the ocean. This lava contains chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide. This sulfur can kill of marine life and contaminate the water. This contaminated water can be evaporated and dropped over human life in the form of acid rain.6

Lava running into the ocean; http://lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/volcano-watch-worlds-active-volcanoes-keep-scientists-busy-in-2008/

1.       http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/faq/?faqID=111

U.S. Department of the Interior; U.S. Geological Survey; EHP Web Team. (2009)

2.       http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/1994/

hvowebmaster@usgs.gov; Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. (1998)

3.       http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol204/volcan&magma.htm

Professor Stephen A. Nelson; Tulane University; Natural Disasters. (2011)

4.       http://www.moorlandschool.co.uk/earth/tectonic.htm

Moorland Private School; England. (2011)

5.       http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_volcanoes_affect_the_earth's_atmosphere

Wikipedia Answers Corp. (2011)

6.       http://volcanoworld.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/how-do-volcanoes-affect-the-atmosphere-and-climate/

Volcano World: Supplement; Volcano Activity Reports and News; Worldpress.com. (2011)

The Water Cycle

 A.) The Water Cycle

The ware on Earth is always moving. The natural water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes this movement of water on, above, and below Earth’s surface. Water can change between liquid, vapor, and ice. These processes have been happening in the blink of an eye for over millions of years.

Water Cycle; http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html

Why Evaporation/Condensation occurs:

Heat energy is need for evaporation to occur. Energy is used to break the bonds that hold water molecules together. Net evaporation occurs when the rate of evaporation exceeds the rate of condensation. Condensation occurs when saturated air is cooled below the dew point.

Precipitation and Transpiration:

Precipitation is water that is released from clouds in the sky. Precipitation can come in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail. It’s is the primary source in the water cycle that provides the delivery of water the Earth. Transpiration is the passage of water from a plants roots and leaves into the atmosphere. The more temperature rises, the higher chance transpiration will occur.

Infiltration and Groundwater/Aquifers:

Infiltration is the seepage of water into soil or rock.6  Some of the water that infiltrates will remain in the shallow soil layer, where it will move through the soil. Some water may infiltrate deeper, recharging groundwater aquifers. Aquifers are a good way to store groundwater, which is fresh, drinkable water. People can drill wells into these aquifers and use this water for whatever purpose they desire.

Surface runoff:

Surface runoff is the water flow that occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain or other sources that flow over the land. When runoff flows along the ground, the water can pick up contaminants of the soil like pesticides or fertilizers. 1

B.) What is a Watershed?

A watershed is an area of land where all the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. In the words of John Wesley Powell, a scientist geographer, a Watershed is:

"that area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community." 2

Watershed; http://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/whatis.cfm

Watersheds are also known as ‘drainage basins’. A drainage basin is an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice comes to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another water body,

such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean. 3

C.) Rivers

There are 3 types of rivers: Whitewater, black water, and Clearwater. A Whitewater river is a river where

there are rapids or water turbulence present. There is a classification system from Whitewater Rivers based

on difficulty and danger; they are rated on a scale from I-VI. (1-7) Class I is usually water that is very still

and calm and has few obstructions, while class VI has no visibility (when rafting), very dangerous waters,

and many obstructions. (When rafting, this class of Whitewater River can cause death)

A Black water river is a deep, slow-moving river that runs through swamps and wetlands. White water and

black water differs mainly in ionic compounds. Black waters are more acidic due to vegetation decay.

They also differ in sodium, magnesium, and calcium levels. 5

Clearwater Rivers are named for their clear, clean waters. Because of their elevation, they tend to run

over rocks. Because of the clarity of the water, these rivers tend to have plant growth such as algae in them. 4

All these rivers move and were created by the movement of the Earth’s runoff. Most rivers run

downhill or towards another larger river or an ocean. The flow of the river is determined by the Earth’s

crust and the plant growth, animals and other things around it.

Blackwater River; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blackwater_River_Blackwater_Falls_State_Park_West_Virginia.jpg

 Bibliography:

1.       http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html

Howard Perlman; U.S. Geological survey; U.S. Department of the Interior. (2011)

2.       http://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/whatis.cfm

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water. (2011)

3.       http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/hu.shtml

Hydrologic Unit Geography; Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation. (2010)

4.       http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0602.htm

Rhett Butler; Mongabay.com. (2009)

5.       http://www.amazonian-fish.co.uk/indexc30.html

Comparison between Black and White waters; Amazonian Fishes and their Habitats. (2006)

MSU TRIP!!

At the MSU trip, I learned several things that were really neat to find out.

The Planetarium:

1.   Constellations come out during different seasons, they aren't all visible at once.
2. You can see planets from Earth, depending on when it is visible at what time.
3. There is more than one galaxy, there are actually several different galaxies.
4. Stars take thousands of years to grow and explode
5. There are different shapes of galaxies.

The Cyclotron:

1. They like to take nucleus' and smash them and study the pieces that are left
2. They study the isotopes of the nucleus.
3. The plan on building a longer, more accurate system to study these isotopes called the FRIB.

I really enjoyed just walking through campus and seeing student life. I also liked being in an actual college classroom/lecture hall to see what it would be like for me next year.

I would make the trip longer so that we would have more time to walk through campus or do other things!

Acid Rain project

Acid Rain

Acid rain can happen anywhere at any time. There is acid rain, acid snow, and acid fog that can happen in wet areas; and acid gas and acid dust that occurs in dry areas of the earth. All lakes and rivers have a slight acidity level. but if th pH goes to a certain level, it can be dangerous to the fish and other organisms living there.(1)

Acid rain occurs when polluted gases get trapped in clouds. These gases usually come from factories buring large amounts of fossil fuels and coal and car exhausts. Trees, lakes, animals, and even buildings are vulnerable to acidic precipitation. They all can be severely damaged from this type of rain. People can contract skin cancer and radiation poisoning from acid precipitation as well.(2)

There is no way to predict when acid rain will fall or where. It all depends on the amount of acidic chemicals getting emitted into the air in that area.There was a rumor that when a dark circle appears around the moon, acid rain will fall. But this ring only appears every 750 years and acid rain happens way more often. (3)

Power plants and other factories are requiring filters be installed in their pipes to reduce the amount of acidic chemicals that get into the air. There are acts and laws against factories emitting these dangerous chemicals into the air. (4)

These trees were killed by the effects of acid rain.

Acid Rain can erode statues and buildings. Stone is no match for this type of precipitation.

Acid Rain Cycle.

1. http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215/acid_rain.htm
2. http://www.enotes.com/earth-science/acid-rain
3. http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=57381
4. http:// envirnment.nationalgeographic.com/envirnment/global-warming/acid-rain-overview/

River Testing

The q-value, according to our tests, in the river was so low that the fish are basically either dead or dying. Our preliminary Q-value was 3.5 and our final was 2.45. I figured that our results would be low but I didn't think they would be so low that our fish could be dying off.

GREAT LAKES

1. Lake Superior is the largest and Lake Erie is the smallest.
2. The most urban was Lake Michigan and the most rural was Lake Superior.
3. Lake Michigan has the longest shoreline
4. With companies dumping sewage and other trash into our lakes and rivers, our ecosystem is going to easily die off and become extinct at one point or another. Companies need to stop dumping crap into the lakes so that the fish are able to live.
5. Two types of pollutants is automobile fumes and paper/plastic trash.
6. 
   

a.) The water from my house goes into a drain field that is currently in my backyard, we plan to move that field out from the lowest point on our property to the highest so that it doesn't flood in the spring.
b.) Runoff water either evaporates into the air or it drains into the ground and will eventually end up in a river or lake.
c.) Runoff water and Sewer water should never end up in the same place because runoff water is clean, drinkable water that can be used for human use. Sewer water will contaminate that water and could potentially get humans really sick.
d.) Sources of pollution in the waterwould be leaves, dirt, sewage, bugs/animals, etc.
e.) Point water pollution is pollution that is caused by a human, like when companies dump trash into forests or lakes. Non-point water pollution is, for example, when it rains and it washes car oil from a driveway into runoff water and will soon end up in the water supply.
f.) A watershed is a spot where all water runs off and ends up into a giant puddle/lake thing. It's sort of hard to explain.

Nature Walk!!!

1. I had a ton of fun on the nature walk on Friday. It was a lot of fun watching the kids learn new things about the environment around them. I learned a few things about what type of flowers you can and can't touch, eat, smell, etc. I also learned what Poison Ivy looks like because I had no idea before hand. It was great watching my kid do leaf drawings and draw pictures of the flowers they saw out there.

2. The Total Dissolved Solids in the water relate to recycling because we can teach the kids not to dump their wastes into the rivers and other water sources. Also to make sure that they don't dump any metals down their drains or anywhere else.

3.K-12 awareness in recycling and reusing materials.

4. We are doing alright for now but it seems like we are doing so much in a small amount of time. We talk about what we want to do but don't execute it well. WE have yet to talk to any of the teachers about a presentation, or a survey. The only thing we have done so far was put posters up around the high school saying to recycle.

5.We plan to teach the kids the importance of recycling and saving energy and keeping the water clean and usable. We also want to teach them how to start recycling and reducing the amount of materials they use on a day-to-day basis!

TA-DAH!

Carbon Footprint Post

1. http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/

2.  I think that it is a very user-friendly site because it uses pictures and diagrams to show you your progress. The only thing I didn't like is that the questions weren't generalized enough, I felt like I didn't know half the answers to the questions it asked me.

3. It takes 5.5 earths to provide enough resources, if everyone lived like me.

4. a.)  I could stop purchasing items I don't necessarily need like new clothing and fast food.
b.) Start recycling more often instead of throwing it all away. Also using a more adaptable energy source like a wind turbine.
c.) Again, recycle more and use a better way to get and use energy.

5.) I'm not positive on what our action project is going to be quite yet, so I don't have a connection from my footprint to my action project.

First Posting-Global Science

1. The only thing I really know about technology is that we have it in the modern 21st century. I really have no idea about how computers work, or cell phones, or anything of that sort. I just have them, and use them. I've never spent the time to learn anything new about technology or how anything works. To that extent, I am clueless. I mean, I know how to work and run things diligently and easily, but I still dont know the ligistics behind it. Same with the technology used to help out our planet, I'm clueless at how these things work and how scientists came up with the idea of how to do it.

2. I would love to learn something about how the Earth works, and by that I don't mean how gravitational pull or how the earth spins. But I mean is how is it that we are the only planet that can hold a life form? How is it that our ground is fertile enough to grow? That's the stuff I want to know. I want to learn what is put in our plants here in Eaton Rapids, and what is in our water. I also want to know things along the line of what is biodegratable and what isn't. Because I feel terrible throwing things into our rivers thinking that one day it will just go away. I don't know what is and what isn't. That would be something interesting to learn.