Virtual Design Center Deliverable 4-2: Three Levels of Assessment

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1 Virtual Design Center Deliverable 4-2: Three Levels of Assessment Project Name Operation Montserrat Test Questions 1. Which of these is an immediate result of the movement of tectonic plates: a) Ocean currents. b) Earthquakes. c) Glaciers. d) Tides. 2. The Quabbin Reservoir, located west of Boston, is a major source of drinking water for the metropolitan Boston area. If the state biologist tested the water for bacterial content and found an elevated E. coli count, this might indicate that: a) The water is safe to drink. b) The food chain has been extended to the microscopic level. c) Sewage may be entering the water. d) The oxygen level is below normal. 3. Which metric unit would highway road markers use to indicate the distance between Springfield, IL, and Chicago, IL? a) Millimeters. b) Kilometers. c) Milliliters. d) Kiloliters. 4. Which of the following is a list of layers in the lithosphere? a) crust mantle core b) soil regolith mantle c) sediment soil crust d) igneous metamorphic sedimentary 5. Which of these is the result of a constructive force? a) Erosion. b) Cyclones. c) Volcanic islands. d) Rainfall.

2 Answers: 1. B 2. C 3. B 4. A 5. C Quiz Questions Directions: Decide whether you agree or disagree with the following claims. Then explain your reasoning for your decision. 1) In 1991 geologists arrived at the Mount Pinatubo volcano. The scientists were there to study data from the volcano to predict if and when Mount Pinatubo might erupt. The seismic activity escalated throughout their first few weeks with ever-increasing numbers of earthquakes and the release of volcanic gases. The geologists recommended that thousands of people be evacuated. Finally, on June 17 Mount Pinatubo began a series of huge eruptions, and many lives were saved because of their warning. However, the geology team from the USGS refused to evacuate and stayed to study the event and gather more data despite strong earthquakes and huge volcanic gas eruptions. More than a week later when the danger from the magma, ash, and lahars became far too great, they finally evacuated. Claim: Studying a volcanic eruption in progress can yield valuable data, and scientists should accept some risk in order to study it. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your reasoning. A volcano presents a potentially dangerous situation. Volcanoes can spew fast-flowing lava, ash, tephra, and molten rocks that may be more than a meter in diameter. Geologists study volcanoes and gather data not only to predict a possible eruption, but also to better understand how volcanic activity works, so even more accurate predictions are possible. Their studies have doubtlessly saved many lives. Many volcanologists have risked their lives for the study of volcanoes. They also risk their lives when they work in the hazardous environment of a volcano.

3 2) Predicting volcanic eruptions with any certainty is difficult. Volcanologists measure seismic activity, which may indicate magma moving up to the surface. They also analyze the gases that are emitted to find out if any change in gases indicates a pending eruption. Some volcanic eruptions have been successfully predicted. Evacuations because of warnings have saved thousands of lives. Other predictions have not been so successful. More than 20,000 people were killed after a volcano in Columbia erupted causing a mudslide. Authorities had told the residents it was safe to stay. Some volcanologists say that monitoring volcanic gas content is a better way to predict eruptions and that it is more reliable than monitoring seismic activity. Knowing what you have learned about volcanoes, do you agree that monitoring volcanic gas content may be a more reliable method of predicting eruptions? Claim: Monitoring gas emission content is a more reliable method of predicting volcanic eruptions. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your reasoning. To monitor volcanic activity, scientists measure three different types of data. Before a volcano erupts, ground movements or volcanic tremors increase as the rock below the volcano begins to shift. This happens because magma beneath the rock moves to push its way to the surface. Earthquakes also increase before an eruption and continue throughout. Earthquakes are seismic movements that are usually shorter and more intense than tremors. Both tremors and earthquakes are measured by seismometers set up at the summit. Gases also rise to the surface as the rocks breaks. Most of these gases consist of water vapor, but carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are also given off. Gases are measured by instruments on the ground and from helicopter flybys that allow the scientists to gather gas samples. Scientists use all available data to help them make the very difficult predictions required for volcanic eruption.

4 3) Volcanoes play a major role in the rock cycle. Magma flows outs, cools, and becomes rock. This rock is eventually weathered and eroded, which forms sediments, which in turn form sedimentary rock. New landforms are built from both magma inside the earth and lava outside the vents. Volcanoes are also responsible for destroying habitats and killing people, plant, and animal life. Therefore, some people view volcanoes as constructive forces, while others view volcanoes as destructive forces. Claim: Volcanoes are constructive forces. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your reasoning. Volcanoes can have disastrous effects. Lava flows and explosive eruptions can cause property damage, injuries, and deaths and also have harmful effects on our atmosphere as huge amounts of ash are spread worldwide through wind currents. Millions of dollars in property damage to homes, city buildings, and streets can also occur. Volcanoes are also responsible for forming new crust as lava cools and for producing fertile soil enriched by minerals recycled by the rock cycle processes. Islands, such as the Galapagos and Hawaii, were formed from volcanic processes.

5 4) Deaths by Regions, Source: Look at this bar graph of deaths from volcanoes from One scientist says that the risk from volcanoes is present for these countries, but not significant. Claim: The risk from volcanoes is not significant for most countries of the world. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your thinking. Scientists consider various factors when trying to assess the risk from a volcano. Risk assessment mainly considers population, but type of structures, soil type, and risk of environmental hazards also play a role. Knowing how many people live in an area is still most important in predicting the risk involved. Scientists use historical evidence to study risk. This can be estimated by studying the total population, how the volcano erupted in the past, and then figuring out how many people might be either injured or killed. Scientists acknowledge that even if a risk is low, that does not mean the event would not be important, especially to the individual. Even if populations are small, it does not mean that human life is less valued.

6 Exam Questions The following is NOT expected to occur soon after a volcano erupts shooting large amounts of ash and gases into the atmosphere: a) Contaminated groundwater. b) Typhoons. c) Changes in the weather. d) Health problems in nearby humans. e) I don t know 2. The following is most likely an example of enacting a contingency plan : a) Publishing seismic activity data from Mount Pinatubo. b) Gathering data on bird species in Yellowstone Park. c) Examining data from previous years regarding hurricanes in the Caribbean. d) Evacuating people from the south of Montserrat to the north before an eruption.. Magnitude Distance from Earthquake That Tremors Can Be Felt 24 kilometers 48 kilometers 112 kilometers 200 kilometers 400 kilometers 720 kilometers Number Occurring Each Year 49,000 6, According to the table above, as the magnitude of earthquakes increases, the distance that tremors can be felt: a) Increases. b) Decreases. c) Increases and then decreases. d) Remain the same. 4. Choose the best example of an interaction between the hydrosphere and the biosphere. a) Ash from a volcanic eruption dissolves in clouds and contaminates a river rain. b) Ash from a volcanic eruption contaminates a river from which humans drink. c) Ash from a volcanic eruption dissolves in clouds and when it rains increases soil fertility. d) Ash from a volcanic eruption contaminates the stratosphere and changes global weather patterns.

7 5. The islands of the Caribbean are being pounded with rain and waves along with the winds of a category 3 hurricane. Untrained rescuers might make the dangerous mistake of: a) Waiting for the hurricane to pass before beginning recovery efforts. b) Following a risk management plan during recovery efforts. c) Following the instructions of an emergency response team during recovery efforts. d) Venturing out into the eye of the storm to begin recovery efforts. Answers to Exam Questions: 1. B 2. D 3. A 4. B 5. D