Runnin' (From Lava)

Year 11 is starting their second assessment on Surface Features of New Zealand. 

To gain the credits in this assessment students need to produce a report, create a Prezi or presentation, or make a tourism video or brochure about Auckland's volcanoes. 

 They need to explain processes happening UNDER the ground that cause Auckland volcanoes, as well as what occurs ON TOP of the ground during an eruption, and some process that happen over many years AFTER to form the familiar peaks or lakes around Auckland. 

Why is there a Beyonce song at the start of this post?

I love learning through music! 

One of my students was listening to Beyonce instead of me the other day (she IS fabulous, but can she teach about volcanoes? hmmm...) 

Turns out that she can, if we use her song but change some lyrics. That same student and her friend will hopefully record this song for their class in coming days, to help them learn about the hotspot under Auckland:

[Girls]

These four layers deep have changed the Earth’s surface

The Earth’s surface,

It’s changing still.

The heat it starts deep first from the outer core,

Heats mantle up,

Mantle just above,

Starts heating up.

Where else can it go?

Where else can it go?

Convecting up,

To the crust.

Crust then starts to melt,

Magma building up,

Hot magma

Hot magma

Hotspot, hotspot, hotspot, hotspot,

Hotspot, hotspot, hotspot

No hotspots at the plate boundaries,

Just in the middle at Auckland,

It’s a hotspot, hotspot, hotspot, hotspot,

Hotspot, hotspot, hotspot,

A hundred kilometers below,

The melted rock is building up.

If the pressure builds we lose it all

[Boys]

If I feel the earth shake I won’t be standing still,

Be gapping it,

To Hamilton,

As the magma pushes up through cracks,

And fissures,

To the surface,

Eruption time!

Where else can I go?

When Auckland loses control,

Lava on you,

Chasing you.

Hotspot, hotspot, hotspot, hotspot,

Hotspot, hotspot, hotspot

Eruption size and lava type,

Make different volcano shapes.

[Girls]

It’s a hotspot, hotspot, hotspot, hotspot,

Hotspot, hotspot, hotspot,

Caldera, strato-volcano,

Cinder cone and shield shape too.

[Boys]

When the lava cools,

It leaves behind,

[Girls]

It’s a ro-cky volcano,

slopes and sides,

[Boys]

Then it changes shape more

over time

[Girls]

When humans use it or,

e-ro-sion.