Volcano spells ‘beauty and danger’ in Hawaii
Are eruptions caused by climate change? People around the world are
heading to Hawaii to watch an amazon eruption. Now, scientists are using it to find
out more about the world
Boiling red lava gushes out of the side of the mountain and is thrown high into the air. Then it falls to the ground and oozes slowly down the hillside. Soon, the land is covered in red rivers.
For the first time in nearly 40 years, the world’s largest active volcano is erupting. Lava is flowing down the side of Mauna Loa in Hawaii at temperatures of up to 1,000C. It is a sight so beautiful that people are coming from far and wide to see the volcano in action.
Hawaii is known around the world for its volcanoes. In fact, the islands only exist because of them. Beneath Hawaii is a “hotspot” of very hot rock called magma deep within the Earth. Sometimes, the magma explodes out at
the surface, creating new land.
Today, some scientists think the climate crisis could cause more volcanoes to erupt. Melting glaciers could remove layers of ice that cover some mountains, causing the volcanoes beneath to erupt. Others say that volcanoes actually have the power to lower global temperatures. When volcanoes send big clouds of ash into the sky, they block out the Sun and the temperature on Earth falls.
Incredibly, some scientists are even thinking about recreating the effect themselves to stop global warming. The idea is to build a sort of umbrella over the Earth to keep the planet cool.
Build the Change Challenge
It sounds unlikely, but some scientists inspired by volcanoes are looking at ways to block the Sun to stop global warming. In this challenge, you will design a new device to stop the planet from warming up.
Step 1: Think about your design. How will it keep the planet cool? Will it act like a huge umbrella? Where on the planet will it go and what will it look like?
Step 2: Create your design! You could draw a picture of it, or if you have time, use LEGO bricks or craft materials to make a real-life version of your planet-cooling tool. Would you recommend that scientists use it?
See what other builders made
