Volcano Resources for Educators

Postcards from the Field

Teaching Activities for Educators

Alaska Volcanoes Guidebook for Teachers - Grades 6-12 lesson plans, activities, and teaching resources focused on Alaska's volcanoes.
This Dynamic Planet: A Teaching Companion - Plate tectonics activities based on the This Dynamic Planet Map and This Dynamic Earth booklet.
Living with a Volcano in Your Backyard - An educator's guide with emphasis on Mount Rainier.
Schoolyard Geology - Take a field trip around your school and learn about mapping and rocks.
Volcanoes! teacher packet - Six general volcano lesson plans, a teacher's guide, and a poster.

Educational Posters

Online Movies and Clips

Online versions of pamphlets and books

These can also be ordered from the USGS Store.

Volcanoes
This Dynamic Earth A beautifully illustrated color book that explains plate tectonics for non-scientists and describes the history of plate-tectonics research. 77 pages. By Jacquelyne Kious and Robert I. Tilling.
This Dynamic Map - Third Edition - The long awaited third edition of the popular This Dynamic Planet map. The map is designed to show the most prominent features when viewed from a distance, and more detailed features upon closer inspection. The back of the map zooms in further, highlighting examples of fundamental features, while providing text, timelines, references, and other resources to enhance understanding of this dynamic planet. Both the front and back of this map illustrate the enormous recent growth in our knowledge of planet Earth. Yet, much remains unknown, particularly about the processes operating below the ever-shifting plates and the detailed geological history during all but the most recent stage of Earth's development. By Tom Simkin, Robert I. Tilling, Peter R. Vogt, Stephen H. Kirby, Paul Kimberly, and David B. Stewart. Cartography and graphic design by Will R. Stettner, with contributions by Antonio Villaseñor and edited by Katharine S. Schindle.
USGS Volcano Fact Sheets
Monitoring Active Volcanoes
Volcanoes of the United States
Fire and Mud (Mount Pinatubo, Philippines)
Eruptions of Mount St. Helens: Past, Present, and Future
A lavishly illustrated book that describes in easy-to-understand language the historical eruptions at Mount St. Helens Volcano in Washington, with particular emphasis on the 1980 eruption. By Robert I. Tilling, Lyn Topinka, and Donald A. Swanson. 57 pages.

Eruptions of Hawaiian Volcanoes: Past, Present, and Future
Second edition (2010) of a beautifully illustrated book that describes the eruptions of Hawaii's volcanoes. Includes many spectacular photographs of the features associated with Hawaii's volcanoes, such as lava lakes and lava fountains. By Robert I. Tilling, Christina Heliker, and Donald A. Swanson. 63 pages.
Geothermal Energy - Clean Power From the Earth's Heat A book that uses plain language and lots of color photographs and illustrations to describe the origins and uses of geothermal energy. Book includes numerous short essays including such topics as the history of geothermal energy, its use in Iceland, and geothermal development in Hawaii. By Wendell A. Duffield and John H. Sass. (USGS Circular 1249) 43 pages.

Special Events

Other Materials

The USGS Education Site - a USGS web site devoted to learning about earth science
Fun Stuff from CVO

Videotapes

The following videotapes can be borrowed from the USGS Library in Menlo Park, California.

The Eruption of Kilauea, 1959-60. Call number: 220 (950) E786 1961
Film footage with sound of lava fountains and volcanoes in Hawaii (27 minutes). Illustrates some volcanic processes. Score won 1962 American Film Festival Award. Produced by National Audiovisual Center (1961).
Inside Hawaiian Volcanoes. Call number: 220 (950) I564 1989
Joint venture by the Smithsonian Institution and the US Geological Survey. Contains mixture of animation, graphics, historic and present-day footage to explain Hawaiian volcanology (25 minutes). Well-rounded educational film for all levels. There is a Teacher's Guide for this video--its call number is (200) R290 no.89-685
Ten Years of Volcanic Activity in Alaska. Call number: (200) R290 no. 95-61
Compilation of Alaskan volcanic activity from 1983 through 1992 (30 minutes). Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (1995).
Perilous Beauty: The Hidden Dangers of Mount Rainier. Call number: 220 (284) P474 1996
Explains volcanic activity and enormous landslides of the past as keys to reducing risk from Mount Rainier in the future. Uses computer animation, eruption footage, interviews with scientists, and vivid aerial and ground scenes of the mountain to demonstrate the nature of the hazards posed by Mount Rainier (29 minutes). Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (1997).
Manual for the Installation of Bench Marks on Active Volcanoes. Call number: (200) R290 no.93-176B
Shows various methods of measuring and monitoring active volcanoes. Demonstrates installation techniques for temporary and permanent bench marks in soft soil, hard rock, and soft rock (40 minutes). Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (1993). Also available as US Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-176A. Part B of open-file report is a 33 page manual.

Raw video

The following videotapes can be borrowed FREE OF CHARGE via interlibrary loan. Name of film links to a description of the program.

Footage of Parícutin Volcano in Michoacan, Mexico, 1945-1952
Early color motion picture footage without sound of the famous eruption of Parícutin volcano during the 1940's. Shows ash, pumice, steam, and volcanic bombs (45 minutes). Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (1993).
Cinemetraje de las Actividades del Volcan Parícutin, Michoacan, Mexico, 1945-1952
Spanish version of VHS 123 (45 minutes). Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (1995).
August 18, 1992, Eruption of Crater Peak vent on Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska
Record of the eruption taped from various aircraft (25 minutes). Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (1994).