So today we took a field trip to Yellowstone National Park. Ok, well, maybe not exactly. That would be quite a long trip to head out to Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. So instead, we had a park ranger come to us, through Skype.
Mike Coonan was kind enough to take some time to talk to us as we begin to learn all about Earth. He chatted with us and answered some questions about earthquakes, volcanoes, and geysers.
We learned so many amazing facts. As we’ve been talking about tectonic plates and fault lines, we learned that there are 3 fault lines that lie right underneath Yellowstone. They average close to 1,000 earthquakes a year. That’s almost 3 a day, except you can’t feel most of them. Sometimes they’ll have a whole bunch of earthquakes really close to each other which they call a “swarm” of earthquakes, just like a swarm of bees. Usually this makes scientists pay really close attention because underneath Yellowstone is a “super volcano.” It’s called this because the caldera, the top of the volcano is almost 30 miles across! The last time it erupted, 640,000 years ago, the ash fell as far away as Iowa and created something called a “nuclear winter.” It most likely killed most of the plants and many animals in the area because the sunlight wouldn’t have been able to pass through the ash which would’ve created temperatures much lower than normal.
Beyond the earthquakes and volcanoes, we also learned all about geysers. Geysers are plumes of steam and water that get heated from magma chambers underneath the earth. The most famous is “Old Faithful” because it goes off about every 89 minutes. When it goes off, the water can shoot almost 140 feet in the air! The reason is because there is almost 3,000 gallons of water trying to fit through a hole about the size of your fist! Imagine it like when you put a finger over a garden hose. You get a lot more pressure when you do so the water can go farther.
You can check out recent earthquakes at Yellowstone by clicking here.
If you get the opportunity, we highly recommend you take the time to Skype with a Yellowstone park ranger as well. You can visit the park without the expensive airfare!
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Dear Mr. Avery,
Rebecca and I really enjoyed looking at your web page. I had never seen Old Faithful before. it was beautiful.
Thank you,
Rebecca’s grandmother Mrs. Holmes
Dear Mr Avery and students,
I am a trainee teacher with the National Institute of Education of Singapore. I am currently doing an assignment and i was hoping that you can grant me permission to include this blog post as an academic reference for my assignment.
The purpose of my assignment is to evaluate the student online learning methodolgies. The comments posted here are a great help towards my analysis. Please do give me your permission.
Thanks very much.
Yours sincerely,
Fennie
Hi Fennie,
You’re more than welcome to use whatever you need to. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Mr. Avery
Dear Mr.Avery,
Yesterday I felt a earthquake. Later I found out it was a 4.0 that came from Maine. I have never felt a earthquake before and it was cool to have the experience.
From,
Kaylee
Hello, it looks like you would have a good time there, and i’m sure you had a good time there the geyser was so cool it kinda it felt a little long, I wish my class could go there we would have fun
Dear Mr.Avery,
It must have been so much fun to skype with a park ranger! that was the first skype you did this year right? did the new kids enjoy it? i know that it was always a lot of fun for us! can’t wait to see what other fun things you guys will be doing this year!
sincerely,
Molly C.
Dear Mr.Avery,
I have never been to yellow stone national park. I wish I could go, it would be really fun! I have never felt an earthquake and hope I never will. I have seen volcanoes on videos but never in real life. I can’t belive yellow stone is a super volcano or a caldera! I think its really cool!
Sincerely,
Marshall
What a fantastic blog! Very inspirational to classes like mine, who are just starting out on their own ‘blogging journey’. The idea of Skyping with knowledgeable people around the world is excellent, and one that we’ll definitely be investigating ASAP! Thank you for the idea, and keep up the great work.
Mr Speedie, Class 8, Flixton Junior School, Manchester, UK.
http://class8fjs.wordpress.com
Hello Mr.Avery,
I am from a school in England.I am in year 6 however when I was in year 4 I did about natural disasters and dinosaurs, which involved doing work about earthquakes and tectonic plates.We also made papermache volcanos and made them erupt by putting vinegar and bicarbonate of soda in them and all the ingredients came flowing out the top.Maybe you and your class could try doing that.
yours sincerely,
Daniel, Flixton Junior School
Hi my name is Sam and I am from a school in England called Flixton Junior School. I have enjoyed reading your blog and think what you did was a great idea.
If you would like to see what we have been doing please look on our web site http://www.class8fjs.wordpress.com
We would love to hear from you.
Hi, my name is Areli and I’m in Mr. Miller’s 7th grade class here in California. That is really cool how you used Skype to talk to the ranger in Yellowstone. Your blog is so colorful. Mine has a few bright colors itself. Would you like to visit Yellowstone National Park one day in person?
Hey, Mr. Avery! My name is Gisela and I’m from Mr. Miller’s Class. Those are some cool facts you learned from the ranger. I have never been to Yellow Stone Park, but I think it could be fun being there. I have never seen a volcano because where we are located there aren’t really volcanoes around here but I really don’t think it would be a very nice place to be. What other facts did you learn? Were these the only things you learned?
Hi Mr Avery and class
It sounds like you learned lots of amazing facts. A 30 ft wide volcano – wow!! What a fantstic idea to skype with the park ranger.
Miss Docherty
Dear Mr Avery,
It was really cool how you skyped with a park ranger! Yellowstone National Park looks exciting. We were fascinated by the geyser, Old Faithful. You almost fooled us. At first we thought you actually went to Yellowstone! We plan to visit your blog often to see more interesting things that your class does.
Sincerely,
Ms Hanna’s Awesome Class
Dear Mr. Avery,
I enjoyed the skype it is the first one of the year! The skyping was really fun. I have never went to Yellowstone National Park before. Maybe some dsy. He was very into old faithful. The only reason why I know a little bit about Yellowstone is because Mrs. Reynold’s showed us a video. It was really cool. I have never felt an earthqake before. Not that I want to though. I love skyping. I hope we can skype again with other people.
Sincerely,
Natalie
Hi Mr Avery’s Class and Bloggers
We have never been to Yellowstone National Park because we live in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia and we don’t have Earthquakes ever.
From Angus and Harry
Dear Angus and Harry,
I have never been to Yellowstone either but i would love to go. It would be very cool! Skyping with the park ranger was really fun, we learned a lot of cool things about Yellowstone. My favorite being that Yellowstone is on a caldera volcano. A caldera is the biggest type of volcano in the world. Yellowstone’s caldera is 40 miles by 30 miles big, Imagine seeing that!
Sincerely,
Ben W.
Hello Mr. Avery and class,
I have been catching up on blog visits and comments when I came to your post. Having been fascinated by volcanoes and thermal areas around the world, it caught my attention.
I have been down into the crater of the Mt Tarawera volcano in New Zealand, stood on the slops of a quieter time during the eruption of another New Zealand volcano and been in a helicopter over a caldera in Hawaii to watch lava flowing but I have never been able to reach the fabulous Yellowstone National Park.
Perhaps one day I will be able to see the famous Old Faithful but, for now, your linked video was fascinating to watch.
Recently I prepared an extended comment for a class looking at natural disasters. It included some information about volcanoes. Here is a link…
http://rossmannellcomments.edublogs.org/2012/08/16/natural-disasters-for-4km-and-4kj-volcanoes-earthquakes-and-tsunamis/
@RossMannell
Teacher (retired), N.S.W., Australia
Dear Ross Mannell,
I think it is really cool that you have seen a erupting volcano. I have never seen a volcano I have only seen mountains. I have once seen Mount Washington in New Hampshire. I have never been to yellow stone ether but it would be cool.
From,
Kaylee
Dear Mr. Avery,
Yellowstone is on my list of parks to visit! We almost went this summer, but by the time we could go, it would have been too hot and crowded.
Someday I would like to go in the fall when it’s a little cooler and not filled with as many tourists.
I didn’t realize they have as many earthquakes as they do. I have experienced many earthquakes. We have little ones here quite often and had a large earthquake about 10 years ago.
I also see one of the largest volcanos in the US on my way to work everyday. Mt. Rainier is 14, 410 feet high and we call it “the mountain” or just “Rainier”.
I will never get tired of seeing that majestic peak against the blue sky.
From your librarian friend,
Mrs. Hembree
Dear Mrs.Hembree,
It is very cool that you were going to go to Yellowstone. I have never been there. It is really cool that you have seen a volcano. In the New England area I have only seen mountains I have actually seen Mount Washington!
From,
Kaylee
Dear Mr. Avery,
I hope we can Skype more throughout the year. It is fun to Skype with people around the world and learn more about them.
From,
Nicki
Dear Mr Avery,
hi I’m Bronte from 4KJ.
that was VERY interesting, I like to learn about volcanos, earthquakes, and things that you were talking about, I like to learn what they look like and their history.
No, I’ve never visited Yellowstone park, but I’ve heard of it a couple of times. But don’t think I’ll be visiting anytime soon 😆
Yes, I have felt an earthquake, but it wasn’t big.
I’ve felt many tremmers to. At the start of this year we think one of them broke my sisters bed, or it could have been my dad laying on it at night to try get my sister to sleep faster (even though she’s in grade two)
Your blogging buddy,
🙂
Bronte
Dear Mr Avery,
What a wonderful post!
about the question have you ever felt a earthquake?
well our whole class did feel a earthquake but it was only a small one but Heath said that his windows smashed, but I don’t believe him because the earthquake was very far away.
I just felt a little jolt just for about around 10 seconds and a couple of books fell off the shelf.
it wasn’t much of an earthquake!
From Lachlan! 🙂 😉 :wicked:
Dear Lachllan,
That is so cool that your class felt an earthquake. I have never felt on before. do you know the magnitude of that earthquake?
From,
Aiden C (Mr. Avery’s class)
Dear Mr. Avery,
It looks like you guys have had a great start to the year! Tristan has told me a lot of what you guys have been up to. I can’t wait until you guys use the green screen those are always fun to look at! I’m having a fun time in middle school..There are just a lot of quizzes..I had 2 today and one on Friday!!!! But I have a good feeling i got good grades on them! There will be more blog posts coming up on my blog..One is going to be about my vacation! I’m so excited!
Your 2011-2012 student,
Taite B.
Dear Mr. Avery,
I really enjoyed skyping with him. It was a lot of fun. I never knew that there could be a valcano that was 30 miles wide. Also, the hot springs seem really big. I have never visited yellowstone National Park before but i would definitly go someday! I have never seen a valcano erupt before and I have never felt an earthquake.
Sincerely,
Jenna:D
Dear Mr. Avery,
Skying him was so much fun!! I learned so many thing about the Geysers, the 30 mile wide volcano, And the hot springs. i am so glad that we Skyped him.
Sincerely,
Aiden C 🙂
Dear Aiden,
I also really enjoyed the Skype! I hope we Skype more throughout the year with other classes. I want to do i another mystery Skype like we did in fourth grade.
From,
Ben W.