The Power of Fire Toot and Puddle: Exploring New Places Activity Index

<< This volcano is in the Ring of Fire, a region on the edge of the Pacific Ocean plagued by earthquakes and volcanoes. Photograph by Robert Madden

Become a natural-hazard mapper! Figure out where people face danger from earthquakes and volcanoes, and create a map showing where these natural hazards may occur.

Can you imagine a world where you never knew when a natural disaster was going to happen? A tornado one day, a flood the next. Fortunately, we are often able to predict not only when natural disasters will occur, but also where.

Scientists don't need a crystal ball to predict these events. They use scientific and historic knowledge to make maps showing where disasters may occur. For example, if you live near an ocean, river, or stream, these areas may be prone to flooding. Check out this map, which shows the flooding risk in Mozambique.

One kind of natural hazard is fire, like forest fires. But there's another type of fire that can be dangerous—one that's right under our feet.

We usually don't think about the inside of the Earth as "fire," but the Earth is actually very hot below its surface. Parts of the Earth's interior are even hot enough to melt solid rock. Most of the time this fiery substance, called magma, stays where we can't see it, but sometimes it makes its presence known in dangerous ways.

Magma plays an important role in two natural hazards: earthquakes and volcanoes. Why? To understand this, you need to know about plate tectonics.

The theory of plate tectonics says the Earth's crust, or top layer, is made up of more than a dozen major plates, or pieces. The plates float on top of rock and magma that is below them. The plates collide, slide against, and move under and on top of other plates. When they move quickly, they can cause earthquakes. The plates' movement also creates the energy that results in the release of magma.

Most of this activity takes place on the edge of the plate that is covered by the Pacific Ocean, an area called the Ring of Fire. Seventy-five percent of the Earth's volcanoes—plus a large number of earthquakes—happen there.

California is an example of a place on the Ring of Fire. Use our interactive disaster map to see how the state's landscape has been affected by its location on the edge of a plate.

Look at this map of the world's plate boundaries. Based on your knowledge of plate tectonics, can you guess where there might be a lot of earthquakes and volcanoes? Check MapMachine for a map of historic earthquakes and then check the Volcano Regions map of active volcanoes to see if you're right.

To make your map, print out a blank outline map. Use fiery colors like red, orange, and yellow to indicate the hazardous Ring of Fire, based on what you know about plate tectonics, historic earthquakes, and volcanoes. You might want to do more research and show where specific volcanoes and earthquake-prone cities are on your map.

When your map is done, look at these Ring of Fire Web sites and compare their maps to yours.
www.crystalinks.com/rof.html
www.hitachizosen.co.jp/info/kaiyukan/ring-of-fire-e.html
pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/fire.html

How is your hazard map similar and different?

Younger Xpeditioners: Go to Smokey Bear's Web site and find out how you can prevent forest fires. Make a poster telling campers about what you learned. If you live in an area where another type of hazard is common (e.g., earthquakes, tornadoes, floods), find out more about how to prepare and stay safe from these events.

Older Xpeditioners: Read the nationalgeographic.com essay, "Whose Problem, Whose Price Tag," by Sylvia Dane on natural hazards and the forum that accompanies it. What hazards are in your area? If you live in the United States, you can enter your zip code into the Project Impact: Hazard Information and Awareness Site and look for local hazards. What role, if any, did humans have in making this hazard dangerous in your area (e.g., building houses near a stream in a flood-prone area)?

Parents: Fire can manifest itself in many different ways. Although this activity talks about several types of fire, it doesn't mention home fires, which are more common but avoidable. Focus on prevention instead of fear—discourage your children from worrying about things that are beyond their control. A good place to start is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Web site with fact sheets about fire safety.