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Earth Science Grade 4-5

Science: Volcanoes: Types, Formation, and Eruptions

Learning how volcanoes form, what types exist, and how they erupt

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Practice identifying volcano types, explaining how volcanoes form, and describing different kinds of eruptions.

Read each problem carefully. Use complete sentences and scientific vocabulary when you can. Show your thinking in the space provided.

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Learning how volcanoes form, what types exist, and how they erupt

Earth Science - Grade 4-5

Instructions: Read each problem carefully. Use complete sentences and scientific vocabulary when you can. Show your thinking in the space provided.
  1. 1
    Cutaway view of a volcano with magma below and lava flowing from the top.

    What is a volcano?

  2. 2
    Three different volcano shapes: shield, composite, and cinder cone.

    Name the three main types of volcanoes often studied in elementary science.

  3. 3
    A broad shield volcano with gentle slopes and flowing lava.

    Describe one feature of a shield volcano.

  4. 4
    A steep composite volcano showing layered rock and ash.

    Describe one feature of a composite volcano.

  5. 5
    A small steep cinder cone volcano with a crater and scattered cinders.

    Describe one feature of a cinder cone volcano.

  6. 6
    Magma rises underground and becomes lava when it reaches the surface.

    How does magma become lava?

  7. 7
    World map showing many volcanoes along plate boundaries, especially around the Pacific.

    Where do many volcanoes form on Earth?

  8. 8
    Pressure from gas in magma pushes upward inside a volcano.

    Explain how pressure inside Earth can cause a volcano to erupt.

  9. 9
    A volcano erupting lava, ash, gas, and rock fragments.

    List two materials that can come out of a volcano during an eruption.

  10. 10
    Side-by-side quiet lava flow eruption and explosive ash eruption.

    Why are some volcanic eruptions quiet while others are explosive?

  11. 11
    A wide volcano with gentle slopes and easy-flowing lava.

    A volcano has wide, gentle slopes and lava that flows easily. What type of volcano is it most likely to be?

  12. 12
    A volcanic eruption changes the land with new rock, ash, and a small cone.

    How can volcanic eruptions change Earth's surface?

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