Volcanoes & Earthquakes

28 Skills in Science. 20 are ready to try — three verified questions each, no account needed.

Ready to try

Ages 5–7
Earthquake Safety
Know basic earthquake safety: drop, cover, and hold on; move away from windows; tell a trusted adult
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–7
Fast & Slow Earth Changes
Understand that Earth's surface changes: some changes are quick (eruptions, earthquakes) and some are slow (wind, water wearing away rock)
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–7
Power of Eruptions
Appreciate that volcanic eruptions are powerful events that can change the landscape
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–7
What Is a Volcano
Know what a volcano is: an opening in Earth's surface where hot melted rock (lava) comes out
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–7
What Is an Earthquake
Know what an earthquake is: a sudden shaking of the ground that can be strong or weak
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–9
Active, Dormant & Extinct
Classify volcanoes as active (could erupt any time), dormant (sleeping but could wake up), or extinct (will not erupt again)
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–9
Earth's Layers
Know that Earth has layers — a thin outer crust, a thick hot mantle, and a core at the centre — and that the inside of the Earth is extremely hot
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–9
Inside a Volcano
Understand the inside of a volcano: magma is hot melted rock underground, lava is the same material after it reaches the surface, and volcanoes have a magma chamber, vent, and crater
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–9
Ring of Fire
Recognise that volcanoes and earthquakes tend to happen in certain places — especially around the edges of the Pacific Ocean (Ring of Fire) — not randomly across the Earth
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–9
Types of Rock
Know the three main types of rock — igneous (formed when lava or magma cools), sedimentary (formed from layers pressed together), and metamorphic — and that fossils are found in sedimentary rock
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–9
Why Earthquakes Happen
Understand that earthquakes happen when rocks underground suddenly move or break, releasing energy that shakes the ground
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–11
Famous Eruptions & Pangaea
Know about famous eruptions and their global effects: Mount St Helens (1980), Eyjafjallajökull (2010), and how large eruptions can affect weather and climate worldwide; understand that continents were once joined (Pangaea) and have slowly…
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–11
Measuring Earthquake Strength
Know that scientists measure earthquakes using seismometers, that earthquakes release energy that travels as waves through the ground, and that a magnitude scale describes their strength
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–10
Natural Disaster Solutions
Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans, such as earthquakes, floods, or volcanic eruptions
16 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–11
Plate Boundaries
Explain how plate boundaries cause earthquakes and volcanoes: plates pushing together, pulling apart, or sliding past each other create the forces that trigger these events, and mountains form where plates collide
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–12
How Tectonic Plates Move
Understand that convection currents in the molten mantle drive the movement of rigid tectonic plates; distinguish between convergent (collision/subduction), divergent (spreading ridges), and transform (sliding) plate boundaries; explain wh…
5 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–13
Seismic Waves & Earth's Interior
Distinguish between P-waves (compression, travel through solids and liquids) and S-waves (shear, cannot pass through liquids); explain why a seismic shadow zone exists on the far side of an earthquake; describe how seismologists use wave r…
5 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–14
Hazard Assessment & Evacuation
Explain probabilistic hazard assessment using eruption recurrence intervals and fault slip rates; describe how volcano observatories monitor ground deformation, gas emissions, and seismicity to issue alert levels; explore why communities r…
5 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
Supervolcanoes & Volcanic Winter
Describe calderas such as Yellowstone and Toba as supervolcanoes capable of erupting thousands of cubic kilometres of ash; explain how sulphur dioxide aerosols in the stratosphere scatter sunlight and cause volcanic winter; discuss the Tob…
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 13–14
Volcanoes & Mass Extinctions
Explain how large igneous provinces (LIPs) — massive outpourings of lava over millions of years — caused global warming and ocean acidification that drove mass extinctions; connect the Siberian Traps to the end-Permian extinction and the D…
9 verified questions on this shelf

Being planted

These Skills are on the map, but their questions are still being written and checked.

Ages 5–7
Earth Is Made of Rock
Coming soon
Ages 7–9
Pompeii & Vesuvius
Coming soon
Ages 7–9
Tsunamis
Coming soon
Ages 9–11
Earthquake-Resistant Design
Coming soon
Ages 9–11
Eruption Types & Volcano Shape
Coming soon
Ages 9–11
Monitoring Volcanoes
Coming soon
Ages 9–11
Tectonic Plates
Coming soon
Ages 9–11
The Rock Cycle
Coming soon

Skill names and descriptions include the Marble Skill Taxonomy © Generative Spark, Inc. (withmarble.com), licensed under ODbL 1.0 (database) and CC BY-SA 4.0 (content). Practice questions are GlowGrades's own, each checked by independent verifiers that must agree before a child ever sees it.