Lava Flows

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Lava Flows

There are two types of lava flows, free flowing mobile lava and slow

moving viscous lava.

Free flowing mobile (basaltic) lava creates a vent and spreads to

produce large broad cones called shield volcanoes.

The slow moving viscous (rhyolite) lava creates a narrow steep-sided

cone due to a different chemical composition to basalt and this makes

the lava flows more slowly down the cone side.

My Aims

My aims are to investigate the factors affecting Lava Flows. There are

lots of factors affecting a lava flow, they are:

1. Slope angle

2. Viscosity of the lava

3. Temperature of the lava

4. Slope height

5. Volume of lava

6. Roughness/smoothness of slope.

I have decided to investigate the viscosity of the lava flow. I have

chosen this because I can produce a good range of results and this

seems like it will produce the most safe, fair and accurate results.

This is very important to me.

What will the viscosity affect on the lava flow?

· Speed of the Lava

· Distance traveled from the base of the volcano (slope).

I have decided to use the speed as it will be the easiest to perform

and it will not take as long to perform. This will allow my self to

make more accurate results.

So my aim is to investigate how the viscosity of lava changes the

speed of the lava flow when purred down a shallow angle.

Prediction

I predict that the lower the viscosity the faster the lava will flow

down the slope and the lava with a higher viscosity will travel

slower.

I have predicted this because the free flowing lava acts all most like

a liquid, the particles in the lava have w...

... middle of paper ...

... I could not tell for the time. This could also be an

improvement to do, make sure that the results looks O.K. on a graph

before write up.

I think that the experiment was fair (except for the anomaly) because

I cannot see any reason for it to be unfair.

I think I was limited in only two ways:

1. I did not have enough time to do the experiment in, I could have

made sure of the anomaly.

2. Half way through the experiment I was shown a piece of apparatus

that used magnetic fields to make a small piece of metal spin inside

the beaker. This would have made the experiment more accurate and

fair.

To extend my project I could investigate all the other things I said

in my aim like:

· Slope angle

· Temperature of the lava

· Slope height

· Volume of lava

· Roughness/smoothness of slope.

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