I recently returned from an adventure to the beautiful Canary Islands, exploring the awe-inspiring islands of Tenerife, Las Palmas, and Lanzarote. During my journey, I visited Timanfaya National Park in Lanzarote, where I walked above 200-year-old lava fields and gained a deeper understanding of volcanoes, from the cause of their eruptions to the flow of lava. One of my exciting experiences was a simulated earthquake and volcanic eruption, which inspired me by nature's sheer power and beauty.
During my visit to Timanfaya National Park museum, I learned about the different parts of a volcano, namely the magma chamber, conduit, vent, eruption, lava, and crater. The magma chamber is where hot and molten rock, called magma, is stored about 1,800 miles underground. I was able to view a 3D image of this in the park. The conduit is the path that magma takes to reach the surface. I was relieved that I didn't witness this phase, as it would have meant that there was an eruption to follow. Once the magma erupts, the opening through which it is released is called a vent. When magma erupts and flows from the volcano's vent onto the Earth's surface, it is referred to as lava, which begins its destructive journey. After an eruption, a big black cloud, called an Ash Cloud, darkens the sky above the volcano.
While visiting the museum, I had the chance to participate in a simulation of a volcanic eruption. It was quite an experience to feel the ground shaking and smoke filling up the room while lava flowed through the walls of our cave. It was pretty scary!
After visiting the museum, we drove to El Diablo restaurant, which is located inside the park. We then took a 40-minute bus tour of the park because we could not explore it on foot. During the tour, we saw some fascinating craters. A crater is a bowl-shaped depression at the top of a volcano, formed by previous eruptions or collapse events. As the driver wrapped around the cliff's edge, we saw Caldera Blanca - the largest crater on the island. My mom argued that driving on the edge of a cliff on a bus was scarier than being 13,000 feet in a cable car on Mont Blanc. I strongly disagreed, but either way, the crater was much bigger than I had imagined. It covered a diameter of 1200m, which is much larger than I thought. The landscape resembled Mars, with no trees, rocky to sandy ground, and the colors ranged from black, brown, and orange to red.
While exploring the mountains and volcanoes of Lanzarote, I observed intriguing characteristics of lava flow. Lava exhibits various flowing patterns, each resulting in a distinct type of rock formation. When lava flows quickly, it creates a smoother, cooled rock with ripples. I saw some of this rock used as roads. When it flows slowly, it ends up rough and sharp. I had to climb over some of these rocks to retrieve my plush toy named Duck. When lava flows really slowly, it is dense because the air inside can escape. There are also some bonus flows to watch out for. When lava drips over something, it creates a cool-looking pattern that resembles a paused waterfall. Some roads were in trenches with this dripping flow on both sides. Finally, when lava flings itself, it creates little air-filled rocks. The slower the lava cools, the denser it becomes. While in Lanzorote, I witnessed all of these different lava flows. Overall, my favorite is the dripping lava. What about you?
As I wandered through the mountains and volcanoes, I couldn't help but wonder what caused an eruption. It turns out that eruptions are primarily triggered by the pressure building up inside the volcano. During my research, I discovered that Lanzarote was formed through a volcanic eruption that occurred 15 million years ago. It's fascinating to imagine the scale of that eruption and how it shaped such a sizable island. Let's hope another colossal eruption won't threaten the island's existence now!
Overall, Lanzarote was a super fun experience! I saw volcanoes, tidepools, geysers, a green lake (it had sulfur in it), an enormous fair garden, and volcanic farming. However, my favorite part was finding snails and catching hermit crabs in the tide pools created by lava. I did love learning about volcanoes and visiting them! One day you will be able to visit a volcano too. Until then, see you soon, blog world!
Works Cited
Beane, Rachel. “What causes volcanoes to erupt?” PreventionWeb, 1 May 2023, https://www.preventionweb.net/news/what-causes-volcanoes-erupt. Accessed 31 December 2023.
“History of Lanzarote - Past, present and future.” Lanzarote, https://www.introducinglanzarote.com/history. Accessed 31 December 2023.
“Parts of a Volcano for Kids: Types and Definition.” Science Facts, https://www.sciencefacts.net/parts-of-a-volcano.html. Accessed 31 December 2023.
“Timanfaya National Park.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timanfaya_National_Park. Accessed 31 December 2023.
“What is earth made of?” HISTORY.COM, 24 September 2010, https://www.history.com/news/what-is-earth-really-made-of. Accessed 31 December 2023.
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