Unit 5 The power of Nature二.ppt

Unit 5 The power of Nature(二) * * 主讲老师：王亚莉 What is a volcano in detail? Volcano is a vent (通风孔，排气口) in the earth from which molten rock and gas erupt. The molten rock that erupts from the volcano (lava) forms a hill or mountain around the vent. All volcanic eruptions are not alike. Some eruptions are quiet, with lava flowing slowly from a vent. Other eruptions are very violent, with lava and other materials being hurled（throw) hundreds of miles into the air. Gases from within the earths interior mix with huge quantities of dust and ash and rise into the air as great dark clouds that can be seen from many kilometers away. Some dark-coloured lava is thin and runny, and tends to flow. The islands of Hawaii and Iceland were formed by many lava flows. But light coloured lava causes explosive eruptions. Because light-coloured lava is rich in the element silicon(非金属元素）, it tends to harden in the vents of a volcano. Explosive eruptions are caused when lava in the vents hardens into rock. Steam and lava build up under the rocks. When the pressure of the steam and new lava becomes great, a violent explosion occurs. Mount Vesuvius On the afternoon of August 24 AD 79 Mount Vesuvius on the Island of Sicily erupted sending out a huge cloud of glowing ash and barraging（come and cover together） the surrounding country with showers of rock. For 28 hours the volcano continued to pour out rock and ash until the city of Pompeii and its unfortunate inhabitants were buried under 7 metres of rock and ash. Two thousand people died in the catastrophe. The town of Pompeii lay hidden and forgotten until 1631 when Vesuvius erupted again and workers discovered some Roman coins. Over the course of the next 200 years or so various Artifacts (艺术品) were dug up. The site was cleared and slowly more and more were uncovered. Eventually the importance of the discoveries was realized and efforts were made to preserve (protect) the site. Today it is possible to visit