14 Fun Facts About Volcanoes

Volcanoes have frightened man for thousands of years. Mountains spewing hot fire and ash have rained down destruction on cities, burning buildings and taking lives. But volcanoes are not just a destructive force. They are also a constructive force. They help to form the Earth's crust and create new lands. Named for Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, volcanoes have interested scientists for many years, but we still do not have all the answers. Here are some fun facts you may not know about volcanoes. Do you know: What is the difference between magma and lava? What are the different kinds of volcanoes? How are different kinds of volcanoes formed? How many volcanoes are on the ring of fire? Where is the largest volcano? And more. Find out the answers to these questions and more and amaze your family and friends with these fun facts. Ages 8 and up. All measurements in American and metric. Reading Level: 6.5 LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Many books are appropriate for hi-lo readers. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

Icebergs can be fascinating things. They are fresh water, floating islands of ice. Some of them are big enough to hold 100 football stadiums, or more. They can be a danger to passing ships and wildlife that gets trapped on them. They drift along with the currents, melting as they make their way toward warmer waters, and their slow death. Do you know: Why do icebergs float? What is the underwater part of an iceberg called? How old is the air trapped in some icebergs? What is a growler? How big was the biggest iceberg ever recorded? Find out the answers to these questions and more and amaze your family and friends with these fun facts. Ages 8 and up. All measurements in American and metric. Reading Level: 6.4 Learning Island believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Many books are appropriate for hi-lo readers. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

Lightning has terrified people for thousands of years with huge dark storm clouds, rumbling and lighting up. There were flashes of light striking the ground, causing fire and destruction with a roar loud enough to think the heavens were exploding. Today, we know a thunderstorm does not mean the world is about to end. Even so, it is a powerful event of nature. Find out more in this short book. RL:6

Earthquakes can be frightening occurrences. Suddenly the ground begins to shake. Things are thrown around and buildings come crashing to the ground. Scientists have studied earthquakes for years and have discovered many things. How much do you know? Do you know: Why do earthquakes happen? What is a seismograph? How do scientists measure earthquakes? What is liquefaction? What earthquake made the Mississippi River run backwards? Find out the answers to these questions and more and amaze your family and friends with these fun facts. Ages 8 and up. All measurements in American and metric. Reading Level: 6.2 Learning Island believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Many books are appropriate for hi-lo readers. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

Named Pacifica (peaceful) by Spanish Explorers, the Pacific Ocean is anything but peaceful. It is home to 75% of the world's volcanoes, numerous dying islands, and the holder of more than 1/10th of the world's carbon dioxide. It is the largest ocean on Earth. Do you know: What is the average depth of the Pacific Ocean? How much of the Earth does the Pacific Ocean cover? What is "the itch"? How much carbon dioxide does the Pacific Ocean absorb? What thing in the Pacific Ocean makes up half the life on Earth? Find out the answers to these questions and more and amaze your family and friends with these fun facts. Ages 8 and up. All measurements in American and metric. Reading Level: 6.6 Learning Island believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Many books are appropriate for hi-lo readers. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

A day on Mars is almost as long as a day on Earth, but how long is a year on Mars? Does Mars have seasons? What color are the rocks on Mars? Mars is full of volcanoes, but when did the last one erupt? Learn the answer to these questions and many more fun facts in this 15-Minute Book. In the Milky Way Galaxy, there is a yellow sun that has eight planets. Four of the planets are rock worlds. The other four are gas and ice. The closest planet to the sun is Mercury. It’s too hot for anything to live there. The second is Venus. Its atmosphere is deadly. The third is Earth. It has oceans and land. It has trees and animals, and humans. The fourth planet, and last of the rock worlds, is Mars – the red planet. How much do you know about this fascinating place? LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

Yellowstone National Park is full of hot springs, geysers and grizzly bears. It also has stone forests, glass cliffs, a glacial lake and colorful canyons created by rivers and waterfalls. All of this is fuelled by a supervolcano that could erupt, killing millions of people and devastating the world’s climate for years. So how much do you know about this fantastic place? Can you answer these questions? How did Yellowstone get its name? How many earthquakes does Yellowstone have every year? What percent of the world’s hydrothermal features does Yellowstone have? How was Yellowstone Lake formed? How big is the Yellowstone caldera? Find out more about Yellowstone, the world’s first National Park, and amaze your family and friends with these fun facts. Ages 8 and up. All measurements in American and metric. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Many books are appropriate for hi-lo readers. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

On January 7, 1610, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei turned his newly developed telescope to Jupiter. He discovered four objects orbiting the giant planet. It took him another night’s observations to clearly distinguish between two of them. He called them “The Medicean planets”, after the Medici family (who ruled Italy at the time), and gave them numbers. German astronomer Simon Marius also claimed to have seen these objects at about the same time. He never published any documentation, and the credit was given to Galileo. It was nearly 250 years later before they were given names. They are now known as the Galilean moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. They were created at the same time as Jupiter and contain 99.999 percent of all the mass in orbit around Jupiter. How much do you know about these moons? What would Ganymede be called if it did not orbit Jupiter? What is the most volcanic place in our solar system? Why does Europa have spots? Which moon is a good candidate for containing life? Find out the answers to these questions and more and amaze your family and friends with these fun facts. Ages 8 and up. All measurements in American and metric. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Many books are appropriate for hi-lo readers. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.