Earthquakes and volcanoes can be both exciting and dangerous events. If you are searching for a location where they both exist, this unit on the area around Rabaul on the island of New England fits your requirement. Rabaul is located on the edge of a large caldera formed by ancient eruptions. Look around and you will see (via photographs) the eruptive cones of volcanic activity. They are the surface signs of instability. The cause of instability is the location of Rabaul on the "Ring of Fire" around the Pacific Ocean. Delve a little more into the physical geography of the eruptions and you come across the study of tectonic plates and their movement. Rabaul lies near the zone where the Indo-Australian Plate is colliding with the Pacific Plate. The Pacific Plate is sliding (subducting) beneath the Indo-Australian Plate. This grinding movement is the cause of earthquakes. It also results in friction below the surface and this results in heat, rock melt, pressure buildup and volcanic eruptions on the surface. Now study the consequences in the 1994 eruption. The vulcanologists in the Observatory have instruments placed on or near the 7 volcanic vents. These record the location and severity of earth movements and provide warning about volcanic eruption.
The 1994 eruption caused the evacuation of Rabaul. Find out what happened. Cover the map interpretation activity. Check the level of understanding in the summary cut and paste assignment with the colour or black and white attachments. You might care to research more recent volcanic activity. These eruptions are likely to continue.
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