Volcano Eruption Simulator
NGSS MS-ESS3-2
Read the standard: MS-ESS3-2
Build shield, cinder cone, strato and dome volcanoes, then set off eruptions and measure the fallout.
About This Interactive
What do students do?
Students build all four volcano types, shield, cinder cone, stratovolcano, and lava dome, then set off eruptions and read the instruments: a Volcanic Explosivity Index, ash height, and how far away each blast could be heard. Erupting every type at the same pressure makes the big idea land, because the type matters more than the push. The lava dome is the star of the show: at low pressure it quietly grows, at high pressure it collapses into a pyroclastic flow. A four-curve graph of ash height against pressure turns students into forecasters, and the full lesson casts the class as a volcano observatory going live with a hazard warning. Each type maps to a real volcano, from Kilauea to Mount St. Helens, with USGS photos in the worksheet.
What does it cover?
NGSS MS-ESS3-2: analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects. Key vocabulary: viscosity, silica, Volcanic Explosivity Index, pyroclastic flow, and the four volcano types.
How long does it take?
20 to 30 minutes for the quick version, or one 50 minute middle school lesson.
What does it run on?
Every SciMinis interactive runs free in the browser with nothing to install and no accounts, on Chromebooks, laptops, tablets, and phones. It's fully bilingual: one tap switches the whole interactive, worksheet included, between English and Spanish.
What do teachers get?
Each interactive ships with vocabulary flashcards, a ten-question worksheet students can export as a PDF, and complete NGSS-aligned lesson plans: a 20 to 30 minute quick version and a full timed 5E lesson. The lesson plans and answer key stay behind a free teacher password, so students can't peek.