Introduction to Volcanoes

Homework #3: “Cooling the Lava” Exercise
Due at the beginning of class on Feb. 19, 2018 (email or hard copy is fine)
Exercise:
Read “Cooling the Lava” from John McPhee’s 1988 work ​The Control of Nature​ and write a
response to it. ​The goal of this assignment is to make connections between what we have
discussed in lecture​ (i.e., how magma is formed and how magmas with different chemical
compositions have different physical properties and form in different geological settings) ​and
some real-world examples​. Your response should be approximately 1 page long (with 12 pt
font and 1-inch margins) and include the following:
● A summary of the volcanic activity John McPhee describes at Iceland and Hawaii and
the geologic processes driving them;
● A summary of the techniques McPhee describes that humans have developed to deal
with volcanic activity in Iceland and Hawaii;
● Reflections on aspects of the text you found particularly interesting;
● At least one question you have after reading this chapter.