Yikes! What Kind of Crazy Science is THIS?

While this might look rather scary, it was a really cool simulation of how lava dikes and eruptions occur. Each team was given a large gelatinous mass to serve as our volcano. This is Mt. Pectin. Then, colored water in a Texas-sized syringe was injected from underneath (through the plate) slowly. As the "lava" rose and spread inside the "volcano", it tended to spread along one plane. Looking from this angle, it is the vertical line right in the middle. If you were to turn the volcano, that dike would actually be shaped like a fan. The second injection we made was closer to the edge on the right. It broke through the "rock" and our volcano experienced a flank eruption. The third injection we made was to the left of our first injection. The lava was injected much quicker this time, and a vent to the far side opened to relieve the pressure. Then, a "caldera" formed on the top. Our final injection was between the two central injections, but the lava pretty much just evacuated through the vent on the far side. This was a very fun lab, and I know my students will be excited about seeing it.