Viscosity of Volcanic Rock
1. Pass around the cups. Everyone in the group should take a turn
stirring. Record your observations (about stirring) for each.
2. Define Viscosity. Describe the viscosity of each of the cups.
3. Which kind of lava will flow more easily down a volcano: high or low
viscosity?
4. Table 1 (copy the table and record the data)
Table 1 Viscosity Bottles
Marble's
Viscosity Travel Time Relative
Bottle
(sec.)
Viscosity
A
B
C
5. Summarize how the viscosity of the liquid affects the marble’s
movement
6. Look at the sample of quartz (SiO2). What are you observations?
7. What shape of crystal does quartz have the habit of forming?
8. Lava that is high in Silica is very viscous (has high viscosity) What does
this mean about how it flows?
9. Copy table 2 and record your observations
Table 2: Volcanic Rock Observations
Rock
Name
Observations
light/dark
Similar PhotomicroSilica
Relative to which
graph
Content Viscosity bottle?
number
basalt
andesite
rhyolite
10.
Summarize what you learned from this lab.