Unit E Introduction Planet Earth
Completion requirements
Unit E: Introduction
Watch
Watch the following introduction video for Unit E. You will see five questions during the video. Think about the questions, and think about other things you would like to learn as you study planet Earth.
Unit E Introduction: Planet Earth
Figure E.I.1 – May 17, 1980. The day before the eruption of Mount St. Helens.
Figure E.I.2 – May 19, 1982, two years after the eruption.
Figure E.I.3 – The morning of May 18, 1980. Mount St. Helens erupts.
The Big Blowup
Mount St. Helens is a volcanic mountain in the southern part of the state of Washington, just north of Portland, Oregon. That part of the Pacific Northwest is very beautiful and quiet. Many people spend their summer vacations driving and camping throughout this part of the United States.
At the start of 1980, Mount St. Helens had not been active in any way for more than 100 years, but it was not peaceful in the spring of 1980. In early May, earthquakes began to shake the area. Then, a huge bulge formed in the rock near the peak of the mountain. Suddenly, on the morning of May 18, half the mountain slid into the valley.
The landslide at Mount St. Helens was the largest ever recorded, but this was only the start of chaos. The hot magma and gases below the mountain were released suddenly, exploding upwards and outwards. A column of ash from the explosion rose 24 kilometres (15 miles) into the atmosphere – eventually falling to the ground as far north as Calgary. The heat from the eruption melted glaciers nearby on the mountain. The melting water caused mudslides that swept across the surrounding forests and plains. To this day, the eruption of Mount St. Helens is the most deadly and destructive volcanic eruption in the history of the United States.
Questions to Think About:
Mount St. Helens is a volcanic mountain in the southern part of the state of Washington, just north of Portland, Oregon. That part of the Pacific Northwest is very beautiful and quiet. Many people spend their summer vacations driving and camping throughout this part of the United States.
At the start of 1980, Mount St. Helens had not been active in any way for more than 100 years, but it was not peaceful in the spring of 1980. In early May, earthquakes began to shake the area. Then, a huge bulge formed in the rock near the peak of the mountain. Suddenly, on the morning of May 18, half the mountain slid into the valley.
The landslide at Mount St. Helens was the largest ever recorded, but this was only the start of chaos. The hot magma and gases below the mountain were released suddenly, exploding upwards and outwards. A column of ash from the explosion rose 24 kilometres (15 miles) into the atmosphere – eventually falling to the ground as far north as Calgary. The heat from the eruption melted glaciers nearby on the mountain. The melting water caused mudslides that swept across the surrounding forests and plains. To this day, the eruption of Mount St. Helens is the most deadly and destructive volcanic eruption in the history of the United States.
- What is a volcano?
- Are all mountains volcanoes?
- Are earthquakes, volcanoes, and where on Earth each occurs related?
Words to Think About:
Check the word cloud below. It pictures the important words you will learn in this unit. Likely, you will know many, but check new words or any that seem fuzzy to you! Watch for these words and combinations of these words as you read. When you see them
highlighted, you can click them to learn more about their meanings.
You can also visit the course glossary and read definitions for all of these words.
Unit E: Checklist and Key Ideas
Focus On: Planet Earth
This unit has four sections. Each section has a key idea that will help you learn more about structures and forces. As you work through the unit, you will complete five tasks (one at the end of each section and one unit project) that will count for marks.
On the next page is a checklist of the tasks you need to complete for the unit. On the page after that are the key ideas, lesson titles, and key questions for this unit. Note that you can reach these two pages whenever you want by clicking the "Key Ideas" and "Unit Checklist" on the top corner of almost every page in the unit.
This unit has four sections. Each section has a key idea that will help you learn more about structures and forces. As you work through the unit, you will complete five tasks (one at the end of each section and one unit project) that will count for marks.
On the next page is a checklist of the tasks you need to complete for the unit. On the page after that are the key ideas, lesson titles, and key questions for this unit. Note that you can reach these two pages whenever you want by clicking the "Key Ideas" and "Unit Checklist" on the top corner of almost every page in the unit.