TITLE: How do you make an underwater volcano

MATERIALS: 2 cups of vegetable oil, 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, a tall clear
glass or vase, food coloring and rubbing alcohol

PROCEDURES:
Add oil to the container
Pour 2 cups of vegetable oil into a tall clear container.
1. Mix vinegar and food coloring
Add food coloring to 1/2 cup of vinegar to make the layer more noticeable.
2. Combine the oil and vinegar
Mix the oil and vinegar. Wait until the vinegar settles at the bottom of the container.
3. Add food coloring to rubbing alcohol
Mix food coloring and rubbing alcohol. Pour the solution slowly into the oil. Once it
reaches the top of the container, you will see three layers of liquid.
4. Add baking soda to water
Pour water into another container. Add baking soda to create a thick paste. Add about
1/4 teaspoon of the paste to the other container.
5. Wait for the acid base reaction
As the paste sinks to the bottom, an acid base reaction occurs, causing large bubbles to
rise through the oil. Keep the reaction going by pouring more vinegar and baking soda
as needed.
Underwater Volcano Science Experiment
Items Needed

Small clear glass bottle with narrow mouth

Large clear contains that is at least 5 inches taller than the bottle)
3 ft of String
Food Coloring
Hot Water
Cold Water
Instructions

1. Step 1 4: Begin with a small glass jar with a narrow mouth. Cut a long piece of
string (3 ft) and tie one end around the mouth of the jar. Then thread the other end
through the piece of string on the other side of the mouth of the jar. Tie that end into
a knot. Ensure that both knots are tight and cut off any excess from the ends of the
string. Once you have finished, you have created a string handle that you will use to
pick up and lower the jar.
2. Step 5: Next pour hot water into the jar. Helpful Tip: Use a funnel to make it easier
to pour the water.
3. Step 6: Add a 5-10 drops of red food coloring to the jar. The water should be a dark
red color.
4. Step 7: Next get a large clear container and fill it with cold water. Helpful Tip: The
container must be taller than the bottle. For best results, the water level should be
4-5 inches higher than the top of the bottle.
5. Step 8: Carefully pick up the bottle using the string handle you created and slowly
lower it into the container of water. Observe what happens next.
Volcano Formation

Underwater volcanoes form much like volcanoes on dry land, by a process known as subduction. This
occurs as a result of the tectonic plates which form the top layer of the earth's mantle, just below the
earth's crust. They support the weight of the continents and the combined water of the seas. This is not a
completely solid layer though; they are broken up and float atop a layer of molten rock under intense
pressure. The tectonic plates are on constant drift atop this layer of rock, occasionally two plates will pull
just far enough apart for the molten rock to pass through and worm its way to the surface. Underwater
however, this occurs a bit differently. Without the presence of the tectonic plates to support the ocean
floor, the floor caves in under the weight of the sea, creating a trench and bringing millions of gallons of
seawater with it. From the trench arises a growing mound of rock, which continuously spews up from
beneath the tectonic plates. The molten rock quickly cools upon contact with the chill seawater, forming a
traditional volcano one brings to mind.
Catalyst

For a volcano to erupt there must be a catalyst to instigate the occurrence. Without said catalyst the
molten rock will continuously form up until such time as the tectonic plate shifts against, cutting off the
flow of magma from the earth's mantle. This is most likely to occur in climes of the world where sudden
ocean temperature changes can occur, such as near the equator. What can happen is that a sudden
decrease in temperature will speed the cooling of fresh magma before it can clear the vent at the top of
the volcano, plugging it.
Volcano Eruption

More and more magma builds up from the inside of the plug. A minor eruption can occur in which the
pressure grows to sufficient levels to blast through the rock blockage. This happens all the time without
anybody's notice. Another possibility is that the magma within the top of the vent behind the blockage
begins to cool as well, adding to the blockage. This may continue over a period of months or even years
until such time as the pressure either breaks through the side of the volcano, forming a new secondary
vent into which the magma passes, or it can blast the entire top of the volcano clean off, much like what
happened with Mount Saint Helen's in Washington. This throws magma up high from the ocean's depths
in such amount as to flash boil millions of gallons of water in minutes. This creates a huge roiling cauldron
of water which rises to the surface of the ocean in the form of froth and furious bubbles stinking of sulfur.
Any plant or sea life caught within the radius of this cloud of boiling water is killed quickly, adding to the
mystique of the deeps as all sorts of dead things rise to the ocean surface to mystify the land dwellers.