Vesuvius Volcano Past Eruption PDF

# Shared Read ## Find Text Evidence ### Read Paragraph 1 ### **Metaphors and Similes** * What does the author compare scalding lava to? Underline the text that shows this comparison. * What does the author compare hard, dry lava to? Circle the text that shows this comparison. ### Map * In what a...

# Shared Read ## Find Text Evidence ### Read Paragraph 1 ### **Metaphors and Similes** * What does the author compare scalding lava to? Underline the text that shows this comparison. * What does the author compare hard, dry lava to? Circle the text that shows this comparison. ### Map * In what area of Italy is Mount Vesuvius located? ### Paragraphs 2-3 ### **Main Idea and Key Details** * Look for key details in paragraph 3. * Draw a box around the main idea. ### Reread ### **Author's Craft** * How does the author's language help you visualize an erupting volcano? ## Narrative Nonfiction ## Find Text Evidence ### Read Paragraph 1 ### **Reread** * Draw a box around the text that explains why the crew measured the gases leaking from small vents. ### Paragraphs 2-3 ### **Metaphors and Similes** * Underline the sentence which shows a comparison of two unlike things. What is being compared? * *Sleeping monster* and *Mount Vesuvius* ### **Make Inferences** * Why does the author make the comparison noted above? * *because it is not doing out until it erupts* ### Reread ### **Author's Craft** * Why do think the author uses the subhead "Looking Ahead" for the last section of the text? Every time I see this volcano up close, I think about how it had roared like a lion back in 1944. The trembling earth shook buildings for miles_ around, and streams of *scalding lava* flowed down the sides. Like *glowing red fingers*, they stretched out to crush defenseless homes below. It must have been terrifying to witness in person. Today, the lava that once cascaded down the mountain is hard and dry. It looks a bit like the skin of an elephant. ## When the Monster Awakens There is a lot of *documentation* of Vesuvius’s past. Geologists have gathered this evidence of earlier eruptions by studying the rocks that were formed. Before 1944, the most catastrophic eruption occurred in 79 A.D. A Roman writer named Pliny the Younger described it in detail in his letters. On the morning of that tragic day, no one guessed that an enormous volcanic explosion was about to pulverize tons of rock and send it raining down on the city. People couldn’t know that thick, dark ash and fiery lava would completely destroy the nearby cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. By evening, few people had survived. Many smaller eruptions have occurred since then, including the one in 1944. Volcanologists believe that another major eruption could occur at any time. The probability grows with each passing year. To watch for geological changes within Vesuvius, we have set up seismographs on the slopes of its cone. These instruments measure the slightest shifts in the rock beneath the mountain. During one dangerous but exciting mission, I climbed down into the crater itself. My crew and I worked on mapping what was going on underground. We also measured the gases leaking from small vents. Any sudden increase in carbon dioxide and other gases might signal an eruption. ## Looking Ahead I don’t go into the crater anymore, but I often think about how Vesuvius threatens the environment around it. Today, the city of Naples lies at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. If an eruption occurred tomorrow, the city would not be ready. Tons of ash and rock would once more be hurled into the air. This volcanic debris would keep cars, planes, and trains from operating. People would try escaping on foot. Sadly, no one can outrun such an eruption. The only sure way to protect people who live near this volcano is to give them enough warning. The city of Naples has detailed evacuation plans. For the plans to work, however, officials need to be warned seven days before an eruption occurs. I hope the work that volcanologists do will help to give people the warning they need. Until then, I’ll be watching this sleeping monster, just in case it starts to wake up. Behind Vesuvius are the remains of Mount Somma, a volcano that erupted 25,000 years ago. Vesuvius formed inside Somma’s crater. ## Summarize Use your notes to orally summarize Marta Ramírez’s visit to Mount Vesuvius and why this volcano still inspires her work. Talk about whether your prediction from page 2 was confirmed or needed correction.