For this activity you will be using Google Earth to identify various volcanic landforms around the world. Before we start, if you don’t already have Google Earth installed on your computer simply go to the Google Earth web site (http://earth.google.com) and locate the “Get Google Earth – Free Version” links on the page. Click on the “Get Google Earth” link to access the download page.

A few words about operating Google Earth before we begin:
If you are new to Google Earth or need additional help in learning to use Google Earth, you may wish to consult the on-line user’s guide (http://www.keyhole.com/GoogleEarthHelp/GoogleEarth.htm).

Once opened, the main window of Google Earth contains three panels on the left screen column, these are: “Search”, Places”, and “Layers”. We’ll begin by using the Search panel. Make sure the Search panel is expanded by clicking on the arrow to the left of the word “Search”. Once opened you should then see three tabs – “Fly to”, “Find Businesses”, and “Directions”. The Fly To tab allows you to enter the name of a geographic location to search in Google Earth. Entering a location name (e.g., Chicago) then hitting the ‘Enter’ key or clicking on the ‘Go to’ icon will pan and zoom Google Earth to that location. It is possible to enter either a place name, a geographic location in latitude/longitude, or an address into the query bar. Once entered, each place displays in the ‘Places’ area beneath the Search area. Finally, the ‘Layers’ section indicates which overlays will also be displayed on the Google Earth image. Visible overlays are indicated by the check marks in the boxes adjacent to each layer name.

For this exercise, you will visit a number of localities around the world where volcanic landforms can be observed. Your task will be to identify the different volcanic landforms in the table below (you may wish to print table to use it while you are navigating in Google Earth)

Enter the geographic coordinates for each feature below in the query bar of the Fly To tab of Google Earth . Once the feature has been located, zoom in or out to the indicated altitude, then identify the volcanic feature centered in the image. Remember, (+) values are north latitude and east longitude; (-) values are south latitude and west longitude. Once you’ve zoomed to the designated location in the table, use the navigation controls to tilt the view, zoom in or out, and move around your view point. Use the following landform terms to complete the table.

Stratovolcano
Shield Volcano
Cinder Cone
Caldera
Lahar
Pyroclastic Flow
Lava Dome
Lava Flows
Volcanic Crater

When you are finished you may check your answers by opening the following link: Identifying Volcanic Landforms: Answers.