Volcanoes & Mass Extinctions
Explain how large igneous provinces (LIPs) — massive outpourings of lava over millions of years — caused global warming and ocean acidification that drove mass extinctions; connect the Siberian Traps to the end-Permian extinction and the Deccan Traps to the end-Cretaceous event; explore how hydrothermal vents on the early Earth may have been the cradle of life; understand volcanoes as both destroyers and creators in the history of life
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Volcanoes & Mass Extinctions means practising the idea at the table with a simple hands-on check. We will demo once, then your child tries.
Materials: A battery, bulb, and wires OR a warm/cool cup comparison setup; Paper for a simple energy-path note. 1. Say the goal of Volcanoes & Mass Extinctions in plain words once. 2. Adult shows one energy transfer (circuit lights, or heat moving to a cooler hand nearby) and names the path. 3. Child traces or describes three energy paths and says what changed. 4. Fresh check: one fresh energy-path description. Record and stop. Done: three energy-path notes with a before/after change. Proof: parent note of examples and results. Stop: End after the fresh check; keep optional challenge for another day.
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Start practiceVolcanoes & Mass Extinctions practice
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Learning resources
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USGS · Practice link — not the full lesson
About volcanoes
Before you open · source notes
About volcanoes supports Volcanoes & Mass Extinctions. An adult previews and guides; this is a learning page, not a scored quiz.
Free educational page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner one fact they learned and one question they still have.
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Source, access and review notes
Public USGS page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
USGS. “About volcanoes.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
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“Can your child explain how enormous volcanic eruptions millions of years ago may have triggered some of Earth's biggest mass extinctions — what's the chain of events from lava to species dying out?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Volcanoes & Earthquakes
- Age range
- Ages 13–14