Key Stage 2 geography · Human and physical geography

KS2 volcanoes and earthquakes: a guide for parents

In Key Stage 2, children learn why volcanoes erupt and earthquakes shake the ground, what the inside of the Earth is like, and where these events happen in the world. They link both to the movement of tectonic plates, and they learn why people choose to live in risky places and how they prepare. This sits within the study of significant physical features of the world.

Volcanoes and earthquakes, explained

The story begins inside the Earth. The planet has four layers: a thin, solid outer crust, a thick layer of hot rock called the mantle, and a core made of two parts, a liquid outer core and a solid inner core. The crust is broken into huge pieces called tectonic plates, which move very slowly, a few centimetres a year. Where plates push together, pull apart or slide past each other, the crust is under strain. Most volcanoes and earthquakes happen along these plate edges, which is why they cluster in particular belts of the world, such as the “Ring of Fire” around the Pacific Ocean.

A volcano is an opening in the crust through which magma, which is melted rock from below, escapes. Once it reaches the surface it is called lava. Children learn the parts of a volcano: the magma chamber below, the central vent, the crater at the top, and the ash, gas and lava that erupt. They hear that volcanoes are described as active (erupting now, or erupted recently and expected to erupt again), dormant (asleep, but could erupt again) or extinct (not expected to erupt again). They also learn that not all volcanoes look the same; some are tall cones built of layers of lava and ash, others are wide and gently sloping.

An earthquake is a sudden shaking of the ground. Two plates that are stuck against one another build up pressure until the rock suddenly slips along a crack called a fault, sending out waves of energy. The spot underground where it starts is the focus, and the point on the surface directly above it is the epicentre. Instruments called seismometers record the shaking, and scientists give each earthquake a magnitude on a scale. A big earthquake under the sea can also cause a tsunami, a series of huge waves. The UK has small earthquakes, but no active volcanoes, though Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh is the remains of an extinct one.

Children are also taught to think about people. Why live near a volcano? Volcanic soil is fertile, volcanoes can supply geothermal heat and power, and they attract tourists. Why do people stay in earthquake zones? Often because their homes, jobs and families are there. Communities reduce the risk by monitoring volcanoes, planning evacuation routes, and constructing earthquake-resistant buildings. Famous examples, such as the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 that buried the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, help children see why this matters.

Words your child will hear

Magma: Hot, melted rock beneath the Earth’s surface. When it erupts, it is called lava.
Crust: The thin, solid outer layer of the Earth that we live on.
Tectonic plate: One of the huge pieces that the Earth’s crust is broken into, which move very slowly.
Vent: The opening in a volcano through which magma, ash and gas escape.
Fault: A crack in the Earth’s crust along which rock can slip, causing an earthquake.
Epicentre: The point on the Earth’s surface directly above where an earthquake starts.
Tsunami: A series of very large sea waves, often caused by an earthquake under the ocean.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:

Pupils should be taught to describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle
This will include the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked enquiry: why do people live near volcanoes?

Hundreds of thousands of people live close to Mount Vesuvius in Italy, which erupted in AD 79. Why do they live there, and how do they stay safe?

Locate it. Vesuvius is on the Bay of Naples in southern Italy, beside the city of Naples. Italy lies where two tectonic plates meet, which is why it has volcanoes and earthquakes.
List the benefits. Ash and lava break down into very fertile soil, good for vineyards, orchards and vegetables. The bay is a good place for ports and fishing, and visitors come to see Vesuvius and the preserved ruins of Pompeii, which supports many jobs.
List the risks. Vesuvius is still classed as active, and a big eruption could threaten a very large number of people because so many live nearby. In AD 79, an eruption buried Pompeii and Herculaneum under ash, pumice and hot gas.
Explain how people prepare. Scientists monitor the volcano for small earthquakes, changes in the shape of the ground and gas coming out. The authorities have an evacuation plan, so that people could be moved out in time if the signs worsen.
Weigh it up. Children should give a balanced answer: people stay because their homes, work and families are there and the land is rich, and the risk is managed, not removed.

People live near Vesuvius because the fertile soil, port, tourism and jobs outweigh a risk that happens only rarely, and because they have monitoring and evacuation plans. Even so, it remains an active volcano, which is why preparation matters.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking every volcano is a tall cone-shaped mountain with a crater on top

The textbook picture of a volcano is a perfect cone, and it is the one children draw.

What helps: Look at photographs of different volcanoes, including wide, gently sloping ones. Ask what they have in common: a vent where magma reaches the surface.

Believing magma and lava are the same, or that the middle of the Earth is all liquid

The words are used interchangeably in stories, and diagrams of the Earth’s layers are hard to read.

What helps: Say magma is below, lava is above. Draw the layers together and note that most of the mantle is hot solid rock that flows very slowly, and that only the outer core is liquid.

Thinking earthquakes and volcanoes can be predicted exactly

Weather forecasts feel reliable, so people assume Earth events can be forecast just as well.

What helps: Explain that scientists can spot warning signs around volcanoes and know where earthquakes are likely, but cannot say precisely when a big earthquake will strike.

Assuming that the UK has no earthquakes at all

Big earthquakes happen elsewhere, so the UK seems safe.

What helps: Tell your child that the UK has hundreds of small earthquakes a year that most people never feel, but it is not close to a plate edge, so large ones are rare.

How to help at home

Build a layered Earth. Use different colours of modelling clay to make a ball with a core, mantle and crust, then cut it in half with a piece of thread or a plastic modelling tool. Ask your child to label each layer and say which is the thinnest.
Plot a pattern. On a world map, mark the places where well-known volcanoes and earthquakes happen. Ask what shape the dots make, and look for the ring around the Pacific Ocean.
A shaking table. Build a small tower from building blocks on a tray, then shake it gently. Try wider bases and lower towers and see which stay up, to show why buildings in earthquake zones are designed differently.
Tell the story. Ask your child to explain to you in their own words how Vesuvius affected Pompeii, or to write a short news report about an eruption, covering where, when, what happened and how people stayed safe.

Builds on

Key Stage 1: Weather and seasons
Key Stage 1: Hot and cold places
Key Stage 1: Coasts, seas and oceans
Key Stage 1: Hills, rivers, forests and soil
Key Stage 1: Towns, villages, farms and ports

Leads on to

Key Stage 3: Plate tectonics and geological time
Key Stage 3: Rocks, weathering and soils
Key Stage 3: Weather and climate
Key Stage 3: Climate change from the Ice Age
Key Stage 3: Glaciation and glacial landforms
Key Stage 3: Rivers and drainage basins
Key Stage 3: Coastal processes and landforms
Key Stage 3: Population
Key Stage 3: Urbanisation and the growth of cities
Key Stage 3: International development
Key Stage 3: The four sectors of economic activity
Key Stage 3: The use of natural resources
Key Stage 3: How people change landscapes and climate
Key Stage 3: How people depend on natural systems