Volcanoes: Exploring a Restless Earth

Cfa collection: Bert Van Bork Collection
Notes: The film opens with shots of erupting volcanoes, discussing how volcanos form new crust on the earth. The narrator says the new land, the Icelandic island of Surtsey, has been formed by volcanic rock and ash. While the narrator discusses how lava protects the ash from being washed or blown away, there are overhead shots of Surtsey. The narrator says as the volcanos on Surtsey erupt, a new island off the coast is formed but has no lava to protect it, so within a short amount of time the new island is gone, and "only Surtsey remains". The title card shows, "Volcanoes: Exploring the Restless Earth".; A map of the location of volcanoes on the tectonic plate boundaries is shown, followed by a demonstration of how the Hawaiian Islands were formed. The narrator discusses how Kilauea was formed. It shows where magma is stored and how it escapes. They show a spewing volcano and the narrator says when the pieces of lava hit the earth they become pumice, but in Hawaii it stays liquid and pours over the side of the volcano. This forms a shield volcano. Discusses how Kilauea formed Mauna Ulu after some time. There is a demonstration of how lava lakes are still flowing through lava tubes just below the surface toward the sea. The narrator discusses how some of that lava reaches the sea, forming new land, and some add to the shield volcano.; Now showing Mexico, the narrator discusses a community that was destroyed by a volcano eruption, as shots of the location are shown. Next, the film shows the volcano in Mexico called Parícutin and the narrator discusses how it poured ash and rock for 9 years. 1943, lava exploded from the vent of Parícutin and is now dormant.; Then the film shows Mount Vesuvius in Naples, Italy. The narrator discusses how it was dormant for years but suddenly erupted in 1944, and many villages were destroyed because of it. The film shows that people are still living near the volcano. The narrator discusses the earliest eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79 when it erupted suddenly and destroyed the ancient city of Pompeii. The film shows scenes of people working to excavate the buried city, and plaster casts of people that were buried in ash.; Next, the film shows the island of Heimaey in Iceland, where in 1973 (the year of production) the volcano Eldfell erupted suddenly after 6,000 years of dormancy. It deposited ash over the island and the city of Vestmannaeyjar causing the citizens to abandon their homes and businesses.
Distributed by: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Subjects: Education; Natural phenomena; Disasters; Volcanoes
Places: Europe > Iceland; North America > Mexico; Europe > Italy; North America > United States > Hawaii
Language: English
Cfa elements: Print, 600 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/6965