By: Tom Wickersham

As part of the exhibition Going Underground: The Science Beneath Our Feet, Explorit Science Center offers some insights and sights of the inner workings of the earth, including volcanic eruptions. But hurry, this exhibition ends June 7.

Our wonderful world allows us to learn many fabulous facts. Try this volcano quiz, for example.

1. What is the world's tallest volcano? 2. What happened on May 18, 1980? 3. Name two locations of volcanic activity (not necessarily eruptions) in California within the last 100 years. 4. Where does the term volcano originate? 5. Can you name one of the closest volcanic sites to Davis? (Hint: it's northwest of Davis).

The answers:

1. Llullaillaco, in the Northern Andes mountain range in Chile, is the world's tallest volcano. Standing in at 22,110 feet, it is almost 2,000 feet taller than North America's tallest mountain, Denali, in Alaska. Llullaillaco erupted three times in the last half of the nineteenth century.

2. On May 18, 1980, Washington State's Mount St. Helens erupted. During that eruption thousands of tons of debris and ash covered an area of 150 square miles.

3. In 1921, Lassen Peak in Northern California erupted and on April 2, 1996, the Long Valley caldera, south of Mono Lake, experienced a swarm of earthquakes including one that registered a 3.9 on the Richter scale. This swarm, like volcanic eruptions was caused by magma movement.

4. We owe the term volcano to the Roman god of fire and the forge, Vulcan.

5. Just about 52 miles from Davis is the Clear Lake volcanic field. This field, a type of caldera, lies at 4,200 feet. It's estimated that the last eruption took place here within the last 10,000 years. This caldera is marked by the abundance of thermal activities like hot springs.

For more hands-on exploration, beyond pure fact finding, visit Explorit's Going Underground exhibition.

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Want to build your own volcano at home? What you need: baking soda, vinegar, red food coloring, a small narrow-necked bottle, modeling clay, cardboard square (at least 15 inches), a cup, a mixing stick, and paper rolled into the shape of a funnel.

What you do: 1. Place the bottle upright on the center of the cardboard. Using the clay, build up a volcano-shaped mountain around the bottle. Be sure to keep the opening of the bottle exposed. Now place the volcano in an area that is OK to get messy. 2. Fill the bottle half full with baking soda. If you need help getting the baking soda into the bottle, use the paper funnel. 3. Pour some vinegar into the cup (about as much baking soda as in the bottle). Add some red food coloring. 4. Now pour some vinegar into the opening of the volcano and STAND BACK!

Try this volcano activity several times. Observe what happens each time. Do the same things happen each time you run the activity?

Guess what? This is really a simple chemistry experiment. It is also a very common way to demonstrate how a volcano works. But wait a minute ... does it accurately reflect how a volcano really works? Challenge yourself to figure out lots more about how volcanoes (and the rest of our earth) really works. Don't stop when you find out fascinating facts, let your curiosity lead you down the lengthy and fulfilling paths of investigation and exploration.

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Congratulations to Alex Chang, the winner of a fun-filled Explorit Birthday Party. All early enrollees for Summer Science Classes were entered in this Birthday Party drawing. Even though the drawing is over, a few spaces remain in several of Explorit's Summer Science Classes. Call 756-0191 for more information.

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Explorit's last Girl Scout program of the year will occur this Saturday. Many thanks to the Venture Club of Davis for their generous support of our Girl Scout programs.

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Explorit Science Center is located at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is Going Underground: The Science Beneath Our Feet. Public hours are Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. Regular admission is $3; members, teachers (with school IDs), and children under 4 are free.