News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Teacher Craig Benton points out distant cinder cones to third graders at Lava Lands last Thursday.
"Pahoehoe! Uhh!"
That was the battle cry of the dozens of Sisters Elementary School third graders who piled into busses for the annual field trip to Lava Lands at Newberry Crater National Monument last Thursday.
The students had spent weeks learning about volcanoes and lava, including the types of lava they would see on the 7,000-year-old eruption site of Lava Butte: "Pahoehoe" (Uhh!) and "aa."
The terms are Hawaiian. Pahoehoe (Uhh!) is smooth, flowing lava; aa is rough. Virtually all of the lava surrounding Lava Butte is aa (which did not stop students from saying "Pahoehoe! Uhh!" at every opportunity.
Students with parents and teachers as guides walked the Trail of the Molten Lands, surveying the eerie moonscape of the monument. Moonscape is an accurate description; one of the interpretive signs notes that the area was used for training for lunar landings in the 1960s because it so closely resembles for surface of the moon.
The students climbed to an overlook where they took in a panorama of the volcano chain that makes up the geology of the area. The students counted roughly 60 volcanos and cinder cones, but a Ranger told the group that there are approximately 400 in the area.
The class was unable to enter the nearby Lava River Cave, which was closed due to lingering ice at the mouth. They did, however, walk down into the lava flow area to the entrance of the giant lava tube and peered inside.
Teachers said it was the first time in many years that the tour was unable to enter the cave.
On Friday and Tuesday, students touched off volcanoes of their own creation. The volcanoes were made from clay, paper and soda bottles. Students mixed vinegar and baking soda to create eruptions.
It's all part of a program that gives third graders insight into the mighty geological forces that shaped the landscape in which we live.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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