experiments testing effects of viscosity

I have used the viscosity experiments as a classroom demonstration in introductory geology courses, as one part of a more extensive lab on volcanoes in introductory geology courses, and as a more intensive viscosity lab for introductory petrology courses. think about and discuss ways in which viscosity controls styles of eruptions and relates to volcanic hazards and.learn about the rheological property called viscosity and some of the factors that affect it.The objectives of the lab are for students to: Viscosity is important for students at all levels of earth science to understand because it is a critical control on morphologies of volcanoes, velocities of lava flows, eruptive styles (effusive versus explosive), and ascent velocities of magmas within the earth. Students are also introduced to Ken Wohletz's freeware program MAGMA (no longer available), which allows them to determine viscosities for magma and lava compositions, and are required to do some simple graphical analysis of the effects of composition, dissolved H2O, and % solids on magma and lava viscosity using the MAGMA calculations. During the course of this exercise, students are required to make predictions about the outcomes of experiments, quantitatively document the results of their experiments, calculate viscosities using the Jeffreys equation (Jeffreys 1925 Nichols 1939 Cas and Wright 1987), and extrapolate the concepts learned from their laboratory results to natural conditions appropriate for silicate magmas and lavas.

It is a topic that is conducive to a range of teaching and learning styles, and allows for the integration of theory, experiments, and calculations. Teaching students about viscosity is easy, effective and fun.

Experiments testing effects of viscosity