If you want to test on some activities for your science fair project, here are simple, yet practical experiments about volcanoes and earthquakes: salt volcano, baking soda volcano, and table top earthquakes.
There are several experiments that you can work on for your school activities. It ranges from the simplest to the most advanced testing, which can be done even by children. Here are samples of experiments related to volcanoes and earthquakes that you might want to try on such as:
Salt volcano
Although this does not have any direct connection with volcanoes, but the effect of this experiment somehow represents the activity that is going on inside a volcano when lava is released. Here are the things needed and the instructions to be followed:
Needed materials
* Drinking glass
* Salt
* Vegetable oil
* Water
* Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Pour water inside the glass up to approximately 3 inches deep. Add one-third cup of vegetable oil and wait until it completely separates from the water. Pour few drops of food coloring to give a more dramatic effect. Slowly shake salt in it and see what happens. Since salt is heavier than water; therefore, it sinks at the bottom together with drops of oil. As the salt dissolves, it slowly releases the oil in a form of bubbles. You may add more salt to sustain the effect.
Baking soda volcano
Just like a lava that is about to pour out of the crater, this experiment also illustrates how baking soda reacts with vinegar to form bubbles. So simple, all you need is to gather necessary materials and carefully do the steps-to-follow.
Needed materials
* Baking soda
* Vinegar
* Container
* Paper towels
Instructions
Put some baking soda inside a container. Slowly add vinegar and observe the reaction. Avoid getting near because the bubbles might accidentally hit your eyes. It is the released carbon dioxide, which causes the effervescence due to the neutralized sodium bicarbonate.
Table top earthquakes
This equipment is used to measure even the slightest movement of the earth. This is a useful project because students will find it easier to understand how motion directly affects the plates that make up the earth. However, this is a bit complex because it needs several materials to be able to set up and operate such machine. For detailed information about this experiment, kindly go over surfing the Internet. There are several sites where you can find good examples and detailed explanations of a given science fair project. From there you will find the things needed, instructions on how to construct the machine, and the explanation about physics in general.
In any experiment, it should always be under the supervision of an adult because even the easiest activity can cause freak accidents.