How to Make a Volcano Made out of Clay

You can recreate volcanic eruptions by building a model volcano.

There are several kinds of volcanoes; shield volcanoes, composite volcanoes and calderas. Shield volcanoes are rounded and low, resembling a warrior's shield; composite volcanoes look like ordinary mountains, such as Mt. Saint Helens; calderas are old volcanoes that have eroded away, leaving only a large crater. If you are working on a science project about volcanoes, you can make a working model of a volcano out of clay and other household items, regardless of which kind of volcano you want to make.

Things You'll Need

• Funnel
• White air-drying clay
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Small drinking bottle
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• 1/4 cup of vinegar

Instructions

1. Place the funnel, mouth-side down, onto a workspace covered with old newspapers; this will make cleaning up after the experiment easier.

2. Mold white air-drying clay around the funnel; make the walls of the volcano at least half an inch thick.

3. Let the clay dry around the funnel. Paint the volcano using acrylic paints; use brown paint on the sides, leaving the cap of the volcano white. Use red-orange paint to create lava flows down the sides of the volcano. Let the paint dry.

4. Place the model volcano over a small drinking bottle. Pour water into the bottle, then add 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1/4 cup of vinegar to the bottle; the volcano will erupt.

References

• "Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology"; Let's Make a Volcano