Mission 1: Ranger Briefing
Orient yourself before entering an active volcanic landscape.
Evidence is built in. Watch the ranger introduction below, then use the linked virtual park evidence when you need to investigate further.
🎥 Field Video 1 · Ranger Introduction
Watch before answering the cultural and orientation evidence questions.
Which pair of shield volcanoes is Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park especially known for?
The ranger mentions a Hawaiian “fire goddess.” What is her name?
Return to the introduction and listen for the cultural reference instead of guessing. Then retry.
Kīlauea is a shield volcano. Based on the lava and broad volcanic landscape shown in the video/park imagery, which explanation BEST connects the magma composition to Kīlauea’s shape?
Rewatch the volcanic landscape evidence. Look for broad slopes and widespread lava flows, then connect those observations to how easily basaltic lava moves.
Mission 2: Nāhuku Recon
Follow the evidence left by moving lava.
Explore the forest and lava-tube evidence using the field video and NPS lava-tube evidence provided below.
🎥 Field Video 2 · Explore the Lava Tube
What material once flowed through the lava tube?
Which sequence best explains how a lava tube like Nāhuku forms?
As the outside of a lava flow cools against air and rock, which heat-transfer processes are most directly involved?
Mission 3: Lava Tube Descent
Read the rock record inside the volcano’s former plumbing.
The current virtual park page describes Nāhuku as a tunnel made by flowing lava roughly 500 years ago, left behind after lava drained and cooled.
Open Virtual Park ↗What best explains why the tube has solid walls and a ceiling?
Basaltic lava commonly found at Hawaiian shield volcanoes generally travels farther than high-silica lava because basaltic lava has...
Broad, gently sloping volcanoes built mainly from many fluid basaltic lava flows are called what?
Think of the shape: wide and gently sloping, like a warrior’s protective object.
Mission 4: Edge of the Island
Separate constructive volcanism from destructive erosion.
Investigate how lava can build new land while waves simultaneously reshape Hawaiʻi’s volcanic coastline. Use the direct volcanic evidence below when needed.
🔥 Coastal Lava Evidence
Which process can create new land along Hawaiʻi’s volcanic coast?
The Hōlei Sea Arch is a temporary landform carved into volcanic cliffs mainly by...
What is the strongest Earth Science conclusion from seeing lava build new land while waves carve volcanic cliffs?
Mission 5: Volcano Identity Lab
Use volcano shape and eruption evidence to distinguish shield volcanoes from stratovolcanoes.
Required evidence: Use the volcano-types video below. Keep the game open and return after watching the relevant examples.
🎥 Volcano Types Field Video
A volcano is extremely broad with gentle slopes and is built by many thin, fluid basaltic lava flows. Which type is it?
A volcano is tall and steep-sided, with alternating layers of lava and pyroclastic material and a history of explosive eruptions. Which type best fits?
Why are stratovolcanoes generally more likely than Hawaiian shield volcanoes to produce highly explosive eruptions?
Reopen the volcano-types video and focus on the relationship among silica, viscosity, trapped gas, and eruption style.
Mission 6: Lava Behavior Challenge
Connect magma chemistry to viscosity, lava travel distance, volcano shape, and eruption hazards.
Need the evidence again? Reopen the same volcano-types video directly from this mission.
▶ Reopen Volcano Types Video ↗Which statement BEST compares typical shield-volcano lava with the more silica-rich magma often associated with stratovolcanoes?
How does the relatively high viscosity of many stratovolcano magmas help produce a steeper volcanic shape?
Which pairing correctly matches each volcano type with its typical magma/lava behavior?
Mission 7: Evacuation Decision
One final field decision. Then your expedition record is sealed.