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3 pages/≈825 words
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APA
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History
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Research Paper
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English (U.S.)
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Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy Writing Assignment

Research Paper Instructions:

This is a project involving research and writing about an important volcano of your choice. A volcano may be important because of a historical eruption that had a significant impact on human life, knowledge, or economy, or because of the future risk that it poses. If you can find a substantial amount of information about a volcano using the on-line resources outlined below, then you can safely assume it is “sufficiently” important.
Your assignment is to write a 3-page (1000±100 word) descriptive history of a major eruption of the volcano you selected, in the style of Simon Winchester’s Krakatoa. It will maintain elements of a research paper that discusses the following aspects of the volcano, providing references / citations when appropriate:
Scientific storytelling (45 pts)
● Geographic and tectonic setting;
● Volcano type and relationship to tectonic setting;
● Eruptive style and relationship to volcano type;
● History of eruptions (e.g. notable eruptions, eruptive frequency)*; ● Past and potential hazards associated with the volcano;
● Description of risk posed by the volcano.
*Note that when writing the history of eruptions, it should be in the context of the eruption that you are highlighting, as Winchester describes the possible volcanism in earlier written history and the build-up to the final eruption that occurred throughout 1883.
A phenomenal resource in volcano research is the Global Volcanism Program (GVP), run by the Smithsonian Institution: http://www(dot)volcano(dot)si(dot)edu/
The GVP website hosts databases on thousands of active volcanoes around the world, and provides functionality that allows you to search for volcanoes based on their location, type, eruptions and population exposure. Once you identify a volcano of interest, the database also contains background information on the volcano, including photographs, activity reports, eruptive history, and a list of references and additional data to get you started on your research.
The Volcano Hazards Program of the United States Geological Survey is also an excellent source of information. The publications page (http://volcanoes(dot)usgs(dot)gov/publications/) contains official reports on volcano hazards in the Continental U.S., Alaska, and the Pacific, as well as fact sheets about volcanism.
The Google Scholar website (http://scholar(dot)google(dot)com/) is an excellent tool for identifying reliable, expert publications about the volcano of your choice.
While Wikipedia is a great source of information, it is not an acceptable reference for this project; instead, to use information found in a Wikipedia article, you will have to follow up on it using the reference list associated with the Wikipedia article. If you cannot find the

Research Paper Sample Content Preview:

Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
Mount Etna is located in the east coast of Sicily, in Catania, Italy. Mt. Etna is the highest peak in the Italian South Alps region and the tallest active volcano in Europe - it is 3,295 meters high, has a basal circumference of 140 km, and it covers 1,190 km2 (Bagley, 2017). Though, it should be mentioned that the height of the mountain varies with time as eruptions occur. Right now, Mt. Etna is two and a half times as high as Mt. Vesuvius, the second tallest mountain in Italy. Etna stands above the convergent plate margin between the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate. Thus, Mt. Etna remains in an almost constant state of activity. This volcano has been a heritage site for a long time. Its eruptions have increased soil fertility in the area to support agriculture.
The history of Mt. Etna’s eruptions goes as far as 3,500 years back (Taylor, 2017). Recent eruptions have not caused severe damages. However, people who live in the vicinity of this mountain have always stayed alert, considering the magnitude of loss that these eruptions can cause. The theory of plate tectonics explains these eruptions. This volcano is in an anomalous position in respect to the Apennines subduction (on the slab’s hinge zone) (Doglioni, Innocenti, & Mariotti, 2017). At this point, the Eurasian plate suppresses the African plate. Thus, the Mt. Etna remains an active fault between the two plates.
Etna is both a stratovolcano and a basaltic volcano. This mountain has two types of eruptions: flank vent explosions and explosive eruptions from the summit craters. For instance, magma is sucked directly from the mantle layer of the Earth into the space that is created by the tilting Ionian slab. Its lava resembles the lava of the deep sea trenches produced when the mantle magma is forced out through the crust (Bagley, 2017). The central, the southeast and the northeast summit craters experience the most eruptions on the mountain. However, the flank vents are likely to cause an explosion from the dome-shaped summit craters when they erupt.
Mt. Etna usually comes to life in short, and violent bursts known as paroxysms. These outbursts are robust and produce a lot of lava in a single eruption. There has not been a severe eruption since 1992, but Etna erupted several times over the past decade. In February last year (2017), Mount Etna erupted but soon quelled. Other minor eruptions occurred in 2014, 2015, and 2016, all bursting to form a spectacular nighttime scene. The first eruption to be recorded was observed in 425 B.C by Diodorus Siculus (Bagley, 2017). This eruption obstructed the sun for several days. It also caused widespread damage to the town of Catania. In response, the Romans canceled their taxes for the population of the city for ten years to help the locals rebuild the ruined metropolitan city. However, it was destroyed again in 1169 as we...
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