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Volcanic eruption explained - Steven Anderson

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TEDEd Animation

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In February of 1942, Mexican farmer Dionisio Pulido thought he heard thunder coming from his cornfield. However, the sound wasn’t coming from the sky. The source was a large, smoking crack emitting gas and ejecting rocks, and would come to be known as the volcano Paricutin. Where do new volcanoes like this come from, and what triggers their unpredictable eruption? Steven Anderson investigates.

Imagine that a volcano starts to emit a lot of gas and has an increase in shallow earthquakes, indicating that magma may be rising towards the surface. A couple of days later the activity ceases before an eruption occurs. Which of the following could explain why the activity shut off?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Steven Anderson
  • Director Odirlei Seixas, Felipe Grosso, Fábio Vianna (In Memorian)
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Storyboard Artist Felipe Grosso
  • Animator Sarah Zattar, Kelvin Lima, Renato Nogueira Cavalher
  • Art Director Victor Goularte
  • Sound Designer Júlio Muzzi - Astrolábio Studio
  • Music Júlio Muzzi - Astrolábio Studio
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal, Dan Kwartler
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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