In February, 1943 there were several earthquakes around Paricutin, Mexico. One day after the earthquakes, a farmer was plowing his corn fields. He noticed a stream of smoke and steam rising from a hole in the ground. He covered the hole with a rock and went on working.
A few days later, the farmer noticed that more smoke was billowing out of the hole and nearby a mound of earth and rock the size of a house had formed in his field. What was happening, he wondered? He was watching the birth of a volcano. Within a year, his entire farm was buried in lava. In fact, the whole town, as well as another nearby town, was buried. The only thing still standing was the church, which was half covered in lava. The volcano continued to erupt for another eight years. Today it is quiet.
Fun Facts about Paricutin for Kids
- In just ten weeks, the volcano grew 1,000 feet!
- The lava flowed at a rate of 100 feet per hour.
- After 1952, the volcano became quiet. It has not erupted since.
- No one died during the volcano’s growth.
Paricutin Vocabulary
- Plow: dig up and make soil ready for planting
- Billow: quickly flowing
- Mound: pile or hill
All About Paricutin Video for Kids
This is the best video we found for kids to learn about Paricutin:
This is a video about the growth of the Paricutin Volcano in Mexico.
Paricutin Q&A
Question: Do volcanoes always grow so quickly?
Answer: Most volcanoes were formed slowly thousands of years ago. Paricutin allowed scientists to watch a volcano’s birth and growth.
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