Hands on Tauranga offers students stimulating and original learning opportunities with real museum objects that support the New Zealand curriculum at primary and secondary school level.
One solid piece, and fragments of charcoal wood from a Lake Taupō eruption, likely to be from the Hatepe eruption in 232CE (approximately 1792 years ago).
Ash from this eruption would have fallen on Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty.
These pieces of charcoal were found on Ruapehu in the 1970's. This charcoal is from a birch tree.
Charcoal is most commonly made from wood. It is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents.
Products from volcanic eruptions such as lava and hot ash can create charcoal by burning or burying plants.
The Hatepe eruption was 15 seconds in length, and created a shockwave of over 900km per hour. The temperature was 1000 degrees celsius. The eruptio flattened or bunred all trees nearby and a volcanic ash cloud covered most if not all of the North Island. In Tauranga the ash deposits were up to 10 metres deep.
date: Approximately 1792 years old (232CE)
max dimension: 10cm
subject area: Social Science, Science
specific themes: Volcano, volcanic eruptions, natural disasters,
handling collection number: HC20
Why not borrow these objects :
Volcanic rocks of Aoteara NZ HC269 > https://www.handsontauranga.co.nz/hot-items/putaiao-science/volcanic-rocks-of-aotearoa-new-zealand-hc269/
Mineral collection HC191> https://www.handsontauranga.co.nz/hot-items/putaiao-science/mineral-collection-hc191/
School journal link:
'Baskets of Fire' by by Whiti Hereaka https://instructionalseries.tki.org.nz/Instructional-Series/School-Journal/School-Journal-Level-2-November-2018/Baskets-of-Fire
House of Science related kit link > https://houseofscience.nz/science-kits/
Volcanoes / Ngā puia
"What causes the Earth’s crust to fracture and break, releasing molten rock (lava) from its interior? Students learn about the composition of the Earth, model tectonic plate movement, identify volcanic rocks and create different types of volcanoes and volcanic eruptions. An excellent introduction to the powerful and spectacular forces that cause constant movement and change in the Earth’s landscape."