Chatterbox Upper Primary B - Wonders of the World

The Paricutin Volcano in Central Mexico erupted for the first time on February 20, 1943. A farmer working his field felt the ground rumble. A long crevice opened in the earth and lava began erupting. His field and the surrounding area were soon buried as the new volcano was ‘born’.

In the first year, The Paricutin Volcano grew to 336 metres tall.
In the following eight years
it grew a further 88 metres tall , totalling a grand 424 metres in height.

Geologists came to watch and record the activity of
this entirely new volcano. Paricutin is in an area known for volcanic activity, but it is very unusual to see a new volcano being ‘born’. Ash from the eruptions fell as far away as Mexico City (320 kilometres away). The lava flows covered 25 square kilometres. It has not erupted since 1952.

There are many lists of natural world wonders and there may never be complete agreement on the most wonderful. These wonders celebrate the power and beauty of nature. The following ‘candidates’ appear on many lists of natural wonders:

Mt Everest—the world’s highest mountain, which lies in the Himalayan Mountains between Nepal and Tibet.

The Great Barrier Reef—a beautiful coral reef located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

The Grand Canyon—
an awe-inspiring canyon in north-west Arizona, United States.

Victoria Falls—amazingly high waterfalls on the Zambezi River, which is part of the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa.

Rio de Janeiro Harbour—a harbour on the south-west shore of the balloon-shaped Guanabara bay in Brazil, South America.

Paricutin Volcano—a volcano that first appeared in 1943 in Central Mexico.

The northern lights (aurora borealis)—moving coloured lights in the sky, around the magnetic North Pole.