Download Film Dante`s Peak Questions

Name: ________________________________
Date: ________________________
Film Questions for: Dante’s Peak
1.) What is the economy of the town of Dante’s Peak based upon (what/who do many of the businesses rely
on)?
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2.) What are several of the early warning signs that Dante’s Peak is volcanically active?
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3.) Why didn’t the town council put Dante’s Peak on alert after Harry strongly urged them to?
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4.) What are some tools and tests that Geologists use to measure seismic (earthquake and volcanic) activity?
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5.) Describe sequence of events of the actual eruption of Dante’s Peak in detail.
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6.) What were some of the problems that Harry, Rachel and the children experienced while trying to escape?
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7.) What was it that helped search and rescue teams to find Harry, Rachel and the children?
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8.) Write an emergency response plan for the people of the town of Dante’s Peak that they should follow in the
event of another eruption. Include at least 4-5 steps the people need to take.
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ANSWER KEY
Film Questions for: Dante’s Peak
1.) What is the economy of the town of Dante’s Peak based upon (what/who do many of the businesses rely on)?
Tourism! Used to be mining before minerals ran out, now the focus is on tourism related activities.
2.) What are several of the early warning signs that Dante’s Peak is volcanically active?
- swarming of shallow earthquakes from shifting magma inside the volcano
- animals and plants dying on the mountainside from release of sulfur and carbon dioxide
gas
- hot springs increasing in temperature
- rock slides in the crater of the volcano from seismic activity
3.) Why didn’t the town council put Dante’s Peak on alert after Harry strongly urged them to?
They are concerned that the alert will scare away tourists and investors from their community and if nothing ends
up happening they will have lost that revenue resulting in a loss of property values and business.
4.) What are some tools and tests that Geologists use to measure seismic (earthquake and volcanic) activity?
- they use seismographs (machines that detect and record earth vibrations)
- computers to monitor, graph and predict seismic changes in the volcano
- testing water for acidity levels
- robot to take samples and readings in areas dangerous to people
- GPS locating system, (E.L.F) that they are testing for NASA
5.) Describe sequence of events of the actual eruption of Dante’s Peak in detail.
First a massive earthquake shakes the mountain and the town then, the volcano starts to erupt with explosive force
and with gas, ash, and lava. The heat released from the volcano cause ice and snow at the top of the mountain to
melt causing flooding of rivers and a dam. Ash falls, shrouding the town in darkness and falling ash. Lava begins
to flow and lake water turns acidic. Pyroclastic then destroys the town.
6.) What were some of the problems that Harry, Rachel and the children experienced while trying to escape?
The children are separated from their mother and Harry, and decide to go up the mountain to save their
grandmother who has refused to leave her cabin. Harry and Rachel are caught in a panicked crowd in the school
gymnasium and a completed congested road on their way to meet the children. They cross a river to get out of the
traffic jam. The children drive themselves through thick ash to grandma’s house where Harry and Rachel meet
them, but they evacuation path out is blocked by rock slides and lava flows. They cross a lake that starts to eat
away at their aluminum boat, grandma sacrifices herself to help them all get onto land. They have to walk to a
ranger station to try to get help. Grandma dies on the mountain, the family manages to get a vehicle to travel in
but as they are driving away from the mountain it erupts with a pyroclastic flow. They try to outrun it by driving
into an underground mine. In the mine they are separated again by cave ins until rescued by outside help.
7.) What was it that helped search and rescue teams to find Harry, Rachel and the children?
The GPS system provided by NASA called E.L.F.
8.) Write an emergency response plan for the people of the town of Dante’s Peak that they should follow in the event of
another eruption. Include at least 4-5 steps the people need to take.
Answers will vary but should include:
- Having an evacuation plan in place that is up to date and provided multiple evacuation routes away from
danger zone.
- An alert system in place to help people to evacuate quickly and efficiently
- Occasions to practice evacuation drills to avoid panic and confusion
- Emergency kits with basic survival gear for each household/car/school, etc.