I have two questions. 1)What does Soufriere mean in English? 2)I would like to give my fourth grade students an idea of what volcanoes smell like when they erupt. Is there a way for a non-chemist to easily and safely have them experience what sulfur dioxide smells like?

Angie

Soufriere means sulfur in French. The easiest place to smell sulfur dioxide is kind of an unexpected one. Go to the supermarket and buy a big bag of dried fruit. It is almost always preserved with sulfites and if you open the bag and take a big whiff it is almost as choking as sitting next to a vent (if you ignore the fruit part of the smell). The other thing you could do would be to light a bunch of matches but that usually adds some hydrogen sulfide which is rare on volcanoes.

Sincerely,
Scott Rowland

Other Categories Other Questions
To VolcanoWorld