Final Exam Review
Unit 2: Natural Disasters

Earthquake violent shaking of the ground

Cause of Earthquake
Movement of tectonic plates
• Subduction zone
• Transform fault

Type of damage from an Earthquake destruction, building damage, road damage, ruptured pipes, death

Where Earthquakes occur at plate boundaries

Safety during an Earthquake

Relationship to Tsunamis
Cause of a tsunami, displaces a large amount of water at subduction zone

Richter Scale measures magnitude of earthquake, 1-10 (10 the worst)

Tsunami

Cause of a tsunami displacement of water, earthquake under water

Type of Damage
Flooding, mass destruction

Warning of a Tsunami
Water recedes, recent earthquake

Safety during a Tsunami
Run to higher ground

Volcano
Movement of tectonic plates, subduction zones

Damage
Lava flows, Property destruction

Where?
Plate boundaries- subduction zones

Dormant
A volcano that has not erupted in a long time but has the potential to erupt again
Cattle Graze
Beneath the
Dormant Volcano
Mt. Taranaki or
Egmont Taranaki
New Zealand

Active
A volcano that is currently erupting

Extinct
A volcano that has erupted in the past but will not erupt again

Active Dormant Extinct

Magma
Molten rock below Earth’s surface, before it erupts from a volcano
Lava
Molten rock above Earth’s surface, what is erupting from a volcano

Tornado
• Forms from a supercell thunderstorm
• a cold air mass and a warm air mass combinethe cold air mass drops below the warm air mass eventually twisting

Where they form
• Flat land
• Tornado alley

Type of damage
Mass destruction of anything in its path

Safety

Fujita scale measures the intensity of a tornado on a scale of
1-5 (5 the worst)

Hurricane
Forms over warm water

Type of damage
1. Storm surge- flooding
2. Wind- downed trees, flying debris

Wind Speed
Greater than 74 mph

Storm Surge water from ocean gets pushed onto shore causing flooding

typhoon
• Pacific ocean cyclone
• Indian Ocean

Forest Fires
• Cause
– Human: main cause of forest fires, arson, campfires, cigarettes
– Nature: lightening, sun

• Fuel
• Oxygen
• Heat Source
Fire Triangle

Controlled burning removes fuel for a fire- undergrowth, brush, leaf litter

Where they occur
In dry, arid areas such as out West- heat, drought, frequent thunderstorms

Damage
• habitat destruction
• property damage

Benefits
• Clearing the forest floor
• providing habitat
• killing disease
• new generations