Transcript Catastrophic Events Notes

Catastrophic Events Notes
Catastrophic Event/Natural Hazard
• An event that results from Earth processes
and that can cause damage and endanger
human life
• Examples: hurricanes, tornados, floods,
earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis,
wildfires, etc.
Hurricane
• Wind speed >74 mph
• Huge, many miles
across
• Often accompanied
by torrential rains
• Storm surge, large
waves, and flooding
• Wind damage
• Occur JuneNovember
Hurricanes cause…
• Storm surge and tidal flooding--Storm
surge is the rising wall of salt water that
comes ashore with a land falling hurricane,
and is responsible for 90 percent of all
hurricane related deaths.
• Landfall = time/place when the eye wall
of a hurricane hits land
Cause cont…
• Heavy rain and flooding--After
hurricanes make landfall, and their winds
slow down, the amount of rainfall becomes
a major factor, and can cause significant
flooding.
Cause cont…
• High Winds-- it determines how powerful
the storm is, and how much storm surge
and damage it can cause (can reach up to
200 mph).
Beach Erosion…
moves weathered rocks
and soil from one place
to another
it can move slowly or
quickly
A car is submerged in sand after Hurricane Ike came through
the area, September 17, 2008 in Gilchrist, Texas.
• After 5 years, what
do you think will
happen to the beach
and the house?
The land wears away due to beach erosion
Part 2
IEF Notes
What is this a picture of?
Tornado
• Definition: A funnel-shaped column of rotating
air (wind) that stretches from the bottom of
clouds to the ground
• Wind speed 100-250 mph
• ~250 ft across (average)
• Occur during thunderstorms
• Wind damage
• Spring/Summer
• Mostly in Midwest (Tornado Alley)
Tornadoes cause…
• Destruction to buildings, bridges and anything in
the tornadoes path
• death
• hail damage
• wind damage (can reach 140 mph)
Tornados and Hurricanes
• Differences:
•
Tornados
• <1 mile across
across
• Form over land
water
• Spring/Summer
• Little rainfall
rainfall/flooding
• Little/no warning
Hurricanes
>50 miles
Form over
Summer/Fall
Lots of
Forecasted
Flood
• An overflow of water that submerges
(covers) land not normally covered by
water
• Caused by heavy rains (hurricanes,
thunderstorms)
• Storm surge (hurricanes)
• Plants/animals/humans drown
• Destroys buildings
• Erodes land
Earthquake
• Movement of tectonic plates (rock) along a
fault line (crack in the earth)
Forms mountains
Destroys
buildings
Often causes
fires due to
broken gas lines
under cities
Volcano
• An opening in the Earth's crust that allows
magma/lava (melted rock) to come out
Burns vegetation
Releases ash into
the air
Kills animals
Forms new
mountains/islands
Effects of Catastrophic
Events/Natural Disasters
• Beach/land erosion
• Destroy habitats
• Kill living things (plants, animals, humans
Exit Activity
• Create a Venn Diagram that
compares and contrasts two
natural catastrophic eventsHurricanes and Tornadoes