JH-KEADLE Catastrophic Events

Catastrophic Event An event that results from Earth processes and that can cause damage and endanger human life Weather Geologic tornado earthquake hurricane tsunamis floods volcanoes drought wildfire

Catastrophic Event The result of Processes in the atmosphere Processes on the Earth’s surface Processes in the oceans Processes inside the Earth

Catastrophic Events Can effect Earth in several ways Surface – speed up erosion and deposition Inside Earth – change the ground

Human Activities Where people decide to live can increase the damaging effects of natural hazards How people use land can also alter Earth’s systems in ways that contribute to catastrophic events

Impact of How People Use Land People can alter the land so that flooding and fire can be worse New Orleans built in a low depression Queensland built on fire prone plains California builds on steep slopes and creates mudslides

JH-KEADLE

JH-KEADLE Tornado

a violently rotating column of air formed when warm and cold air meet Tornado a violently rotating column of air formed when warm and cold air meet

Tornado Cause – cold and warm air colliding when thunderstorms meet Impact to Earth – kills plants, damages topsoil Impact to People – high winds destroy buildings, can have flooding Similar to – hurricane How are they similar – high winds and rain

Statistics Texas ranks 11th among the 50 states in density of tornadoes with an average of 5.7 tornadoes per 10,000 square miles, per year.

JH-KEADLE

JH-KEADLE Hurricane

New Orleans after Katrina

hurricane a large rotating spiral of air formed when high and low pressure systems meet over warm ocean water

Hurricane Cause – air pressure differences over the ocean Impact to Earth – kills plants, destroys beaches Impact to People – high winds destroy buildings, can have flooding Similar to – tornado How are they similar – high winds and rain

Top 10 Most Intense Hurricanes At Landfall (U.S.A) Statistics Top 10 Most Intense Hurricanes At Landfall (U.S.A) Rank  Hurricane Name Year  Category Pressure 1 Florida Keys (Labor Day) 1935 5 892 mb 2 Hurricane Camille 1969 909 mb 3 Hurricane Katrina 2005 920 mb 4 Hurricane Andrew 1992 922 mb Texas (Indianola) 1886 925 mb 6 Florida Keys 1919 927 mb 7 FL (Lake Okeechobee) 1928 929 mb 8 Hurricane Donna 1960 930 mb 9 Unnamed (New Orleans LA) 1915 931 mb 10 Hurricane Carla 1961

JH-KEADLE

JH-KEADLE Tsunami

tsunami a large, fast moving wave caused by an earthquake deep under the ocean floor

Tsunami Cause – earthquake under the ocean floor Impact to Earth – destroys beaches and coral reefs Impact to People – large loss of life, destroys buildings Similar to – earthquake, flood, volcano How are they similar – causes tsunami, water, pressure release

Statistics

JH-KEADLE

JH-KEADLE Volcano

a vent in the Earth’s surface which allows magma and ash to escape volcano a vent in the Earth’s surface which allows magma and ash to escape

Volcano Cause – build up of pressure deep inside Earth Impact to Earth – burns plants, creates new land Impact to People – burns or covers buildings Similar to – earthquake, wildfire How are they similar – pressure release, burns everything

Statistics

JH-KEADLE

JH-KEADLE Earthquake

Earthquake

earthquake a vibration of the Earth’s surface caused by a release of pressure deep within the Earth

Earthquake Cause – moving tectonic plates Impact to Earth – changes the look of the land Impact to People – damages buildings, kills people Similar to – volcano, tsunami How are they similar – pressure release

Statistics

JH-KEADLE

JH-KEADLE Drought

drought extremely dry conditions caused by a lack of rain over a long period of time

Drought Cause – lack of rain, heat Impact to Earth – kills plants and animals Impact to People – money loss from crop and livestock damage Similar to – wildfire How are they similar – loss of life and vegetation

Statistics

JH-KEADLE

JH-KEADLE Wild Fire

Wildfire

large are of fire caused by a lightning strike or man wildfire large are of fire caused by a lightning strike or man

Wildfire Cause – lightning, can be man-made Impact to Earth – burns everything, fertilizes the soil Impact to People – destroys everything in it’s way Similar to – drought, volcano How are they similar – loss of life, fire

Statistics

Flood

large amounts of water caused by heavy rains or melting snow flood large amounts of water caused by heavy rains or melting snow

Flood Cause – too much rain Impact to Earth – changes the land, fertilizes the soil Impact to People – loss of life and buildings Similar to – tsunami How are they similar – large amounts of water

Statistics

Which of these natural disasters can happen in our area? JH-KEADLE Which of these natural disasters can happen in our area?

JH-KEADLE Assignment We will be researching catastrophic events. You will get to pull a topic out of a coffee can. That will be the catastrophic event you will research. On the “Catastrophic Event” handout, find your event. You will be given an information sheet on your event. Start your research with the web sites listed on the sheet. Once you have used those sites, you can google your event to get other information.

JH-KEADLE Poster Instructions: Once everyone that has your event is finished researching, you will form a group to create a poster about your event. Make sure all of the facts from your research card are on the poster. You will only have part of a class period to construct your poster so work quickly and efficiently.

JH-KEADLE Information Sharing Once groups begin finishing their poster, you will trade posters to complete your “Catastrophic Events” handout. Using other group’s posters, fill in the information on your paper for their event. If some of their information is missing, use the information sheets to complete your handout.