1. The Big Stuff That Makes Big Changes
Catastrophic Events
The Big Stuff That Makes Big Changes

2. 2

3. Hurricane Katrina

5. Definition of a Catastrophic Event
Rare event (not happening all the time, but maybe on some long-term recurrence interval)
People killed and/or injured or displaced
Property damage
Geologic or geomorphic change

6. Let’s make a list! Earthquake Tsunami Hurricane Tornado Floods
Landslide/mudslide
Avalanche
Volcano/Lahar
Fire
Meteor Impact
See the Wiki Page for links to videos of many of these catastrophes

7. And they fall into 4 basic categories:
Tectonic - Earthquake, Tsunami, Landslide, Volcano
Weather – Hurricane, Tornado, Flood, Fire
Human – Landslide, Avalanche, Fire
Space – Meteor Impact

8. Risk Assessment
Probability of Occurrence X Damage (in lives, injuries, displacement, and property)

9. Probability of Occurrence
What factors affect probability of occurrence?
Location on the Earth
Season
Human Activities

12. See the cycles?

13. Hurricanes/Year

16. Because there are more small asteroids than big asteroids, many more small craters form than big ones.
Lunar Craters
Size of crater (m)
Number of craters

17. 55 impact features
in North America
Over 200 recognized across Earth
50 larger than 100 km

18. Chicxulub 65 My 180 km across - 10 km asteroid or comet
Yucatan Peninsula

20. 5. Which of the following statements about a 100-year flood is correct?
A. If we had a 100-year flood last year we certainly won’t get one in the same place next year
B. If we experience a 100 year flood this year, we won’t experience another for 100 years
C. A 100 year flood is denoted for a given stream by looking at the amount of discharge over as long a time period as possible. (It is essentially an average to be used as a guideline.)
D. A 100 year flood will occur each spring at the same stream

21. 10. Which of these is the closest representation for the size of the drainage basin for the Mississippi River?
A. nine US states and all the Canadian provinces
B. all 50 US states
C. part or all of 31 US states and two Canadian provinces
D. Mississippi, Alabama,
and Arkansas

22. Let’s look at the TEKS: Cy-Fair: Grade 8 Aldine: Grade 7
The student knows that natural events and human activity can alter Earth systems. The student is expected to describe and predict the impact of different catastrophic events on the Earth.
Student will research the effects of catastrophic events on the land, people, and other living organisms.
Identify a catastrophic event relative to your environment and provide examples of how it affects your environment.
Cy-Fair: Grade 8
Layers of the Earth, Continental Drift Processes at Plate Boundaries
Essential
Concepts
Simulated
Research
Activities
Questions

23. Big Ideas Size versus frequency: large events are rare
Recurrence interval
Tectonic events and plate boundaries
Risk assessment = probability of occurrence x damage
Essential
Concepts
Simulated
Research
Activities
Questions 23

24. Simulated Research Activities
USGS has data sets on many of these events
Some are global, others are for US only
Links to these data sets and directions on how to download them into spreadsheets will be on the Wiki for your use.
Essential
Concepts
Simulated
Research
Activities
Questions

25. http://usgs.gov http://www.stormpulse.com/