Earthquakes
This is a sudden shaking of the ground caused by movements along breaks in the Earth's crust.
What is an earthquake?
A volcano erupts when magma from inside the Earth reaches this point.
What is the surface?
Tornadoes are also known as these kinds of storms due to their spinning shape.
What is a twister?
These powerful storms form over warm ocean waters and are characterized by strong winds and heavy rain.
What are hurricanes?
This is an uncontrolled fire that occurs in the wild or rural areas.
What is a wildfire?
The point on the Earth's surface directly above where the earthquake occurs is called this.
What is the epicenter?
This type of volcano is the largest, with broad, gently sloping sides.
What is a shield volcano?
This is the central part of the U.S., often called 'Tornado Alley,' because it has the most tornadoes.
What is the Great Plains?
This is the term for a hurricane when it occurs in the Northwest Pacific Ocean.
What is a typhoon?
This natural phenomenon can sometimes start wildfires by striking dry vegetation.
What is lightning?
These tools are used to measure the strength of earthquakes.
What are seismographs?
When this spews from a volcano, it can be rock, gas, and ash.
What is an eruption?
This is the scale used to classify tornadoes based on their wind speed and damage.
What is the Fujita scale?
The center of a hurricane is called this, where conditions are calm.
What is the eye?
These weather conditions, combining high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds, make wildfires more likely.
What are droughts?
This scale measures the magnitude of earthquakes by analyzing the vibrations they produce.
What is the Richter scale?
This iconic volcano erupted in Italy in 79 AD, destroying the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
What is Mount Vesuvius?
This type of cloud forms the funnel of a tornado.
What is a cumulonimbus cloud?
This scale measures a hurricane's intensity, with Category 5 being the most severe.
What is the Saffir-Simpson scale?
This is the term for removing underbrush and dead trees to prevent wildfires from spreading.
What is controlled burning or prescribed fire?
The largest recorded earthquake in history occurred in this South American country in 1960.
What is Chile?
This layer of molten rock beneath the Earth's crust is where magma comes from.
What is the mantle?
Tornadoes are most likely to form during these seasons in the U.S.
What are spring and summer?
This region of the Atlantic Ocean, known for frequent hurricanes, lies east of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
What is the Atlantic Hurricane Basin?
This U.S. state is known for having frequent and large wildfires, especially during the hot, dry summer months.
What is California?