What are the giant moving pieces of Earth’s surface called?
Tectonic plates
What is the shaking of the ground caused by plate movement called?
Earthquake
What huge storm forms over warm oceans and has strong winds and rain?
Hurricane
What natural disaster spreads quickly through dry forests and grasslands?
Wildfire
What forms when a giant star collapses at the end of its life?
What are the glowing sky lights caused by the Sun’s energy?
Auroras or Northern Lights
What kind of natural disaster is a giant ocean wave caused by an earthquake underwater?
Tsunami
What storm forms over land when warm and cold air mix and spin?
Tornado
What happens when there is too much rain and the land fills with water?
Flood
What is the name for leftover pieces of a meteor that hit Earth?
Meteorites
What do we call the area around the Pacific Ocean with many volcanoes and earthquakes?
The Ring of Fire
What natural disaster sends lava and ash into the air?
Volcano
What is the name of the area in the United States where tornadoes happen the most?
Tornado Alley
What disaster happens when it doesn’t rain for a long time and everything dries up?
Drought
What is the sudden burst of energy and light from the Sun that can mess with radio signals and GPS?
Solar Flares
What is the name of the invisible line where two plates meet?
Fault lines
What do we call scientists who study earthquakes?
Seismologists
What is the calm part in the center of a hurricane called?
The eye
What is one reason wildfires happen more in summer?
Dry heat, wind, and dead plants
What do we call the huge cloud of particles the Sun sends out that can shake Earth’s magnetic field and cause auroras?
Solar Storm or CME (Coronal Mass Ejection)
What protects us from harmful energy from solar flares and solar storms?
Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field
What is the name of the scale that measures the strength of an earthquake?
The Richter Scale
What are hurricanes called in Asia and Australia?
(Two Answers)
Typhoons (Asia) and Cyclones (Australia)
What is global warming?/climate change?
Answers may vary.
Eg. The Earth getting hotter because of pollution and greenhouse gases
What kind of storm shakes Earth's magnetic field and can cause technology problems?
A geomagnetic storm