Disasters
More Disasters
Changing Earth's Surface
More Changes to Earth's Crust
It's Dirty
100
can be caused by lightning; can produce it's own winds, can destroy millions of acres of forest
What is WILDFIRE
100
Could cause an area to become a desert if it continues long enough. Can cause crop failure, livestock death, increased forest fires, & water supply shortages. Described as an unusually long period of dry weather.
What is DROUGHT?
100
The process that changes rocks into sediments
What is WEATHERING?
100
This happens when water enters cracks in rocks & freezes, expanding and breaking the rock apart.
What is ICE WEDGING?
100
This is how long the process of weathering takes.
What is YEARS & YEARS?
200
vent in the Earth that allows molten rock to escape to the surface. When pressure from gases becomes too great an eruption occurs.
What is a VOLCANO?
200
Damage paths can be in excess of 1 mile wide & 50 miles long. Can happen when moist air meets the "dryline". Can destroy buildings and vehicles, uproot trees, & scour the soil off the ground. Described as a violently rotating column of air with wind speeds up to 300+mph.
What is TORNADO?
200
How sediments get carried away
What is EROSION?
200
When plant roots grow into cracks in the rock and break the rock apart, it is called this type of weathering.
What is MECHANICAL WEATHERING?
200
The type of rocks formed by weathering.
What is SEDIMENTARY ROCK ?
300
vibration of the Earth's surface that occurs after a release of energy in the crust.
What is an EARTHQUAKE?
300
Has many causes such as: intense or long term thunderstorms, hurricanes, melting snow, tsunamis, dam breaking, etc. Could even be caused by humans altering the landscape by paving the ground for housing, roads, & parking lots...resulting in the ground not being able to soak up the water. Can lead to loss of life, disease, contamination of drinking water, & destruction of crops & livestock.
What is a FLOOD?
300
This occurs when chemical reactions dissolve the minerals in rocks or change them into different minerals.
What is CHEMICAL WEATHERING?
300
When water mixes with carbon dioxide gas in the air or soil, it forms the weak acid called Carbonic Acid. This acid dissolves minerals like calcite, which is an example of this type of weathering.
What is CHEMICAL WEATHERING ?
300
The process by which rock is worn away over time by natural forces.
What is WEATHERING ?
400
about 6 of these develop each year from tropical storms; many remain over the ocean. Winds must reach a constant speed of 74 mph or greater for the tropical storm to be upgraded to this category.
What is HURRICANE?
400
Has extreme temperatures below freezing. Includes snow, freezing rain & sleet. Can cause ice on roadways & fallen power lines.
What is BLIZZARD or WINTER SNOWSTORM?
400
This occurs when rocks are broken apart by physical processes.
What is MECHANICAL WEATHERING?
400
This type of mechanical weathering occurs more rapidly in arid, sandy areas like deserts.
What is Sandblasting?
400
Done to help prevent erosion by planting along the natural shape of slopes of the land.
What is CONTOUR FARMING ?
500
series of waves that can travel between 450-600mph in the open ocean. Often shore waters pull back before this wave arrives. These can occur during any season & at any time of day or night. Impact includes drowning, flooding, contamination of drinking water, loss of habitat or human homes, fires from broken gas lines, etc. Could be caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, meteorite impact, or underwater landslides.
What is TSUNAMI?
500
happens in areas that are along plate boundaries. The Earth's crust may bend and as the stress builds & exceeds the strength of the rock, break and snap into a new position. Seismic waves are created when the crust breaks, and these waves travel outward at various speeds. Can cause landslides, avalanches, fires, tsunamis, property damage and loss of life.
What is EARTHQUAKE?
500
This process occurs when minerals containing iron are exposed to water and oxygen in the air, and the iron forms a new material that is like rust.
What is OXIDATION?
500
Occurs more quickly in tropical areas such as parts of South America because of high amounts of humidity & moisture, but occurs much slower in deserts due to lack of moisture.
What is CHEMICAL WEATHERING ?
500
A mixture of weathered rock, humus, mineral fragments, water, and air.
What is SOIL?
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