Catastrophic Events. Catastrophic Event An event that results from Earth processes and that can...

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

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

Tornado

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.

Hurricane

New Orleans after Katrina

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

Hurricane

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 5 909 mb

3 Hurricane Katrina 2005 3 920 mb

4 Hurricane Andrew 1992 5 922 mb

5 Texas (Indianola) 1886 4 925 mb

6 Florida Keys 1919 4 927 mb

7 FL (Lake Okeechobee) 1928 4 929 mb

8 Hurricane Donna 1960 4 930 mb

9 Unnamed (New Orleans LA) 1915 4 931 mb

10 Hurricane Carla 1961 4 931 mb

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

Tsunami

Statistics

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

Volcano

Statistics

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

Earthquake

Statistics

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

Drought

Statistics

Wild Fire

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

Wildfire

Statistics

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

Flood

Statistics

• Which of these natural disasters can happen in our area?

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.

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.

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.