Download Natural Disaster Completed Notes

Tornado
How is it formed (cause)
 By severe thunderstorms, in which the maritime tropical (mT – hot) and the
continental polar (cP) air masses meet creating a funnel extending
downward from the cloud.
Is it predictable? Partially yes
 If so, how (explain technology used)? If not, why?
Scientists can predict the tornado over a wide region but cannot tell exactly
where it will touch down/exact path it will take.
Tools: satellites, Doppler radar (measures rain, wind direction and speed)
Where are tornadoes mostly located? Tornado Alley (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas
and Nebraska)
 Why are they mostly located here?
The area is relatively flat, which allows the cold air from Canada to meet the
warm air from the Gulf of Mexico.
Is there a scale to measure the devastation that it causes? Yes
 What is the name of that scale?
Fujita Scale
Hurricane
How is it formed (cause)
Hurricanes arise in the tropical latitudes (near the equator) typically in summer
and autumn due to warm air rising and cold air sinking and the air begins to
rotate.
Is it predictable? Partially yes
 If so, how (explain technology used)? If not, why?
o Scientists can predict a hurricane if it is during hurricane season
o Hurricane hunters pass through a storm 4-6x via planes which carry
radars and weather instruments to track the direction of the
hurricane.
Where are hurricanes mostly located?
 From the tropical central Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico.
 Eastern U.S. states – mostly Florida, Louisiana and Virginia.
Why are they mostly located here?
 Hurricanes almost always form over ocean water, warmer than about 80
degrees F.
 Hurricanes that form in the Atlantic start moving westward, which is North
American mainland.
Is there a scale to measure the devastation that it causes? Yes
 What is the name of that scale? Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Earthquake
How is it formed (cause)
 Earthquakes happen at places called faults where the rough edges of two
tectonic plates push against one another.
Is it predictable? No
 If so, how (explain technology used)? If not, why?
o There is no known precursor (signal that indicates an earthquake is on
its way).
Where are earthquakes mostly located?
 Along the plate edges and faults; mostly along the edges of oceanic and
continental plates.
 Surrounding the ring of fire which is located around the perimeter of the
Pacific Ocean.
Why are they mostly located here?
 Those plates are always in motion and an earthquake occurs when they run
into each other or slide past each other.
Is there a scale to measure the devastation that it causes? Yes
 What is the name of that scale? Richter magnitude scale
Volcano
How is it formed (cause)
 Magma from within the Earth's upper mantle works its way to the surface.
At the surface, it erupts to form lava flows and ash deposits.
Is it predictable? Partially, yes
 If so, how (explain technology used)? If not, why?
o Past history (time between two previous eruptions)
o Frequent earthquakes (moving magma)
o Changes in slope; measured using tiltmeters because as the magma
and gas push inside the earthquake it slopes upward
o Satellites and vents to measure gas emissions such as Sulfur dioxide
and carbon dioxide
Where are volcanoes mostly located?
 Near plate boundaries and hot spots; the Ring of Fire (surrounds pacific
ocean)
Why are they mostly located here?
 The movement of the plates creates zones of subduction (continental plate
and oceanic plates that converge and the oceanic plate sinks below the
continental plate because it is more dense), which leads to the formation of
earthquakes.
 Magma cools and floats to the surface and forces its way out of the crust
(volcano)
Is there a scale to measure the devastation that it causes? Yes
 What is the name of that scale? Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI)