Natural Disasters by Troy Tim

Natural Disasters are events like a hurricane, an earthquake, a tornado, a tsunami or a volcano eruption.


Hurricanes

Hurricanes are formed when hot air raises and cold air drops and they collide to produce an air current that slowly whirls around gaining speed as it goes. As hurricanes always appear in the sea, it would gain some water and head to land. Upon hitting land, the water would be dropped and cause a flood.

Picture 1: A hurricane from space satellites.

Tornados

Many people think tornados are like hurricanes. Tornados made on land are called land spouts while tornados made on sea are called water spouts. A tornado’s whirling speed is around 240kmph to about 400kmph.

Picture 2: A hurricane and a tornado.

Picture 3: The first moments of a tornado as it is formed.

Earthquake

Earthquakes are caused by shifts in the earth’s continental plates. An earthquake can last from a few seconds to about ten minutes. An earthquake that causes a little damage and are called tremors but a serious earthquake can destroy a whole city.

Tsunami

A tsunami is usually caused be an earthquake. Shock waves from an earthquake’s epicenter hit the sea, causing a wave to rise up and flow towards land speeding up drastically. The damage is always a lot.

A Volcano Eruption

Volcanoes are made by shifts in the earth’s continental plates. A volcano can be in different states: Active: erupts every year Dormant: has not erupted in a decade Extinct: has not erupted in a century. Magma is actually from the mantle, if it solidifies it turns into igneous rock.



Picture 4: A volcano eruption. Picture 5: A diagram of an active volcano.