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Natural Disasters and Earth Science

Terms in this set (37)

Hurricane
Storm with violent wind, warm water, low pressure and revolution
Flood
An overflow of a large amount of water beyond its normal confines
Tsunami
Long, high sea wave caused by an earthquake in the ocean
Tornado
Destructive vortex of violent winds
Blizzard
Severe snowstorm with high winds and low visibility
Wildfire
Fire caused by lightning or by a person in a wooded area
Volcano
Mountain with a vent from which lava and ash flow
Earthquake
Violent shaking of the ground as a result of plate tectonic movement along faults
Meteor
Space debris that enter the Earth's atmosphere
Drought
Prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall
Catastrophic event
Something very harmful, devastating and causes sudden great damage or suffering
Natural Resource
Can be broken into renewable and nonrenewable resources
Renewable Resource
A resource that can be repeatedly used
Hydroelectricity
Electrical energy generated by the flow of water
Biomass
Living materials (wood, vegetation, etc.) which provide fuel
Wind Energy
Utilizes turbines to generate electricity from the wind
Fossil Fuel
A nonrenewable energy resource formed by the remains of organisms that live long ago.
Global Warming
The gradual heating of Earth's surface, oceans and atmosphere
Solar Energy
Radiant energy emitted from the sun
Nonrenewable Resource
A resource which is depleted with use, or can not be used again
Coal
A combustible black or dark brown rock consisting mainly of carbonized plant matter, found mainly in underground deposits and widely used as fuel.
Oil
A viscous liquid derived from petroleum, especially for use as a fuel or lubricant.
Geothermal Energy
Energy generated from the heat within Earth
Greenhouse Gases
Major examples include: carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor
Nuclear Energy
The energy released during nuclear fission or fusion, especially when used to generate electricity
Natural Gas
Consists largely of methane and other hydrocarbons, occurring naturally underground and used as fuel.
Carbon Footprint
A human's impact on the environment
Epicenter
The point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's starting point, or focus.
Seismograph
Scientists use these to detect and measure seismic waves
Magma
A molten mixture of rock-forming substances, gases and water from the mantle
Lava
Magma is called this once it reaches Earth's surface
Faults
Breaks in Earth's crust where rocks have slipped past each other
Theory of Plate Tectonics
Explains the formation, movement and subduction of Earth's plates
Extinct volcano
Volcano that has not erupted in recorded history and probably will not erupt again
Dormant volcano
Volcano that is currently not erupting, but may erupt again
Active volcano
Volcano that is currently erupting or shows signs of erupting in the near future
Seismology
The study of earthquakes
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