Weather Wiz Kids weather information for kids What is a volcano? Introduction to volcanoes The earth's mountains, plains, plateaus, soils, rocks, etc. as we see it today is believed to have gone through many phases, with about 80% of it being carved out by the action of volcanoes. A volcano is simply a rapture (opening or vent) on the earth's surface (crust) through which molten magma (extremely hot mixture of gases, lava, ash and other burning substances) escape on to the earth's surface. How do Volcanoes look like? A volcano looks like a mountain, although they are two different things.A mountain is a large natural rise of the earth's surface, more like a giant heap of sand. A volcano is also like a big heap of earth just that this heap is a mixture of lava, ash, dust, and other substances that have piled up over many years. In May 1980, the Mountain St. Volcanoes occur at weak zones or points in the earth’s crust (including constructive and destructive boundaries). Now we shall see in a bit more detail how volcanoes come about.
What is a flood? Introduction to Flooding Many of us have this idea that floods (or flooding) is simply, too much water around your house. People think that can be fun. Wrong. Flooding is a lot more than that. Flooding is extremely dangerous and has the potential to wipe away an entire city, coastline or area, and cause extensive damage to life and property. What is a flood? It is a natural event or occurrence where a piece of land (or area) that is usually dry land, suddenly gets submerged under water. When floods happen in an area that people live, the water carries along objects like houses, bridges, cars, furniture and even people. Floods occur at irregular intervals and vary in size, duration and the affected area. It is important to note that water naturally flows from high areas to low lying areas. In this lesson, we shall see more about what causes flooding, the types of flooding, some effects of floods and what we can do before, during and after floods occur.
What is an Earthquake Introduction to Earthquakes & Tsunamis Turn on the TV or read the newspapers and almost always there is something devastating happening somewhere as a result of sheer nature's power. Examples of such natural occurrences are hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, flooding, earthquakes and tsunamis. These are usually not caused directly by humans, but their effects live with us for a long time. In this lesson we shall look at one of such natural occurrences...earthquakes! What is an Earthquake? Simply, earthquakes are the rumblings, shaking or rolling of the earth's surface. Earthquakes come in many forms. Foreshocks, Mainshocks and Aftershocks: Sometimes, there are smaller shocks that occur before (foreshock) and after (aftershock) a main earthquake (mainshock). Earthquakes are also called temblors. It is important to understand the earth’s makeup to help understand earthquakes better. The Mantle is semi-molten rock, also called magma.
Natural Disasters 1. Most natural disasters are caused by weather. Weather disasters can be caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, thunderstorms, wind storms, wildfires, avalanches, and blizzards. 2. Some of the weather disasters can be predicted such as hurricanes and blizzards. The technology is getting better in predicting tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Earth Facts and Information Information on wildfires for young people Out of the many natural disasters we have, wild fires would be one that is very common, very difficult to fight, and maybe the most dangerous. What is a fire? Simple, it is the visible part of a combustion. A combustion is a chemical reaction of three things: Heat, fuel and Oxygen. These three ingredients must be present before a fire can be made and maintained. This is simply a gas found in air. Fuel: Fuel is any kind of combustible material. Heat: Heat is thermal energy.