Natural Disasters

Natural disasters include earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanoes and tornadoes.

When a volcano erupts, a hot molten material called lava flows out of the earth! It flows down the volcano where it may destroy anything in its path such as buildings and trees.

This is anything that is capable of causing harm to a living thing (including humans).

Engineers are people that solve problems with the help of math and science. For natural disasters, they design and construct buildings meant to protect people during a disaster. For example, they design buildings that can withstand an earthquake.

A tsunami is a very big wave that starts out in a body of water like an ocean. Eventually, the wave makes its way on shore, where it can cause harm to living things and anything in its path.

Both earthquakes and volcanoes form along plate boundaries. An earthquake is caused by sudden movements in the plates that make up Earth’s crust. Also, at these areas where the plates meet is the ideal place for molten rock to flow the surface and form a volcano!

They are designing and constructing buildings that can withstand things like earthquakes. They are also testing the best types of materials that can be used to build houses near volcanoes.

One important consideration is the height of the building. When a building is very tall and heavy it can crumble or topple over. A building that is closer to the ground can better withstand the shaking.

These natural disasters begin far off in the ocean. They are big waves that occur when there is an abrupt movement on the ocean floor, usually caused by an underwater earthquake. This means tsunamis originate near plate boundaries.

Some building materials are able to resist the shaking of earthquakes due to their properties. Concrete is not the best material to use because it can crack as Earth shakes during an earthquake. This type of cracking can weaken structures, which can be dangerous to living things.