January 25, 2014
Landslides:
Landslides happen when rain or frost loosens up the ground, making it soft and causing it to fall. There are 5 types of landslides. The first type is soil creep. This happens as soil slowly goes downhill as it freezes and thaws. The second type is slumping. In slumping the ground slides downhill in slopes that are curved. This forms giant steps. The third type is debris slide. This happens when frost breaks rocks and the rocks fall down the side of a mountain. The fourth type is mudflow. This happens when heavy rains and hurricanes moisten the soil and cause it to flow downhill. The last type is rockfall. Rockfall happens when a slope collapses and rocks come pouring through the air. This type is very dangerous. The fastest landslides move at 15 feet per second and can destroy anything in there path and kill hundreds or thousands of people.
Landslides:
Landslides happen when rain or frost loosens up the ground, making it soft and causing it to fall. There are 5 types of landslides. The first type is soil creep. This happens as soil slowly goes downhill as it freezes and thaws. The second type is slumping. In slumping the ground slides downhill in slopes that are curved. This forms giant steps. The third type is debris slide. This happens when frost breaks rocks and the rocks fall down the side of a mountain. The fourth type is mudflow. This happens when heavy rains and hurricanes moisten the soil and cause it to flow downhill. The last type is rockfall. Rockfall happens when a slope collapses and rocks come pouring through the air. This type is very dangerous. The fastest landslides move at 15 feet per second and can destroy anything in there path and kill hundreds or thousands of people.
January 25, 2014
Volcanoes:
Underneath Earth's surface lies large pools of molten material called magma. This magma will sometimes get disturbed. Eventually, the magma will sneak up to Earth's surface. The magma comes up through a pipe called a vent. The pressure will build near the surface, until...BOOM!!!! The volcano erupts. When magma reaches the surface and erupts it is called lava. The volcano launches lava and ash into the air. Lava is very hot and burns anything it touches. The lava hardens and the volcano grows larger, up to over 16,400 feet high! When the volcano stops erupting it starts to wear away, or erode. Eventually there is no sign left that there was ever a volcano.
Volcanoes:
Underneath Earth's surface lies large pools of molten material called magma. This magma will sometimes get disturbed. Eventually, the magma will sneak up to Earth's surface. The magma comes up through a pipe called a vent. The pressure will build near the surface, until...BOOM!!!! The volcano erupts. When magma reaches the surface and erupts it is called lava. The volcano launches lava and ash into the air. Lava is very hot and burns anything it touches. The lava hardens and the volcano grows larger, up to over 16,400 feet high! When the volcano stops erupting it starts to wear away, or erode. Eventually there is no sign left that there was ever a volcano.
January 25, 2014
Measuring Earthquakes:
Earthquakes are measured using a device called a seismograph. The seismographs measure the waves of the earthquake from the ground. A pen will then trace these waves and movements onto a long sheet of paper. Earthquakes are measured on a scale called the Richter Scale. The Richter Scale measures earthquakes on a scale of 0-9. The larger the number the more damage the earthquake caused. One number up from another number (ex. 4 to 5) on the scale is 10 times more powerful than the previous number. The largest earthquake ever recorded happened in Chile on May 22, 1960. The earthquake was a magnitude 9.5 earthquake.
Measuring Earthquakes:
Earthquakes are measured using a device called a seismograph. The seismographs measure the waves of the earthquake from the ground. A pen will then trace these waves and movements onto a long sheet of paper. Earthquakes are measured on a scale called the Richter Scale. The Richter Scale measures earthquakes on a scale of 0-9. The larger the number the more damage the earthquake caused. One number up from another number (ex. 4 to 5) on the scale is 10 times more powerful than the previous number. The largest earthquake ever recorded happened in Chile on May 22, 1960. The earthquake was a magnitude 9.5 earthquake.
January 25, 2014
Earthquakes:
Earth's surface consists of separate sections called plates. These plates move around and will move away, towards, or along each other. The place between these plates is called a fault. When pieces of these plates get stuck stuck or move, the energy will begin gathering up until it is released as an earthquake. When massive amounts of energy are released through these faults that is called an earthquake. Earthquakes are caused in 3 ways. The first is when plates move apart, or diverge. One of those plates will move drop away from the other plate, causing an earthquake. These kinds of faults are called normal faults. The second way earthquakes occur is when plates converge, or come together. When one plate slips under the other, it will cause an earthquake or sometimes a tsunami. These kind of faults are called thrust faults. The third cause of earthquakes is when plates move along a transform boundary. The plates move in opposite directions. When one piece of a plate gets stuck, the plates will keep pushing and energy will build up and eventually be released in an earthquake. These types of faults are called strike-slip faults. The area where the earthquake starts underground is called the hypocenter. Directly above it on the surface is the epicenter. The energy released dring in earthquake travels in waves. These waves are called seismic waves and these waves are what do the damage during earthquakes. Earthquakes cause lots of damage and can topple buildings and kill people. Earthquakes can be really minor to really big. Smaller earthquakes can only rattle things or sound like a freight train passing by, where as larger ones can topple buildings and move railroads. After an earthquake thee will sometimes be smaller earthquakes called aftershocks.
Earthquakes:
Earth's surface consists of separate sections called plates. These plates move around and will move away, towards, or along each other. The place between these plates is called a fault. When pieces of these plates get stuck stuck or move, the energy will begin gathering up until it is released as an earthquake. When massive amounts of energy are released through these faults that is called an earthquake. Earthquakes are caused in 3 ways. The first is when plates move apart, or diverge. One of those plates will move drop away from the other plate, causing an earthquake. These kinds of faults are called normal faults. The second way earthquakes occur is when plates converge, or come together. When one plate slips under the other, it will cause an earthquake or sometimes a tsunami. These kind of faults are called thrust faults. The third cause of earthquakes is when plates move along a transform boundary. The plates move in opposite directions. When one piece of a plate gets stuck, the plates will keep pushing and energy will build up and eventually be released in an earthquake. These types of faults are called strike-slip faults. The area where the earthquake starts underground is called the hypocenter. Directly above it on the surface is the epicenter. The energy released dring in earthquake travels in waves. These waves are called seismic waves and these waves are what do the damage during earthquakes. Earthquakes cause lots of damage and can topple buildings and kill people. Earthquakes can be really minor to really big. Smaller earthquakes can only rattle things or sound like a freight train passing by, where as larger ones can topple buildings and move railroads. After an earthquake thee will sometimes be smaller earthquakes called aftershocks.