S O L W G . 2 B

PHYSICAL AND ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES

PLATE TECTONICS

•The surface of the earth is constantly changing due to plate tectonics and erosion and weathering.

VOLCANOES

• A mountain with a crater through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are being or have been erupted from the earth's crust.

• Earthquakes and volcanoes can occur anywhere on the surface of the earth, including underwater, but they are more common at plate boundaries.

VOLCANO ERUPTION IN JAPAN

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ea3uED1Zgc

VOLCANOES

• There is an area around the Pacific Ocean where many plates come together known as The Ring of Fire. This area has many active and dormant volcanoes and volcanic eruptions are frequent.

VOLCANOES: IMPACT ON PEOPLE

• Scientists cannot predict when volcanoes will erupt.

• People live near volcanoes because volcanic ash is extremely fertile and good for farming.

• Ash can be hazardous to air travel.

EARTHQUAKES

• A sudden and violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great destruction, as a result of plate tectonic activity

EARTHQUAKES

• Earthquakes are more common at plate boundaries.

• The center of an earthquake on the surface of the earth is called the epicenter.

• A seismograph is a device that detects if an earthquake has occurred.

• The Richter Scale is a scale used for measuring the intensity of an earthquake.

EARTHQUAKES: IMPACT ON HUMANS

• Landslides• Tsunamis• Damage to roads and bridges, buildings, and loss of life

• Humans can’t predict earthquakes but they can build better buildings that will withstand the effects of an earthquake.

EARTHQUAKE MONTAGE

• http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/earthquake-montage

TSUNAMI

• Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic explosions.

• Tsunamis can be detected with an early warning system but not all countries have the money to install them.

• Tsunami’s cause major flooding that may result in massive damage to infrastructure and loss of life.

TSUNAMI

• See a tsunami here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0YOXVlPUu4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2hUwFo6Vpc

EROSION AND WEATHERING

• The surface of the earth is also being formed by erosion and weathering.

• Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces.

• Erosion moves pieces of rock or dirt.

EROSION

• After rocks have been broken into smaller pieces the debris is moved by erosion. The agents of erosion are:

A. Wind

B. Water

C. Ice

D. Gravity

EROSION

• Erosion has natural causes and human causes.• People can take steps to prevent erosion by using

nets, covering exposed earth with straw, and replanting vegetation.

FLOODS

• Floods happen when there is too much rain and rivers overflow their banks.

• People can try to prevent floods by building embankments or levees.

FLOODS

• Typically, areas that are low in elevation and near rivers or the mouth of rivers experience floods. A few areas that have floods are:

A. Along the Mississippi River in the U.S.B. BangladeshC. Parts of Eastern China

FLOOD VIDEOS

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsQjpayyt_4

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC00cd2TzzU

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxAUoXTUtS8