LIJA DINESH

CLASS NO: 29
NATURAL SCIENCE
M.G.U.C.T.E

DISASTER
THEIR IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

A disaster is a sudden, calamitous

event
Seriously disrupts the
functioning of a community or
society
Causes - human, material, and
economic or environmental losses
Exceed the communitys or
societys ability to cope using its
own resources.
Caused by natural and man

NATURAL DISASTERS

A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural

processes of the Earth.
A natural disaster can cause loss of life or property damage, and
typically leaves some economic damage.

SOME OF NATURAL RESOURSES

FOREST FIRE
FLOOD
EARTH QUAKE
TSUNAMI

FOREST FIRE
A forest fire is an uncontrolled fire
occurring in nature
Many as nine out of ten forest fires
are caused by humans .
The four major natural causes of
wildfire ignitions are

Lightning,
Volcanic eruption,
Sparks from rock falls,
Spontaneous combustion.

The most common human sources

of wildfires

Arson
Discarded cigarettes
Sparks from equipment
Power line arcs

EFFECT OF FOREST FIRE

Loss of valuable timber resources

Loss of wildlife habitat and

depletion of wildlife
Loss of natural regeneration and
reduction in forest cover
Ozone layer depletion
Soil erosion affecting productivity
of soils and production
Health problems leading to diseases,

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.
Some floods can occur suddenly and
recede quickly.

Others take days or even months to

build and discharge.
When floods happen in an
area that people live, the
water carries along objects
like houses, bridges, cars,
furniture and even people.
It can wipe away farms,
trees and many more heavy

WHAT CAUSES
FLOODING?
River overflow

Strong winds in coastal areas

Ice and snow-melts

Dam breaking

TYPES OF FLOODS
Flash floods
This kind occurs within a very short time (2-6 hours, and sometimes within minutes) and is
usually as a result of heavy rain, dam break or snow melt.
Rapid on-set floods
Similar to flash floods, this type takes slightly longer to develop and the flood can last for a
day or two only.
Slow on-set floods
This kind is usually as a result of
water bodies over flooding their
banks.
They tend to develop slowly and can
last for days and weeks

EFFECTS OF FLOODING
Floods can have devastating consequences and can have effects on the
economy, environment and people.

ECONOMIC
During floods (especially flash
floods), roads, bridges, farms,
houses and automobiles are
destroyed.
People become homeless.

ENVIRONMENT
The environment also suffers
when floods happen.
Chemicals and other hazardous
substances end up in the water and
eventually contaminate the water
bodies

PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

Many people and animals have
died in flash floods
Flooding brings a lot of diseases
and infections including military fever,
pneumonic plague, dermatopathia
and dysentery.

BENEFIT OF FLOOD
Floodwaters carry lots of nutrients
that are deposited in the plains.
Farmers love such soils, as they are
perfect for cultivating some kinds of
crops.

 Earthquakes are the rumblings, shaking or rolling of the

earth's surface.
It is usually what happens when two blocks of the earth
suddenly slip past one another,
Or break apart from each other as a result of tension caused
by prolonged energy build up.

 Earthquakes are also called

temblors.
It is important to understand the earths makeup to help
understand earthquakes better.
The outer is the crust, which is the hard part of the earth that
forms the surface. This outer crust includes the land on which we
live, the oceans and ocean deeps

Earthquakes are developed in the

outer crust of the earth

THE TYPES OF EARTHQUAKES

Earthquakes can come in three main forms, depending on the
plate movements that occur beneath the earth's surface.
They could occur on a Convergent Boundary, Divergent
Boundary or a Transform Fault

CONVERGENT BOUNDARY

One plate is forced over another plate during movement creating a thrust
fault.
DIVERGENT BOUNDARY
Plates are forced apart each other, usually forming a Rift Zone. This kind
is common in ocean floors where new floors are created.
TRANSFORM FAULT
Unlike divergent and convergent, the plates here slip by each other. This is also
called Strike-Slip.

EARTHQUAKE WAVES

There are 2 types of earthquakes waves

These are waves of energy that travel through the earth's layers, and other elastic
layers, often as a result of earthquakes.
A wave, by general definition is the transfer of energy from one place to another
without transferring solid, liquid or gas matter.
Examples include light and sound waves.
During an earthquake, the waves released may be P or S waves depending
on the speed and ways in which they travel.

P-Waves (Primary Waves)

P-waves are longitudinal in nature. The vibrations are along the same direction as
the direction of travel. It is also known as compressional waves. P-waves travel faster
than S-waves.
S-Waves (Secondary waves)

Here the waves travel at right angles to the direction of travel. They are also known
as transverse waves and example include water waves.

EFFECT OF EARTHQUAKE

Collapsing buildings, walls,

bridges, falling furniture or objects,
shattering glass windows and mirrors.
Falling electricity lines
Rock slides and/or landslides on
mountains and hillsides.
Floods caused by the collapse
of dam walls.
Tsunamis.

 LIQUEFACTION. When sediments with a high water

content are subjected to prolonged shaking, the pressure of the
water held in pores in the sediment graudally increases eventually,
the sediments lose all cohesive strength and begin to behave as if
they were liquids.

Building and other structures sink into the ground or overturn and
buried tanks and other cavities rise to the surface. This is known as
liquefaction.

TSUNAMI
A series of massive ocean waves, triggered by an earthquake that
has occurred in the sea (or ocean).
The displaced water then runs ashore and into the land.
This happens when the plates underneath the Earth's surface
move (focus) so that one slips under another.

Tsunamis may also be caused by underwater landslides or volcanic

eruptions

 Researchers believe that most tsunamis, (80%), happen within the

Pacific Oceans Ring of Fire, a geologically active area where tectonic
shifts make volcanoes and earthquakes common.