Natural disasters in Japan Flashcards
boring (i dont have the motivation):
Beaufort scale
Scale for measuring wind speeds
caldera
Large volcanic crater formed when the roof of an empty magma chamber collapses
caldera volcano
Very old volcano with an enormous crater (often many kilometres wide) formed by the collapse of the magma chamber after an eruption
continental plate
Tectonic plate that contains large land masses.
convection current
Flow of molten rock under the Earth’s crust.
convergence
When tectonic plates move towards each other.
crater
Large, steep-sided hole in the ground caused by a volcanic eruption.
crater lake
Lake formed when a volcanic crater fills with water.
cyclone
Name for a giant tropical storm in south Asia and Australia.
divergence
When tectonic plates move away from each other.
earthquake
Shocks or tremors in a part of the Earth’s crust caused by endogenic forces.
Earth’s crust
Thin layer of rock that covers the Earth. The crust is about 8 kilometres thick under the oceans and 35 kilometres thick under the continents.
endogenic force
Force from within the Earth that changes the Earth’s crust.
epicentre
The point where an earthquake breaks through the Earth’s surface, directly above the hypocentre.
eruption
When lava and gas are released from a volcano.
evacuate
Leave an area because it is unsafe.
exogenic force
Outside force that changes the Earth’s crust (such as wind or water).
eye of the hurricane
Calm, cloudless area at the centre of a hurricane, usually around 30-50 km across.
fault
Crack or tear in the Earth’s crust.
geothermal energy
Heat that comes from inside the Earth.
hazard management
Strategies that aim to prevent damage caused by natural disasters.
hot spring
Spring that occurs when groundwater is heated by geothermal processes in the Earth.
hurricane
Tropical storm with winds of force 12 or above on the Beaufort scale. Also known as a typhoon or cyclone.
hypocentre
Place deep in the Earth’s crust where an earthquake begins
landslide
Sudden movement of large amounts of earth down the slope of a hill or a mountain.
lava
Magma that has flowed to the surface through the Earth’s crust.
magma
Hot, liquid rock inside the Earth.
magma chamber
Space inside a volcano that is filled with magma.
Mercalli scale
Scale for measuring the intensity of an earthquake and the damage it causes.
mid-ocean ridge
Long mountain range on the ocean floor formed by magma rising from between oceanic plates that are moving apart.
natural disaster
Disaster caused by changes in nature, resulting in many deaths, injuries and widespread damage.
oceanic plate
Tectonic plate that is at the bottom of the ocean.
pie chart
Circular chart showing how something is divided up into parts.
post-volcanic phenomenon
Phenomenon caused by a volcano that is no longer active.
pyroclastic flow
A mixture of hot gases, rock and ash that flows rapidly down the slope of a volcano during an eruption.
relief
Differences in elevation in a landscape.
Richter scale
Scale for measuring the strength of an earthquake.
Saffir-Simpson scale
Scale for measuring the intensity of a hurricane.
scale level
The level of detail you choose when you look at the world: local, regional, national, continental or global.
seaquake
Earthquake whose epicentre is in the sea.
seismologist
Scientist who studies earthquakes.
shield volcano
Low, wide volcano with gentle slopes.
slab
See tectonic plate.
storm surge
Sharp rise in sea levels along the coast caused by strong winds.
stratovolcano
Steep-sided volcano made up of layers of lava and pyroclastic material.
subduction
When an oceanic plate slides underneath a continental plate.
tectonic plate
Piece of the Earth’s crust. Also called a slab.
transform movement
When tectonic plates slide past one another.
trench
Long, deep, narrow depression in the ocean floor caused by the subduction of an oceanic plate.
tropics
Warm climate zone near the equator between 23½°N and 23½°S.
tsunami
Huge tidal wave caused by a seaquake that floods coastal areas.
tuff
Relatively soft type of rock made up of compressed volcanic ash.
typhoon
Name for a giant tropical storm in east Asia.
volcano
Mountain created when lava flows out of the Earth’s crust.
