Natural Disasters
Find examples of Australia's most expensive natural disasters (ABC Splash).
What are the costs associated with these disasters?
How do they affect people and businesses?
WHAT CAUSES NATURAL DISASTERS?
•Some natural disasters are geological. This means that they are caused by natural events occurring within the earth’s crust.
•Some natural disasters are meteorological. This means that they are caused by extreme weather conditions in the earth’s atmosphere.
•Some natural disasters are hydrological. This means that they are caused by the amount of water present on the earth’s surface.
•Some natural disasters can be caused by a combination of natural factors. Humans can also play a role in causing natural disaster events.
GEOLOGICAL NATURAL DISASTERS
•Geological natural disasters are caused by natural events occurring within the earth’s crust.
•Some geological natural disasters include:
-earthquakes
-volcanoes
-tsunamis
-avalanches.
METEOROLOGICAL NATURAL DISASTERS
•Meteorological natural disasters are caused by extreme weather conditions in the earth’s atmosphere.
•Tropical cyclones (also known as hurricanes, typhoons or tropical depressions) are one example of a meteorological natural disaster.
HYDROLOGICAL NATURAL DISASTERS
•Hydrological natural disasters are caused by the amount of water present on the earth’s surface.
•Some hydrological natural disasters include:
-flooding
-drought.
OTHER
NATURAL DISASTERS
•Some natural disasters are difficult to classify into one category. This is because they are often caused by a combination of natural events (such as climate or extreme weather) and human actions (such as irresponsibility or careless land use).
•A bushfire is one example of a natural disaster which has both natural and human causes.