Natural Hazards - What is a Hazard?

Objectives

To understand what is meant by the term 'natural hazards'.

To understand the Earth's structure, and that the Earth's surface is divided into parts called tectonic plates.

Resources

Volcanoes and Earthquakes Study Book | Volcanoes and Earthquakes Activity Book | Structures of the Earth (YouTube)

Today's Lesson

Main Activity

What is a hazard? A hazard is something that can cause danger or risk. What hazards can you think of in your daily life (e.g. crossing road, falling own stairs)? In this topic we are going to look at natural hazards - hazards caused by the natural world. Can you think of any? You may have thought of volcanoes, earthquakes, droughts, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes etc.

We are going to start off looking at hazards caused by the movement of the Earth's surface, but first we need to understand what happens under the Earth’s surface!

Read pages 2-3 of the Volcanoes and Earthquakes Study Book.

Use the information to complete pages 2-3 of the Activity Book.

Some additional facts for you: The Earth's inner core is a whopping 6,000 C (that's hotter than the surface of the sun!) If the Earth was an apple, the crust would be as thick as it's skin.

Now read pages 4-5 of the Volcanoes and Earthquakes Study Book which explains how the Earth's crust is broken into different tectonic plates. Complete the tasks from pages 4-5 of the Activity Book.

Finally, watch the 3-minute Structure of the Earth video clip to recap what you have learned today.

WATCH - Structures of the Earth (YouTube)

Challenge Activity

Can you make a model to demonstrate the different layers of the Earth? You could make a 3D model using different colours of modelling clay, or a 2D model using coloured paper.

Citations

[1] www.youtube.com