Determine the key factors that influence the occurrence of your chosen hazard.

Access the “USGS Hazards” website under the Natural Hazards terms section of the Science Corner. You can also access the website at http://www.usgs.gov/natural_hazards/. Choose one (1) of the following geologic hazards: earthquake, landslide, or flood. Next, determine the key factors that influence the occurrence of your chosen hazard. Then, analyze the human role in elevating the risks of occurrence, as well as mitigation strategies to minimize damage and loss of life.

Landslide

A landslide is the unprecedented movement of earth, debris or rock down a sloped section of a given piece of land. Rain, volcanoes and rain are among the factors that may trigger landslides. Geologists describe landslides as one form of mass wasting – any downward movement in which the surface of the earth is worn away. The role of humans in elevating the risks of landslides…

Watch the video titled “Meet the Volcanoes” under the Volcanism terms section of the Science Corner. You can also view the video at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/meet-volcanoes.html. Next, use the Internet to research articles on the Mauna Loa Volcano in Hawaii and Mount Pinatubo in Philippines. Based on the type (i. e., cinder cone, shield, or composite) of volcano, and its common eruption characteristics, speculate on the societal and environmental damages that Mauna Loa and Mount Pinatubo would cause if they erupted today. Justify your response with evidence from your research.

Mauna Loa Volcano in Hawaii is considered the largest active Volcano worldwide. The volcano rises gradually to 4170 meters above sea level. Its extended submarine flanks descent approximately 3 below the sea level to the ocean. On the same note, Mount Pinatubo in Philippines…

Describe three (3) ways that Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis has helped to shape modern plate tectonic theory, and then explain why his hypothesis was not widely accepted by his peers when first proposed. Next, analyze at least two (2) types of evidence used to support plate tectonic theory.

The continental drift theory was developed in the 20^th century by Alfred Wegener, a German polar researcher, geophysicist and meteorologist. According to Wegener, the world continents were joined together as a single supercontinent.  While Wegener…