Earthquake
An earthquake, earthquake or telluric movement, It is a phenomenon of sudden
and temporary shaking of the earth's crust produced by the release of accumulated
energy in the form of seismic waves. The most common are produced by the
activity of geological faults. They can also occur due to other causes, such as
friction at the edge of tectonic plates, volcanic processes, impacts from asteroids or
any large celestial object, or they can even be produced by humans when carrying
out nuclear detonations underground.
The point of origin of an earthquake is called the focus or hypocenter. The
epicenter is the point on the earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter.
Depending on its magnitude and origin, an earthquake can cause displacement of
the earth's crust, landslides, tidal waves (or also called tsunamis) or volcanic
activity.
Tsunami
A tsunami, is a complex event involving a group of waves in a body of water of
great energy and of variable size that are produced when a large body of water
moves vertically by some extraordinary phenomenon, for example, an earthquake,
volcanic eruption, underwater detonations, landslides , glacial ice falls, meteor
impact and other events. Unlike normal ocean waves produced by the wind, or
tides, which are generated by the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon, a tsunami
is generated by the displacement of water.
Forest fire
A forest fire is the fire that spreads uncontrollably in forest or wild land, affecting
plant fuels, flora and fauna. A wildfire is distinguished from other types of fire by its
wide spread, the speed with which it can spread from its source, its potential to
change direction unexpectedly, and its ability to overcome obstacles such as
roads, rivers, and fire breaks.
Hurricane
In meteorology, the term tropical cyclone is used to refer to a storm system
characterized by a closed circulation around a low-pressure center that produces
strong winds and abundant rainfall. Tropical cyclones extract their energy from the
condensation of humid air, producing strong winds. They are distinguished from
other cyclonic storms, such as polar lows, by the heat mechanism that feeds them,
which turns them into "warm core" storm systems. Depending on its strength, a
tropical cyclone can be called a tropical depression, a tropical storm, a hurricane,
and depending on its location, it can be called a typhoon (especially in the
Philippine Islands, Taiwan, China and Japan) or simply a cyclone like in the Indian
Ocean.
Snowstorm
A snowstorm, blizzard, snowfall or white wind is a snow, ice and hail storm with
heavy snow precipitation, which generally occurs in high mountain areas or high
latitudes, where temperatures are below 0 ° C. It brings very strong snow-laden
winds and negative temperatures that reduce visibility to less than 1 km.
A blizzard accompanied by strong winds can be called a blizzard or more explicitly
a snow blizzard, since blizzard in general means a storm accompanied by strong
winds, which can be both rain and snow.
Avalanche
An avalanche or also known as an avalanche is the displacement of the snow
cover that is directed downhill with a speed that can vary.
Part of the substrate and the vegetation cover of the slope can also be
incorporated, they are usually caused either by the amount of snow that
accumulates in the area where the avalanche starts, that is, by overload, which
generates a collapse within the snow cover, usually at the level of a weak layer; in
addition there should be a slope angle between 25º and 45º preferably; It can also
be generated by people, skiers, mountaineers, alpinists, snowmobiles, snowcat,
and animals such as guanacos, and everything is related to the overload of the
snow cover; On the other hand, rain on the snow cover can be the cause of an
avalanche and also the avalanches caused or induced with explosives are
classified as artificial avalanches.
Drought
Drought is a transitory climatological anomaly in which the availability of water is
below the usual for a geographical area. The water is not enough to supply the
needs of the plants, animals and humans that live there.
The main cause of any drought is the lack of rainfall or rainfall, this phenomenon is
called meteorological drought and if it persists, it results in a hydrological drought
characterized by the inequality between the natural availability of water and the
natural demands for water. In extreme cases it can reach aridity.
If the phenomenon is linked to the level of demand for water in the area for human
and industrial use, we are talking about water scarcity.
Flood
A flood is the occupation by the water of areas that are usually free of this, due to
the overflow of rivers, streams or boulevards, due to torrential rains, thaw, due to
rising tides above the usual level, due to tidal waves, hurricanes, among others.
River floods are natural processes that have occurred periodically and that have
been the cause of the formation of plains in river valleys, fertile lands, meadows,
and riverbanks, where agriculture has normally developed.
In coastal areas, the onslaught of the sea has served to shape the coasts and
create swampy areas such as ponds and lagoons that, after their anthropic
occupation, have become vulnerable areas.
Storm
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A storm is a meteorological phenomenon associated with the vertical development
of cloudiness accompanied by electrical discharges or lightning and, usually,
precipitation and intense gusts of wind on the surface. Electric discharges can be
cloud-cloud, cloud-ground, and cloud-ionosphere.
Although scientifically a storm is defined as a cloud capable of producing audible
thunder or lightning, violent atmospheric phenomena that, on the surface of the
earth, are also called storms in general are associated with rain, ice, hail,
electricity, snow or strong winds -which can carry suspended particles like the
sandstorm or even small objects or living things.
Twister
A twister is a column of air with high angular velocity whose lower end is in contact
with the Earth's surface and the upper end with a cumulonimbus cloud or,
exceptionally, like Newton's tornado, at the base of a cumulus cloud. It is the
atmospheric cyclonic phenomenon with the highest energy density on Earth,
although of little extension and of short duration (from seconds to more than an
hour).
Tornadoes come in different sizes and shapes but are generally shaped like a
funnel cloud, the narrow end of which touches the ground and is usually
surrounded by a cloud of debris and dust, at least for the first few moments.
