Natural Disasters
When a tidal wave destroyed coastal villages or earthquakes toppled towns in
ancient times, people believed the gods and goddesses were angry. Natural
disasters remain mysterious and unpredictable.
Tornadoes, tsunamis and
other "acts of God" provide an endless source of fascination.
Whether you're creating a science project or preparing for a
future career as a storm chaser, you'll find tons of information on the Web.
Elementary students should check out
The Disaster Area,
a fun site from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency that is packed with information on tornadoes, hurricanes,
earthquakes, tsunamis and more. Find facts, explode myths and play games to
test your disaster IQ.
Earthquakes
The U.S. Geological Survey offers great Earthquake Information. Click to the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
to see the seismographic record, read eyewitness accounts and view photographs.
Get ideas for projects at Seismology at the Science Fair,
which provides an inspiring list of topics. At
Space.com,
learn how satellites are used to find earthquake faults.
Volcanoes
Elementary students should jump on the
Volcano Field Trip,
a great tour of the volcano world. For more information, go to Dangerous Planet's
Interesting Facts About Volcanoes.
Older students will find great information at the U.S. Geological Survey
site. Delve into a study of plate tectonics, take a tour of Volcanoes around the World
or visit the Cascades Volcano Observatory,
home of Mount St.Helens.
Tornadoes
The Tornado Project Online is a great starting
point for researching twisters. You'll find the facts, myths, stories and
science of this amazing natural phenomena. Also check out USA Today's
Tornado Information site, a mini encyclopedia on the subject.
Hurricanes
Good sites on Hurricanes are blowin' around out there, too.
The Fema Hurricane site explains how these mighty storms are tracked and has a lot of fun games to play.
The Tropical Prediction Center's National Hurricane Center offers satellite images and information on
current storms.
Tsunamis
Last, but by no means least, the tsunami is an awesome and powerfully
disastrous phenomena. Go to the
Pacific Tsunami Museum's FAQ
for a great introduction.
Washington University's site Tsunami!
includes links to current research on tsunamis, statistics and more
technical research.
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