007 - Hazardous Conditions

Conceptual Question

How do powerful natural phenomenon occur and to what extent can scientific and technical innovations mitigate the impact of them?

Approaches to Learning

Communication Skills - Reading, writing and using language to gather and communicate information - Make inferences and draw conclusions.

Key Terminology

            • Tectonic Hazard


Define the key term above by using the 'Useful Link' below:


Useful Link

Activity One - Review

We have explored how the shifting of the Earth's plates have helped to shape our planet in Year 8 but we have mainly investigated this in terms of the land beneath our feet. We haven't focused on what happens under the surface of the water in our oceans. Before we can look at the impact of the movement of the tectonic plates we need to review how they move in the first place. Answer the questions on the handout (below) using the 'Time for Geography' clip on the structure of the Earth. You will need to click on the link below the image to get to the video.

Plate Tectonic Review

Activity Two - Cause - Lucidchart

Tsunami is actually a Japnese word for harbour wave. They are actually secondary events caused by the displacement of the water. There are four key causes to a tsunami - landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and meteroites. We are going to focus on how earthquakes create tsunamis, but how do they do this?


      1. Create a flow chart to show how an earthquake can cause a tsunami. To create your flow chart you could use Lucidchart. If not, then just grab a piece of A4 paper, a ruler and a pencil.

                  • Your flow chart should have at least five steps to it.

                  • Include a diagram and a description for each step.

National Geographic Explanation of how tsunamis are created

Australian Government - Tsunamis caused by Earthquakes

Australian Government - Tsunamis caused by Volcanic Eruption