One of my favorite Hollywood action films of the 90s, “Escape from Los Angeles” (with the participation of K. Russell), showed a situation where an earthquake (9 points) separated the city of Los Angeles from the United States and it became an island prison for criminals . This theme was even repeated in the movie “San Andreas Fault” (2017), where the movement of tectonic plates also affected California. All this suggests that the coast of western North America is very prone to earthquakes.

Earthquake is one of the most dangerous natural phenomena in North America

The southwestern part of the North American continent is under threat from this destructive influence of nature. The thing is that along the western coast a fault (transform) is gradually occurring between the Pacific and North American lithospheric plates. This process is quite lengthy and at this time does not have any specific time frame. However, the Farralon Plate, which was absorbed by the above parts of the lithosphere, is now slowly sinking under the North American plates, which in turn are pushing up the Nazca Plate (South America) and the Caribbean Plate. And this is fraught with the following shocks for the North American continent:

• Total change in relief.
• Earthquakes.
• The emergence of water barriers.

The last point is worth mentioning separately: the destruction of the Oroville Dam, located in California, will lead to widespread flooding of nearby communities, which will be comparable to the flooding of Orleans in 2005 as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Yellowstone is a park you shouldn't go to.

This national biological reserve of North America has the status of an international treasure. Since the mid-20th century, American scientists have observed active volcanic activity on its territory: there are many super-hot geysers and landslides are constantly observed.

The latest data from the US Geological Survey suggests that this area of ​​the area could be destroyed by a series of small earthquakes (up to 4.8 magnitude) by 2020.

Dangerous natural phenomenon

an event of natural origin or the state of elements of the natural environment, as a result of the activity of natural processes, which, by their intensity, scale of distribution and duration, can cause a damaging effect on people, economic objects and the environment. O.p.i. are divided: according to the nature of the manifestation - into direct and indirect; by scale - object, local, regional, national and global; by type of manifestation - constant, periodic, episodic and instantaneous; according to the direction of development - increasing and decreasing, etc.

EdwART. Glossary of terms of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 2010

See what a “hazardous natural phenomenon” is in other dictionaries:

Dangerous natural phenomenon- hydrometeorological or heliogeophysical phenomenon, which, due to the intensity of development, duration or moment of occurrence, can pose a threat to the life or health of citizens, and can also cause significant material damage; ... Official terminology

dangerous natural phenomenon- 3.1.5. hazardous natural phenomenon: An event of natural origin or the result of natural processes, which, by their intensity, scale of distribution and duration, can cause a damaging effect on people, objects... ...

Dangerous natural phenomenon- an event of natural origin or the result of natural processes, which, due to their intensity, scale of distribution and duration, can cause a damaging effect on people, economic objects and the environment... ...

DANGEROUS NATURAL PHENOMENON- An event of natural origin or the result of natural processes, which, by their intensity, scale of distribution and duration, can cause a damaging effect on people, economic objects and the surrounding natural... ...

See Natural Hazardous Phenomenon. EdwART. Dictionary of terms of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 2010 ... Dictionary of emergency situations

A dangerous natural phenomenon, an accident or a dangerous man-made incident, a widespread infectious disease of people, farm animals and plants, as well as the use of modern means of destruction, as a result of which ... Civil protection. Conceptual and terminological dictionary

A dangerous natural phenomenon, an accident or a dangerous man-made incident, a widespread infectious disease of people, farm animals and plants, as well as the use of modern means of destruction, as a result of which... ... Comprehensive provision of security and anti-terrorist protection of buildings and structures

3.18 source: An object or activity with potential consequences. Note For safety purposes, the source is a hazard (see ISO/IEC Guide 51). [ISO/IEC Guide 73:2002, clause 3.1.5] Source... Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

Source of emergency: According to GOST R 22.0.03; Source … Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

GOST R 22.0.03-95: Safety in emergency situations. Natural emergencies. Terms and Definitions- Terminology GOST R 22.0.03 95: Safety in emergency situations. Natural emergencies. Terms and definitions original document: 3.4.3. vortex: Atmospheric formation with rotational movement of air around a vertical or... ... Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

Natural emergencies, depending on the type, scale and consequences, are conventionally divided into natural disasters (large in scale and with severe consequences) and natural hazards.

Recently, more and more dangerous phenomena lead to serious consequences and are regarded as emergencies. For example, frost and icing at the beginning of the last century did not cause serious harm, while in the winter of 2001 several regions of Ukraine were left without electricity, which, of course, caused enormous material and economic damage.

Natural disasters- these are dangerous processes of lithospheric, atmospheric, hydrological, biosphere or other origin of such a scale that lead to catastrophic situations with sudden disruptions in the life systems of the population, destruction and destruction of material assets and national economic facilities

Types of natural disasters:

- Meteorological:

o significant increase or decrease in temperature.

- Tectonic:

o earthquake,

o volcanic eruption,

- Topological:

o flood,

o mudflow,

o rockfall,

o snow drifts,

- Space:

o increased radioactive radiation,

o the fall of a large cosmic body.

- Biological:

o abnormal increase in the number of macrobiological objects,

o diseases and damage to plants and animals,

o epidemic.

Hazardous natural phenomena - These are processes that can lead to negative consequences in a small area and become causes of emergencies of natural or man-made origin.

Types of hazardous natural phenomena:

o lightning strike,

o black ice

o strong wind.

Global natural, and in some cases man-made, emergency situations, the environmental consequences of which extend to the entire or most of the planet, are called disasters.

The consequences of some of the largest natural disasters that occurred on Earth are shown in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2

Major natural disasters and the number of their victims

Type of disaster	Description and number of victims	Possible number of victims in a disaster of the same scale in modern conditions
River floods	In June 1931, there was a flood on the river. Huang-se in China. The number of victims is from 1 to 2 million people.	2-3 million people
Earthquakes	On January 24, 1556, a strong earthquake in China (Shaanxi province) killed 830 thousand people.	1.0 - 1.5 million people
Eruption<я вулка-нов	The eruption of Mount Etna in 1669 destroyed the town of Catania and other settlements. 100 thousand people died.	1 - 2 million people
Typhoons		0.5 - 1.0 million people
Tsunami	On August 27, 1883, a tsunami resulting from the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano led to the death of 36.4 thousand people.	100 - 200 thousand people
Landslides		0.5 million people

All natural hazards are characterized general principles:

Each type of hazard is preceded by some specific signs;

Despite the unexpected nature of a natural hazard, its occurrence can be foreseen;

The greater the intensity of a dangerous phenomenon, the less often it occurs;

Each type of hazard is characterized by a certain spatial conditionality;

To prevent natural emergencies, passive and active protective measures can be used. Active protection from natural hazards involves the construction of engineering structures, intervention in the mechanism of the phenomenon, reconstruction of natural objects, etc., passive - the use of protective structures. In most cases, passive and active protection methods are combined.

Nature is not always as serene and beautiful as in the photograph above these lines. Sometimes she shows us her dangerous manifestations. From violent volcanic eruptions to terrifying hurricanes, nature's fury is best viewed from afar and from the sidelines. We often underestimate the amazing and destructive power of nature, and it reminds us of this from time to time. While it all looks exciting in photographs, the consequences of such events can be very scary. We must respect the power of the planet we live on. We have made this photo and video collection of frightening natural phenomena for you.

TORNADOES AND OTHER TYPES OF TOrnadoes

All these types of atmospheric phenomena are dangerous vortex manifestations of the elements.

Tornado or tornado arises in a thundercloud and spreads down, often to the very surface of the earth, in the form of a cloud arm or trunk with a diameter of tens and hundreds of meters. Tornadoes can appear in many shapes and sizes. Most tornadoes appear as a narrow funnel (only a few hundred meters across), with a small cloud of debris near the earth's surface. A tornado can be completely hidden by a wall of rain or dust. These tornadoes are especially dangerous because even experienced meteorologists may not recognize them.

Tornado with lightning:

Tornado in Oklahoma, USA (May strashno.com 2010):

Supercell thunderstorm in Montana, USA, formed by a huge rotating thundercloud 10-15 km high and d about 50 km in diameter. Such a thunderstorm creates tornadoes, gusty winds, and large hail:

Thunderclouds:

View of a hurricane tornado from space:

There are other vortex phenomena that are similar in appearance, but different in nature:

Formed as a result of the rise of warmer air from the surface of the earth. Tornado-vortices, unlike tornadoes, develop from the bottom up, and the cloud above them, if formed, is a consequence of the vortex, and not its cause.

Dust (sand) whirlwind- this is a vortex movement of air that occurs near the surface of the earth during the day in partly cloudy and usually hot weather when the earth's surface is strongly heated by the sun's rays. The whirlwind lifts dust, sand, pebbles, and small objects from the surface of the earth and sometimes carries them to strashno.com a considerable distance (hundreds of meters). The vortices pass in a narrow strip, so that in a weak wind its speed inside the vortex reaches 8-10 m/s or more.

Sandspout:

Or a firestorm forms when a column of hot, rising air interacts with or causes a fire on the ground. It is a vertical whirlpool of fire in the air. The air above it heats up, its density decreases, and it rises. From below, cold masses of air from the periphery enter in its place, which immediately heat up. Steady flows are formed, spiraling from the ground to a height of up to 5 km. A chimney effect occurs. The pressure of hot air reaches hurricane speeds. The temperature rises to 1000˚C. Everything burns or melts. At the same time, everything that is nearby is “sucked” into the fire. And so on until everything that can burn has burned.

Strashno.com is a funnel-shaped air-water vortex, similar in nature to an ordinary tornado, formed over the surface of a large body of water and connected to a cumulus cloud. A waterspout can form when a regular tornado passes over a water surface. Unlike a classic tornado, a waterspout lasts only 15-30 minutes, is much smaller in diameter, the speed of movement and rotation is two to three times lower, and is not always accompanied by hurricane winds.

DUST OR SAND STORMS

Sand (dust) storm is a dangerous atmospheric phenomenon that manifests itself in the form of wind transfer of large quantities of soil particles, dust or small grains of sand from the surface of the Earth. The height of the layer of such dust can be several meters, and horizontal visibility is noticeably deteriorated. For example, at a level of 2 meters visibility is 1-8 kilometers, but often visibility in a storm is reduced to several hundred or even tens of meters. Dust storms occur strashno.com mainly when the soil surface is dry and the wind speed is more than 10 meters per second.

The fact that a storm is approaching can be understood in advance by the incredible silence that forms around you, as if you had suddenly found yourself in a vacuum. This silence is depressing, creating an inexplicable anxiety inside you.

Sandstorm on the streets of Onslow in northwestern Australia, January 2013:

Sandstorm in Golmud village, Qinghai province, China, 2010:

Red sandstorm in Australia:

TSUNAMI

is a dangerous natural disaster consisting of sea waves resulting from the shifting of the seabed during underwater and coastal earthquakes. Once formed in any place, a tsunami can spread at high speed (up to 1000 km/h) over several thousand kilometers, with the tsunami height initially ranging from 0.1 to 5 meters. When reaching shallow water, the wave height increases sharply, reaching a height of 10 to strashno.com 50 meters. Huge masses of water washed ashore lead to flooding and destruction of the area, as well as the death of people and animals. An air shock wave propagates in front of the water shaft. It acts similarly to a blast wave, destroying buildings and structures. The tsunami wave may not be the only one. Very often this is a series of waves that roll onto the shore at intervals of 1 hour or more.

Tsunami in Thailand caused by the earthquake (9.3 points) in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004:

CATASTROPHIC FLOODS

Flood— flooding of the territory with water, which is a natural disaster. Floods come in different types and are caused by different reasons. Catastrophic floods lead to loss of life, irreparable environmental damage, and cause material damage, covering vast areas within one or more water systems. At the same time, economic strashno.com and production activities are completely paralyzed, and the lifestyle of the population is temporarily changed. The evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people, an inevitable humanitarian catastrophe requires the participation of the entire world community, the problem of one country becomes a problem of the whole world.

Flood in Khabarovsk and Khabarovsk Territory, caused by intense downpours that covered the entire Amur River basin and lasted about two months (2013):

Flooding in New Orleans after a hurricane. New Orleans (USA) stands on damp soil that the city cannot support. Orleans is slowly sinking into the ground, and the Gulf of Mexico is gradually rising around it. Much of New Orleans is already 1.5 to 3 meters below sea level. This was largely due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005:

Flood in Germany, in the Rhine River basin (2013):

Flood in Iowa, USA (2008):

THUNDERLIGHTNING

Lightning discharges (lightning) represent a giant electric spark discharge in the strashno.com atmosphere, with a very long spark length, usually occurs during a thunderstorm, manifested by a bright flash of light and accompanying thunder. The total length of the lightning channel reaches several kilometers (on average 2.5 km), and a significant part of this channel is located inside a thundercloud. Some discharges extend up to 20 km in the atmosphere. The current in a lightning discharge reaches 10-20 thousand amperes, so not all people survive a lightning strike.

forest fire- This is the spontaneous, uncontrolled spread of fire across forest areas. The causes of fires in the forest can be natural (lightning, drought, etc.) or artificial, when the cause is people. There are several types of forest fires.

Underground (soil) fires in the forest are most often associated with peat fire, which becomes possible as a result of drainage of swamps. They can be barely noticeable and spread to a depth of several meters, as a result of which they pose an additional danger and are extremely difficult to extinguish. Like, for example, the peat fire in the Moscow region (2011):

At ground fire forest litter, lichens, mosses, grasses, branches that have fallen to the ground, etc. burn.

Horse forest fire covers leaves, needles, branches and the entire crown, can cover (in the event of a general fire) the grass-moss cover of the soil and undergrowth. They usually develop in dry, windy weather from a ground fire, in plantations with low-lying crowns, in stands of different ages, as well as with abundant coniferous undergrowth. This is usually the final stage of a fire.

VOLCANOES

Volcanoes are geological formations on the surface of the earth's crust, most often in the form of a mountain, where magma comes to the surface, forming lava, volcanic gases, rocks and pyroclastic flows. When molten magma pours through cracks in the earth's crust, a volcano erupts, strashno.com named after the Roman god of fire and blacksmithing.

Karymsky Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Kamchatka:

Underwater volcano – the coast of the Tonga archipelago (2009):

Underwater volcano and subsequent tsunami:

Volcanic eruption photographed from space:

Klyuchevskoy Volcano in Kamchatka (1994):

The eruption of Mount Sinabung in Sumatra was accompanied by several mini-tornadoes:

Puyehue volcano eruption in Chile:

Lightning in the ash cloud of the Chaiten volcano in Chile:

Volcanic lightning:

EARTHQUAKES

Earthquake– these are tremors and vibrations of the Earth’s surface caused by natural tectonic processes (movement of the earth’s crust and the displacements and ruptures occurring in it) or artificial processes (explosions, filling of reservoirs, collapse of underground cavities in mine workings). May result in volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

Japan earthquake followed by tsunami (2011):

LANDSLIDE

Landslide- a separated mass of loose rocks, slowly and strashno.com gradually or abruptly sliding along the inclined plane of separation, while often maintaining its coherence, solidity and without overturning its soil.

VILLAGE

Sel- a flow with a very high concentration of mineral particles, stones and rock fragments (something between a liquid and a solid mass), suddenly appearing in the basins of small mountain rivers and usually caused by rainfall or rapid snow melting.

SNOW AVALANCHES

Snow avalanches belong to landslides. This is a mass of snow falling or sliding down the slopes of mountains.

This is one of record avalanches measuring 600 thousand cubic meters. The film crew was not injured:

“This is the consequence of an avalanche - snow dust, it flew up high, and everything disappeared as if in a fog. Everyone was doused with snow dust, which, by inertia, continued to move at the speed of a snowstorm. It became dark as night. Because of the fine snow, it was strashno.com difficult to breathe. My arms and legs instantly went numb. I didn't see anyone around. Although there were people nearby,” said Anton Voitsekhovsky, a member of the film crew.