Volcano eruption and Earthquake destruction

Volcanoes and earthquakes can cause a lot of damage. A volcano is a natural disaster. It causes an opening in the planets surface. Inside the earths core, there is a red hot liquid rock. This is called magma. When this magma rises to the earths surface, volcanoes erupt.

When the magma rises to the surface, gas bubbles appear in it. The gas causes pressure which builds up inside the mountain and eventually it will explode. Magma will burst out of the volcano and once it has, the magma is now known as lava.

The magma in the earth can cause many different types of volcanoes. It all depends on the thickness of the magma. If the magma is quite thin, then the gas can escape easily and there will not be an explosion and the magma will overflow over the sides. If the magma is thick and sticky, gas cannot escape and the pressure in the mountain builds up until it has to blow.

Devastating explosions like this can cause landslides and also send out huge clouds of burning rock and gas which can completely destroy everything around them.

An earthquake is also a natural disaster. They shake and sometimes displace the ground at the Earth’s surface. They hurt people and destroy buildings. They can happen anywhere along plate boundaries. Earthquakes are the result of a sudden release of energy in the earths crust. Earthquakes dangerous. Different earthquakes have different magnitudes (strength). They can also trigger tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and landslides.