In this activity students assume the role of United States Antarctic Program participants to understand that participants need months of careful preparation before they set out on their journey south. Students will review detailed guidelines (which they can find online). If students think attention to detail is only required when doing schoolwork, this activity will make them think again. The Antarctic ... Full description.

If a meteor plummeting to earth killed off the dinosaurs, one would wonder what it might do to us. This radio broadcast explains how a large meteor could generate a tsunami five miles high in the North Atlantic that would wipe out the North American Eastern Seaboard. The clip is 2 minutes in length. Full description.

The heart of a whirling tornado creates a high-pitched hum, far too soft for any human to hear. But special microphones can tune in to the sound and give a town advance warning of an oncoming twister. This radio broadcast reports on a system of four sensors being developed to listen to the sounds inside a tornado and triangulate the location of the sounds. The clip is 2 minutes in length. Full description.

This radio broadcast explores some ideas about the cause of a 1946 tsunami which swept from Alaska through the Pacific and killed more than 150 people. The tsunami was one of the worst of the 20th Century. Scientists today still cannot agree on just what caused it. They think it was an earthquake, an undersea landslide, or possibly both. The answer may change how scientists study tsunamis and how ... Full description.

This interactive online exhibit provides an hour-by-hour account of the eruption of Vesuvius and its effects on the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other towns surrounding the volcano. Much of this reconstruction of the events surrounding the eruption is based on the accounts of Pliny the Younger, as detailed to the historian Tacitus. The account is accompanied by an interactive timeline detailing ... Full description.

This lesson introduces students to a variety of natural hazards, emphasizing that when people understand these threats they are better able to avoid or reduce their potential impacts. First, the class discusses what they know about natural hazards and natural disasters. Then, working in pairs, they research particular hazards; the threats they pose and where and when those threats are most pronounced. ... Full description.

This slide show presents examples of various types of damage caused by earthquakes. Photos include structural failures in bridges and buildings, landshifts, landslides, liquefaction, fires, tsunamis, and human impacts. Supplemental notes are provided to aid instructors about the photos presented on each slide. Full description.

This site reviews major flooding in the Northeastern United States, as reported by the Northeast River Forecast Center (NERFC), a division of the National Weather Service. It includes photos, rainfall maps, and descriptions of record-breaking floods that occured between the years 1927 and 1996. Descriptions include specific causes of flooding, weather patterns leading up to flooding, as well as results ... Full description.

This United States Geological Survey (USGS) resource provides links to news and current events regarding volcanoes and current activities and a summary for the Cascade Range and its volcanoes. Other links connect to information about living with volcanoes, visiting a volcano, educational outreach, and hazards assessment reports and maps. There are also extensive menus for links to the USGS volcano ... Full description.

Volcano World contains images of volcanoes from around the world and the Solar System; a list of current eruptions of volcanoes; volcano movie clips; information on volcanic observatories, parks and monuments; reports from people who have visited volcanoes; interviews with volcanologists; and a kids section. The teaching and learning section contains volcano lesson plans and activities; information ... Full description.