Natural Disasters

4. When a rising body of water submerges normally dry land.
5. When an epidemic spreads over a larger area.
8. An eruption in which molten rock spews out from the mantle to the surface of Earth as ash, lava, or gas.
10. A small, rocky body that falls through the earth's atmosphere and hits the ground.
11. A major geologic event that occurs when plates shift suddenly and release stored energy.
13. A sudden rapidly spreading outbreak, growth, or disease that infects a large number of people in a specific area.
14. The action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.
15. A giant wave that crashes into land, often formed by an undersea earthquake.
16. How many main classifications of natural disasters exist.
17. A spinning column of air that has strong wind speed.

1. They form over water but often move onto land, scientists classify them by their wind speed and the amount of damage they cause.
2. An eruption of solar radiation that can damage electronics on Earth.
3. A region with specific weather conditions that persist over long stretches of time.
6. A prediction or estimate of future events.
7. The remains of something broken down or destroyed.
9. A small, rocky body in space that travels around the sun.
12. The dying off of an entire species on our planet.