Background

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[|Natural Diasters - Wikipedia]

[|4 'spheres' of Earth]

Earth's spheres include:
 * the **lithosphere**, which contains all of the cold, hard, solid rock of the planet's crust (surface), the hot semi-solid rock that lies underneath the crust, the hot **liquid** rock near the center of the planet, and the solid iron core (center) of the planet
 * the **hydrosphere**, which contains all of the planet's solid, liquid and gaseous water,
 * the **biosphere**, which contains all of the planet's living organisms, and
 * the **atmosphere**, which contains all of the planet's air.

These spheres are closely connected. For example, many birds (biosphere) fly through the air (atmosphere), while water (hydrosphere) often flows through the soil (lithosphere). In fact, the spheres are so closely connected that a change in one sphere often results in a change in one or more of the other spheres. Such changes that take place within an ecosystem are referred to as events.

Events can occur naturally, such as an earthquake or a hurricane, or they can be caused by humans, such as an oil spill or air pollution. An event can cause changes to occur in one or more of the spheres, and/or an event can be the effect of changes in one or more of Earth's four spheres.



=QUESTIONS=
 * 1) What is a Natural Disaster?
 * 2) What is the Lithosphere
 * 3) What is the Hydrosphere
 * 4) What is the Atmosphere
 * 5) What is the Biosphere?
 * 6) Can you think of an example where a natural disaster might interact with and affect the 4 'spheres' of Earth.