Question

Select the correct answer from each drop-down menu. Two natural hazards that are caused by the movement of plates under the earth's surface are __________ and __________.

1) Earthquakes and Volcanic eruptions
2) Tornadoes and Hurricanes
3) Floods and Landslides
4) Droughts and Wildfires

Answer 1

Two natural hazards caused by plate movement are earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, occurring due to plate interactions such as subduction at plate boundaries.

Step-by-step explanation:

Two natural hazards that are caused by the movement of plates under the earth's surface are earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The earth's crust, consisting of a number of separate tectonic plates, floats over a molten iron core. These plates move relative to each other and can either converge, diverge, or slide past one another.

When plates grind against each other or overlap at their edges (in a process known as subduction), the energy accumulated from these movements can be released abruptly, causing earthquakes. Moreover, as one plate is forced under another, the melting of mantle rock can give rise to magma, which ascends to the surface and results in volcanic activity.

Plate tectonics theory helps to explain the occurrence of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions along plate boundaries, with maps showing distributions of these events closely following the world's tectonic plate edges.