Gaps in the Record: teacher key

Natural Disasters, grade 9 edition, written for 9th grade. Scientists measure earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes and hurricanes, yet some answers are still missing. Look at what the evidence shows and where it runs out.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What is the moment magnitude scale used for?
   • Measuring tornado width
   • A more accurate size for most earthquakes (answer)
   • Rating storm surge
2. Why is the true yearly average of tornadoes not known?
   • Official records only go back to 1950 (answer)
   • Tornadoes are never counted
   • They only happen once
3. What is a storm tide?
   • A hurricane's eye
   • A tsunami
   • High tide at the same time as a storm surge (answer)
4. Where does most tsunami activity happen, from the 1900 to 2015 count?
   • The Atlantic
   • The Pacific (answer)
   • The Arctic
5. Is the safe southwest corner of a basement real?
   • It is a myth (answer)
   • Yes, always
   • Only for floods
6. What does homeowner's insurance typically cover about floods, as of November 2026?
   • It covers all flooding
   • It covers only tsunamis
   • It does not cover flooding (answer)

Words

• magnitude: earthquake size
• supercell: rotating thunderstorm
• latitude: distance from equator
• surge: pushed water
• evacuate: leave for safety