ABSTRACT
Thus, the processes we consider to be hazards result from natural forces such as the internal heating of Earth or external energy from the sun. The energy released by natural processes varies greatly. For example, the average tornado expends about 1000 times as much energy as a lightning bolt, whereas the volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens in May 1980 expended approximately a million times as much energy as a lightning bolt. The amount of solar energy Earth receives each day is about a trillion times that of a lightning bolt. However, it is important to keep in mind that a lightning bolt may strike a tree, igniting a tremendous release of energy in a forest fire, whereas solar energy is spread around the entire globe.
