50 Natural Disasters Quiz Questions and Answers

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How much do you know about the famous natural disasters? We are about to find out!

While this is a very sad topic, it’s also an interesting and more unique type of quiz.

Between the earthquakes, the tsunamis, volcano eruptions and more, our beautiful Earth can be quite angry at times. Some of these natural disasters destroyed so much and in some cases, completely changed history.

You will find below 5 rounds of questions about natural disasters with the answers below. Each correct answer is worth one point.

Round 1: Easy Natural Disasters Trivia Questions

1. Which volcano destroyed the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD?
2. Which US state was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005?
3. Yellowstone, Mount Aniakchak, the Aira Caldera and the Toba Caldera are all examples of what?
4. What is the term for an abnormally low amount of rainfall over a prolonged period?
5. What kind of natural disaster hit areas of Turkey and Syria in January 2023?
6. What do we call the droughts and dust storms that devastated US agriculture in the 1930s?
7. What do we normally call a tropical cyclone that hovers over the Northwest Pacific Ocean or East Asia?
8. What is the most widely used scale for measuring the magnitude of earthquakes?
9. What kind of natural disaster resulted in the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011?
10. What kind of animal is trained in many countries to work as avalanche rescuers?

Round 1: Easy Natural Disasters Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Which volcano destroyed the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD? Mount Vesuvius
2. Which US state was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005? Louisiana
3. Yellowstone, Mount Aniakchak, the Aira Caldera and the Toba Caldera are all examples of what? Supervolcanos 
4. What is the term for an abnormally low amount of rainfall over a prolonged period? Drought
5. What kind of natural disaster hit areas of Turkey and Syria in January 2023? An Earthquake
6. What do we call the droughts and dust storms that devastated US agriculture in the 1930s? The Dust Bowl
7. What do we normally call a tropical cyclone that hovers over the Northwest Pacific Ocean or East Asia? A Typhoon
8. What is the most widely used scale for measuring the magnitude of earthquakes? The Richter Scale
9. What kind of natural disaster resulted in the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011? Tsunami
10. What kind of animal is trained in many countries to work as avalanche rescuers? Dogs

Round 2: Natural Disasters Multiple-Choice Questions

1. Over 80% of tsunamis are caused by what?
   1. Earthquakes
   2. Volcanic eruptions
   3. Landslides 
   4. Meteorite impact
2. Which US state experiences the most wildfires?
   1. Florida
   2. California
   3. Oregon
   4. Colorado
3. Flash floods generally last for less than…
   1. 6 hours
   2. 12 hours
   3. 24 hours
   4. 48 hours 
4. Between the 5th to the 9th of December 1952, thousands of Londoners were killed by….
   1. A hail storm
   2. A blizzard
   3. A flood
   4. A lethal smog
5. The Central China Floods of 1931 covered an area roughly the size of….
   1. New Jersey
   2. Florida
   3. England
   4. Germany
6. What caused Britain’s most deadly natural disaster, the Bristol Channel Flood of 1607?
   1. A spring tide
   2. An atlantic tsunami 
   3. A flash flood
   4. No-one knows
7. What magnitude was the Haiti earthquake of January 2010?
   1. 6.5
   2. 7.0
   3. 7.5
   4. 8.0
8. What is the largest active volcano on Earth?
   1. Mauna Loa
   2. Kīlaunea
   3. Mount Etna
   4. Mount Nyiragongo 
9. How many people were displaced by the 2022 floods in Pakistan?
   1. 3 million
   2. 5 million
   3. 8 million
   4. 10 million
10. Which of these following natural disasters may become more frequent due to climate change?
    1. Hailstorms
    2. Cyclones
    3. Cold waves
    4. All of the above

Round 2: Natural Disasters Multiple-Choice Questions and Answers

1. Over 80% of tsunamis are caused by what? A. Earthquakes
2. Which US state experiences the most wildfires? B. California
3. Flash floods generally last for less than… a. 6 hours
4. Between the 5th to the 9th of December 1952, thousands of Londoners were killed by…. D. A Lethal Smog
5. The Central China Floods of 1931 covered an area roughly the size of…. c. England 
6. What caused Britain’s most deadly natural disaster, the Bristol Channel Flood of 1607? D. No-one knows
7. What magnitude was the Haiti earthquake of January 2010? B. 7.0
8. What is the largest active volcano on Earth? A. Mauna Loa
9. How many people were displaced by the 2022 floods in Pakistan? C. 8 million
10. Which of these following natural disasters may become more frequent due to climate change? D. all of the above

Round 3: Natural Disasters Quiz – True or False

1. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and the moon all have active volcanoes.
2. Australia experiences around 55 thousand bushfires every year.
3. There is a greater chance of an avalanche when there is wet snow on the mountain than fresh powder snow.
4. The Netherlands and Bangladesh are the only two countries where more than half of the population lives in an area at risk of flooding.
5. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction classifies pandemics as a type of natural disaster.
6. The 8.8 magnitude Chilean earthquake in 2010 likely shifted the earth’s axis and shortened the length of a day, according to NASA.
7. Mount Saint Helens is an example of a stratovolcano.
8. The United States National Park Services estimates that 90% of wildfires are started by humans.
9. Switzerland has more avalanches each year than any other country.
10. The WHO estimates that as many as 700 million people worldwide are at risk of being displaced by drought by 2030.

Round 3: Natural Disasters Quiz Answers – True or False

1. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and the moon all have active volcanoes. False
2. Australia experiences around 55 thousand bushfires every year. True
3. There is a greater chance of an avalanche when there is wet snow on the mountain than fresh powder snow. False
4. The Netherlands and Bangladesh are the only two countries where more than half of the population lives in an area at risk of flooding. True
5. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction classifies pandemics as a type of natural disaster. False.
6. The 8.8 magnitude Chilean earthquake in 2010 likely shifted the earth’s axis and shortened the length of a day, according to NASA. True
7. Mount Saint Helens is an example of a stratovolcano. True
8. The United States National Park Services estimates that 90% of wildfires are started by humans. True
9. Switzerland has more avalanches each year than any other country. False, the most dangerous country in the world for avalanches in Nepal
10. The WHO estimates that as many as 700 million people worldwide are at risk of being displaced by drought by 2030. True

Round 4: Medium Natural Disasters Trivia Questions

1. What is the name for a wave that is greater than twice the size of the surrounding waves and often encountered out in open ocean?
2. The eruption of Mount Tambora and subsequent atmospheric dust cloud lead 1816 to be nicknamed what?
3. Which river flooded to create The Central China Floods of 1931?
4. Which US state would you travel to if you wanted to visit the site of the most significant modern megatsunami?
5. What is the name of the fault line that passes along the California coast?
6. What was the name of the extratropical cyclone which hit northern Europe in February 2022, resulting in 1.8 billion euros of damage and broken records for highest recorded wind speeds in several countries?
7. What kind of natural disaster likely caused the mysterious Dyatlov Pass incident in 1959?
8. What was the last supervolcano to erupt?
9. 156 mph is the minimum wind speed for what category of hurricane?
10. What day in 2004 did the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami take place?

Round 4: Medium Natural Disasters Trivia Questions and Answers

1. What is the name for a wave that is greater than twice the size of the surrounding waves and often encountered out in open ocean? Rogue Wave
2. The eruption of Mount Tambora and subsequent atmospheric dust cloud lead 1816 to be nicknamed what? The Year Without A Summer
3. Which river flooded to create The Central China Floods of 1931? Yangtze 
4. Which US state would you travel to if you wanted to visit the site of the most significant modern megatsunami? Alaska
5. What is the name of the fault line that passes along the California coast? San Andreas Fault
6. What was the name of the extratropical cyclone which hit northern Europe in February 2022, resulting in 1.8 billion euros of damage and broken records for highest recorded wind speeds in several countries? Storm Eunice
7. What kind of natural disaster likely caused the mysterious Dyatlov Pass incident in 1959? Avalanche 
8. What was the last supervolcano to erupt? The Taupo Volcano 
9. 156 mph is the minimum wind speed for what category of hurricane? Category 5
10. What day in 2004 did the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami take place? 26th December 

Round 5: Hard Natural Disasters Trivia Questions

1. Scientists theorise that a series of what kind of natural disaster caused the first humans to migrate out of Africa around 80 thousand years ago?
2. Which European capital city was destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami in 1755?
3. What is the most common scale for measuring hurricanes?
4. A sudden slippage of which fault line caused the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami?
5. One of the most deadly floods in US history was caused by the failure of which California dam in 1926?
6. The Cumbre Vieja tsunami hazard is a simulation of a possible megatsunami which could occur if which North Atlantic island collapsed into the sea?
7. What does NASA characterise as ‘the only natural disaster that we might be able to prevent’?
8. Which 2011 American blizzard was colloquially known at the time as ‘the Snowpocoypse’?
9. What kind of natural disaster triggered the Banqiao Dam failure of 1975?
10. A cold wave is determined by a rapid drop of temperatures during a period of how many hours?

Round 5: Hard Natural Disasters Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Scientists theorise that a series of what kind of natural disaster caused the first humans to migrate out of Africa around 80 thousand years ago? Droughts
2. Which European capital city was destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami in 1755? Lisbon
3. What is the most common scale for measuring hurricanes? Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
4. A sudden slippage of which fault line caused the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami? Sundra Megathrust 
5. One of the most deadly floods in US history was caused by the failure of which California dam in 1926? St. Francis Dam
6. The Cumbre Vieja tsunami hazard is a simulation of a possible megatsunami which could occur if which North Atlantic island collapsed into the sea? La Palma
7. What does NASA characterise as ‘the only natural disaster that we might be able to prevent’? An asteroid impact
8. Which 2011 American blizzard was colloquially known at the time as ‘the Snowpocoypse’? The Groundhog Day Blizzard
9. What kind of natural disaster triggered the Banqiao Dam failure of 1975? Typhoon
10. A cold wave is determined by a rapid drop of temperatures during a period of how many hours? 24

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