Destruction Decoded

Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are all the same thing with different names, but what they also have in common is their destructive power.

Earthquakes occur when tectonic plates suddenly shift and shock waves shake the Earth's surface; they occur along fault lines -- the most active being the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean and the San Andreas Fault on the American West Coast.

Volcanoes created more than 80% of our planet's surface, but explosive eruptions can be deadly; a journey under the earth to discover why volcanoes are so dangerous.

Tornadoes are violent, rotating columns of air that can level buildings, their unpredictability makes them even more destructive; a look at how tornadoes form and if they can be stopped.