Earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes are just some of the deadly hazards we are exposed to on Earth.
As well as being dangerous to humans, these events shape our planet and affect where and how we live. Volcanoes are thought to have played an important role in the emergence of life. They enrich soils, making the land around them good places to grow crops. Earthquakes signal the movement of Earth's tectonic plates, which build mountains (including volcanoes). Fault lines are often rich in minerals – for example, gold is found along the San Andreas Fault in California.
The pages in this section contain video clips from popular BBC television series such as Earth: Power of the Planet, 10 Things You Didn't Know About, and Horizon.
Image: Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Philippines in 1991 (credit: AFP/Getty Images)