Debris facts for kids
Debris is a word for scattered pieces of something that has been broken, destroyed, or thrown away. It can be natural, like rocks from a landslide, or man-made, like garbage.
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What is Debris?
Debris means the leftover bits and pieces of something. Imagine a broken toy or a building after a storm. The scattered parts are debris. This word is used in many different situations.
Debris from Nature
Nature can create a lot of debris. This often happens when powerful natural events occur.
After Natural Disasters
When a natural disaster happens, like a hurricane or an earthquake, debris is everywhere. This includes the broken parts of buildings. It also includes trees and other things from the land that were destroyed. Cleaning up this kind of debris can take a very long time.
Geological Debris
In geology, debris refers to pieces left behind by Earth's processes. For example, a landslide sends rocks and soil tumbling down a hill. These scattered rocks and soil are geological debris. Volcanic eruptions can also create debris. This includes ash, rocks, and lava flows. Avalanches also leave behind large amounts of snow and ice debris.
Man-Made Debris
Humans create a lot of debris every day. This is often called garbage or trash. It includes things we throw away from our homes, schools, and businesses.
How Much Trash Do We Make?
People in some countries produce a lot of trash. For example, the average person in America makes about four pounds of garbage every day. This adds up to huge amounts of trash each year. It's much more than what people in many other countries produce.
Reducing Our Waste
We can all help reduce the amount of trash we make. There are three main ways to do this:
- Recycling: This means turning old items into new ones. For example, plastic bottles can become new bottles or even clothes.
- Re-use: This means using items again instead of throwing them away. You can use a glass jar to store things or donate old clothes.
- Reduce: This is about simply using less stuff. Buying fewer things and choosing products with less packaging helps a lot.
Images for kids
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Obsidian debris (talus) at Obsidian Dome, California.
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Marine debris washed ashore on Hawaii.
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A child playing on an abandoned tank.
See also
