3: Natural Hazards, Mitigation, and Adaptation Flashcards
The earth is a ______ planet
dynamic
are caused by strain energy underneath a fault line within the earth’s crust.
Earthquakes
or ground motion, is the primary cause of the partial or total collapse of structures on the earth’s surface. It is the vibration of the ground caused by seismic waves.
Ground shaking
The first wave to reach structures, and it causes buildings to vibrate.
Sound wave, or P wave
Causes the earth to move at right angles towards the direction of the wave. It also causes structures to move from side to side.
S wave
is the tearing or offset of the ground surface caused by the differential movement that occurs along a fault line.
Surface faulting
The effect of surface faulting is generally caused by earthquakes that register as 5.5 or more on the _________.
Richter Scale
The most effective way to prevent damage from surface faulting is to _________ from construction along fault lines.
restrain
occur through a broad range of mechanisms. They occur in land that is sloped steeply, and land that is flat.
Earthquake-induced landslides
The most dangerous types of liquefaction. During this phenomenon, large masses of soil can move from a few meters to a few kilometers.
Rapid earth flows
The movement of surface blocks brought about by the liquefaction of subsurface layers.
Earth lateral spreads
Include rocks and blobs of lava that are ejected from within a volcano into the atmosphere.
Tephra
Masses of hot, dry pyroclastic material built into masses. They are also hot gasses that move quickly along the ground surface.
Pyroclastic phenomena
A flowing slurry of volcanic debris and water that comes from within a volcano. This can then result to flooding when the water overflows from damaged dams and because of their capacity to carry water.
Lahar
Can show the anticipated scales of future damage.
Zonation maps
occur due to the sudden overflowing of rivers along a stream or a low-lying area.
Flash floods
The _________ of floods will determine the damage to structures.
duration
The _______ of the flood may create erosive forces, especially if the velocity is high.
velocity
caused by the velocity of the water
Hydrodynamic pressures
is when the floods are most likely to strike, and can have devastating effects on crops and structures.
Seasonality
is composed of flood education.
Capacity development
is an effective measure to prevent the large loss of lives associated with rising water levels.
Flood response
These are intense areas of the earth’s atmosphere that coincide with system and extreme weather events. Characterized by a center that is large and of low pressure.
Cyclones
refers to the geographic origin of these systems, since they form almost exclusively in certain parts of the globe.
tropical
refers to their counter-clockwise movement from the Northern Hemisphere, and the clockwise rotation in the Southern Hemisphere.
cyclone
_____ receive much of the damage from cyclones, while regions inland are safe from their effects.
Coastal regions
are those that fall more than 30cm/hour.
Torrential rains
a serious hazard that is caused by cyclones, as people lose shelter due to it.
Rain
is an abnormal rise of sea water near coastal areas and is caused by a severe cyclone.
storm surge
Rotary storms that appear as a whirling and advancing funnel of wind extending downward from a cloud.
Tornadoes
The region that is most frequently hit by tornadoes is sometimes termed as
Tornado Alley
boundaries between water and land, are characterized both by the dynamic power of the sea and the wind, and by the geologic nature of land, which is fragile and often unstable.
Coastal areas
When the waves acquire materials from the beach and then hurl them at the base of a cliff.
Corrasion
Occurs when waves, which contain sand and other fragments, erode the headland or the shoreline. This is also known as the “sandpaper effect.”
Abrasion
When the waves hit the base of a cliff, subsequently compressing them into cracks.
Hydraulic action
When the waves cause rocks and pebbles to collide with each other and break up.
Attrition
When the cliff erodes as a result of the acids in the sea.
Corrosion
the portion of coastal erosion which is sustainable. This occurs when rocks and other sediments move from the beach’s visible portion to the nearshore region which is submerged.
Submersion
The reverse of submersion is the recovery process known as
accretion
is the movement of salt water, or saline water, into freshwater aquifers. This can lead to the contamination of drinking water and other consequences.
Saltwater intrusion
The moon and the sun have gravitational pulls on the ocean, which create oscillations called
tides
The gravity from the moon, when it is overhead, produces a ________
high tide
Disturbances in the water caused by the water energy that is passing through the water.
Waves
In open ocean basins, the source of the waves’ energy is
wind
the vertical distance between the top of the wave and its trough
Amplitude (wave height)
the horizontal distance between successive troughs or crests of the wave.
Wave length
the number of waves that occur in a given period of time
Wave period
_________ typically occur as a result of increases in water temperature, which increases its volume.
Sea-level changes
Sea-level changes are ______ when the water mass is relatively contained, and they are ______ if a large portion of the ocean’s water mass is impacted by warming.
local, global
The evidence for crustal movement are
earthquakes
are metal plaques set in the soil that give the exact locations of the elevation points.
Bench marks
The causes of crustal movement include the action of unbalanced _____ acting on the earth’s surface.
forces
These many forces
stress
pulls the rock into two different directions, causing it to break apart or stretching it
Tension
consists of forces acting towards each other, which pushes or squeezes rocks together.
Compression
may act away or toward each other, causing the rock to twist and tear.
Shear stresses
