Chapter 1 - Natural Hazards Flashcards
What is a natural hazard
Natural hazards pose potential risk of damage of property or loss of life. The more humans that come into contact with natural events, the more the potential risk of natural hazards increases
How are natural hazards classified
By their physical processes, what caused a hazard to occur
What are tectonic hazards
Such as earthquakes or tsunamis which involve movement of tectonic plates in the earths crust
What are atmospheric hazards
Such as hurricanes
What are geomorphological hazards
Such as flooding which occur on the earths surface
What are biological hazards
Such as forest fires which involve living organisms
How can natural hazards not be caused naturally
Caused by human influences eg a forest fire in California www caused by falling power lines rather than naturally occurring events
How are the categories of natural hazards linked
They are very closely linked for example tsunamis are a tectonic hazard but can also be caused by a landslide displacing a large body of water
Where do natural hazards occur
Some regions of world are more vulnerable
2010 was a bad year for natural hazards
What factors affect hazard risk/ why are there more natural hazards now
The incidence of natural hazards is increasing as a result of global warming, deforestation and urbanisation
The frequency and magnitude of natural hazards are increasing too
The risk of natural hazards made worse by the location of where people live
Why do people live in hazardous areas
They can’t move due to the expense, lack of knowledge, or language barrier
It could be worth staying due to jobs and resources
