Environmental Hazards Flashcards
Location of Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Nearly all earthquakes/ volcanic eruptions take place at or near plate boundaries, here the earth is unstable, this is where crustal movement takes place. eg. san andreas fault and the ring or fire, both known for their earthquakes.
Explain, for a case you have studied, how to prepare for a Volcanic Eruption.
• Seismographs can be used to detect movement, which can indicate a pending eruption.
• Tilt meters can be used to measure the subtle swelling of a volcano, which can mean it is about to erupt.
• Spectrometers can measure sulfur dioxide amounts, this is a tell tale gas that is released more right before an eruption.
• Radar satellites can detect as little as one-millimetre increase in swelling on the sides of the volcano, which can mean it is about to erupt.
• Volcano drills can be held so that people know where to go in case of emergency.
• Rescue teams are trained for this specific situation to help people in danger.
Name and describe the types of plate boundaries
• Constructive plate boundary - two plates moving away from each other causing new oceanic crust to be formed. NE = North America plate and Eurasian plate in the middle of the Atlantic ocean called the mid-Atlantic ridge in Iceland.
• Destructive plate boundary - two plates moving towards each other, one pushed underneath into the mantle, this is how volcanoes are formed. NE = Eurasian plate and the pacific plate called the pacific ring of fire in Japan.
• Collision plate boundary - two plates moving together, the land is buckled and pushed upwards forming high fold mountains. NE = Eurasian plate and Indian plate called Mt Everest in Nepal.
• Conservative plate boundary - two plates slide past each other, rubbing against each other, when the tension builds up the pressure is released by an earthquake. NE = Pacific plate and North American plate called the San Andreas Fault in the USA.
For a volcano you have studied, what were the environmental impacts on a developed country
• E10 in Iceland erupted and sent volcanic ash several kilometres high, when the ash settled on the ground, 5 cm of it covered the grass and soil, people thought the crops would be ruined, but, the ash gave the soil lots of nutrients.
• local water supplies were contaminated with fluoride from the volcanic ash so people had to buy bottled water and couldn’t drink from their taps.
• E10 erupted next to a glacier and the heat from the lava melted the glacier causing flooding to the village below.
• The ash was thrown into the air, the wind helped it travel all across Europe, containing all the air.
• The ash that contaminated the air also killed people and animals, they suffocated due to ash inhalation.
• Crops were damaged due to heavy falls of ash.
What aid is given after a disaster?
• Large equipment helping to move heavy things.
• Food and water provided.
• clothing and shelter provided.
• Medical supplies and doctors used to help people in danger or that need medical attention.
• Starting to build new roads and buildings and improving the water supplies.
• money given to help them get the imports they need.
for a volcano you have studied what are the impacts of an eruption to a developing country
• in montserrat there was a pyroclastic flow, meaning 5 million cubic metres of ash and lava mixed with water and flowed quickly through the village, killing 19 people.
• Many homes were ruined in the process, leaving many people homeless.
• People had to be evacuated to the UK with no money or plans.
• two thirds of the islands had to be closed.
• town of Plymouth was destroyed
• increased tourism
how can earthquakes be predicted or prepared for
• Earthquake drills can be performed to prepare people in case of emergency.
• Rescue teams are trained for this specific situation to help people in danger.
• seismologists concentrate on active boundaries and look at the intervals in between earthquakes and work out roughly when the next one may happen.
• Laser equipment detects the movement of the ground, if it goes off it means an earthquake may be nearing.
• sound equipment detects tremors, a tremor can indicate an earthquake is about to happen.
• Sirens can be set to go off when an earthquake goes off, giving people that little extra time to evacuate as well as using radios to alert the public.
• Buildings built on top of spring platforms to lower the impact and reduce damage to the buildings.
On an earthquake you have studied, what are the impacts to a developed country
• the japanese earthquake and tsunami demolished over 14,000 homes leaving people homeless.
• it also started electricity fires, damaging anything it touched.
• Trees were sweeped away, this lowers the biodiversity in the area and can also make some species locally extinct.
• roads were flushed away due to the water.
• Large areas of crops and farmland was destroyed.
• 15,000 People died due to the debris in the water and people also contracted diseases.
on an earthquake you have studied, what are the impacts on a developing country
• In Haiti a third of its buildings and hospitals were destroyed, leaving people in need of help.
• 300,000 people became homeless because their houses were demolished.
• 230,000 people died from disease and things falling on top of them.
• 200 high school students died due to their school collapsing on top of them.
• The electricity was wiped out, leaving everyone in the dark.
• People had to rebuild by hand because they had no machinery.
on a tropical storm you have studied, what are the impacts to a developed country
• in the USA hurricane sandy tore houses apart.
• trees pulled out of the ground.
• 8 million people left without electricity.
• 200 people died.
• electrical fires broke out.
• 4.3 million gallons of water filled the subway up.
on a tropical storm you have studied, what are the impacts on a developing country
• 200,000 homes were lost or damaged.
• 90% of the crops were lost.
• livestock was killed leaving people with no way to make money.
• 5,000 trees destroyed.
• Bridges were destroyed, leaving people with no way to transport aid.
• 1 million people in haiti left in a food shortage.
How can you prepare for a tropical storm
• prepare a grab bag in case of emergency.
• have sirens that go off when a storm is detected to alert the public.
• have alerts on the radio to tell people to get to safety.
• have well structured buildings that can take a lot of force to lessen damage.
• have proper draining systems so that water doesn’t flood the streets.
• have an escape plan to get to safety, have drills so that everyone is prepared.
