EQ2 Tectonics Flashcards
Define Vulnerability
The conditions (determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes) which increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards.
Define Dynamic Hazards
The threats from hazards isn’t constant but can increase and decrease over time e.g rising sea levels mean safe areas become prone to flooding and storm surges.
Define Hazards Profiles
A technique used to try to understand the physical characteristics of different types of hazards e.g magnitude, speed of onset, duration, areal extent, spatial predictability and frequency.
Define a natural hazard
A perceived natural/geophysical event that has the potential to threaten life and property.
Define a natural disaster
A natural hazard causing widespread death and destruction.
Describe how the type of hazard effects the hazard risk
If the type of hazard can be predicted e.g tropical storms then the hazard risk will be lower as people have time to prepare and evacuate but with hazards that can’t be predicted there is no time to prepare/warn people.
Describe how frequency affects hazard risk
When hazards are more frequent, hazard risk increases as the area will constantly be damaged due to past disasters and it will have more of a risk as buildings and people will be more vulnerable as they have less time to prepare.
Describe how magnitude affects hazard risk
The bigger the magnitude of the tectonic hazard the higher the hazard risk as more people are likely to be killed and infrastructure likely to be damaged.
Describe how emergency services affect hazard risk
Countries with fewer emergency services/a poor standard will have a higher hazard risk because if a disaster occurs not everyone will receive emergency service help or they will not be able to do as much for people in need due to a lack of equipment.
Describe how healthcare affects hazard risk
If a country has a poor healthcare system then the hazard risk will increase because if a natural disaster happens then more people will die as they can’t be treated properly due to bad equipment or hospitals become overcrowded quickly and spread disease.
Describe how education affects the hazard risk
If a country has a poor education system or people live in rural areas where there is no school, then hazard risk will be higher as people are not educated on what to do if there is a disaster.
Describe how population density affects the hazard risk
If a population is more dense in an areas, then the hazard risk is likely to be higher as there are more people to be killed, diseases will spread faster, it will be harder to evacuate people , hospitals will be overcrowded and more buildings will collapse.
Describe how development affects the hazard risk
The more developed a country is, the more you can invest in certain areas that would help during a disaster e.g education and healthcare.
Nepal earthwuakwe 2015, isolated regions, unable for emergency aid to reach
Describe how hazard protection affects the hazard risk
Areas with forms of protection e.g tsunami walls, will have a lower hazard risk as the infrastructure protects the people and will prevent a higher death toll and cost of damage/rebuild.
what are the 6 variables used in hazard profiles?
magnitude, speed of onset, duration, areal extent, spacial predictability, frequency
what Do hazard profiles compare and why are they necessary?
A hazard profile compares the physical characteristics which all hazards share. Hazard Profiles can help decision makers when deciding where to allocate the most human and financial resources.
It is easy to measure a single hazard like earthquakes but it is much more difficult to measure multiple hazards or events were secondary hazards are more destructive than the actual event itself.
Define Risk
The probability of harmful consequences (death, damage to property, livelihoods and environment) as a result of exposure to a hazardous event.
Define Capacity
A combination of all the strengths and resources available within a community, society or organisation that can reduce the level of risk or effects of a disaster. The ability of a community to absorb and ultimately recover from the effects of a natural disaster.
Advantages and disadvantages of hazard profiles
Pros:
-You can compare hazards .
-It helps with planning as you focus on the areas needing the most attention.
Cons:
-It doesn’t say the overall effects on an area.
-It is hard to compare two different types of hazards.
Explain how age affects vulnerability to disasters
Children and the elderly are vulnerable to disperse as they have less physical strength to survive disasters and they are more susceptible to diseases. They are dependent on others for survival as they have few financial resources. Children are also less educated and the elderly have visual/auditory impairments.
Explain how gender affects vulnerability to disasters
Woman are more vulnerable than men as they are poorer, less educated and physically marginalised due to sexism in society. They look after the elderly and children in a disaster so are less mobile. They are more at risk of rape an trafficking after a disaster due to lack of security and shelter.
What is the Richter scale?
Hazard - Earthquakes
Scale - Logarithmic (0-9)
It measures the amplitude (height) of the waves produced by earthquakes. It uses the arrival times of P and S waves and the amplitude of S waves and the distance from the epicentre. A number is assigned to quantify the amount of seismic energy that is released.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Richter scale
Pros:
-It can be applied globally and gives a simple number illustrating the proposed magnitude.
Cons:
-It doesn’t provide an accurate estimate for large magnitude earthquakes so underestimates the size of them.
What is the modified mercalli scale?
Hazard - Earthquake
Scale - I to XII
It measures the experienced impacts of an earthquake. It is based on key responses such as the people awakening, the movement of furniture and the damage to structures to measure the intensity.
