Hazards Topic Flashcards
Define Hazard
A threat which has the potential to cause injury, damage to property, socio-economic disruption or environmental degragation
Define Disaster
The realization of a hazard. When an event that had the potential to cause harm, actually does
Define Perception
This is the way in which an individual or a group of people view the threat of a hazard event. This will ultimately determine the course of action taken by individuals
Define Geophysical Hazard
A Hazard which is driven by the earth’s own internal energy sources or geological and geomorphological processes
Define Atmospheric Hazards
A hazard driven by processes in the atmosphere. E.g: tropical storm
Define Hydrological Hazard
A hazard driven by water bodies. E.g: flooding
Define Fatalism
The view that people cannot influence the event so nothing can be done. The outcome of the even is seen as “God’s will”
Define Prediction
The ability to give warnings so that actions can be taken to reduce the impact of hazard events
Define Adaptation
In the context of hazards, adaptation is the attempts by people or communities to live with a hazard event by adjusting their living conditions
Define Mitigation
The action of reducing the severity or seriousness of something
What Are The Three Stages Of The Park Impact/Response Model
Normality. Disruption. Recovery
What Are The Four “Layers” Of Earth
Inner core
Liquid outer core
Mantle
Crust
What Is The Mesosphere
Another name for the mantle, at 350km and deeper, the mesosphere hot but stronger due to high pressure
What Is The Asthenosphere
Between 100-350km into the earth, it is hot, weak and plastic
What Is The Lithosphere
It is the surface of Earth, between 0 and 100km deep. It is cool, rigid and brittle
What Is The Difference Between Continental And Oceanic Crust
Oceanic crust is much thinner than continental crust. Continental crust is much more dense than oceanic crust. Continental crust is also a lot older than oceanic crust
What Evidence Is There Of Tectonic Plate Movement
Jigsaw theory: all the continents look like they ‘slot’ together
Fossils: fossils of animals that cannot travel across oceans have been found on different continents, meaning they were once close enough to have animals travel across them
Coal: Coal in the UK should not exist, coal is formed in tropical climates, which means for coal in the UK to exist, the UK once had to have been closer to the equator
Explain Ocean Ridges
*Formed at constructive plate boundaries underwater
*Due to convection currents pulling two plates apart
*Basaltic lava rises out the gap
*As it cools on top of old land, it builds it upwards to form a ridge that can span entire oceans
Explain Volcanic Islands
*habitable landmasses made of cooled lava
*When a volcano erupts, the lava spreads outwards but also builds upwards
*The built up lava eventually emerges from the ocean to form an island
*Examples are Hawaii and Iceland
Explain Sea Mounts and Guyots
Sea mounts are large geological landforms that rise from the ocean floor but do not reach the waters surface, typically formed from extinct volcanos
Guyots are flat topped mountains that are extinct volcanos. They used to be volcanic islands but over the years have been eroded down and are now back underwater
What Is A Shield Volcano
A shield volcano is a domed volcano with gently slopping sides, characteristics of the eruption of fluid, basaltic lava
Explain Hot Spots
Hot spots are areas of volcanic activity in the middle of a plate. The theory behind them is that a mantle plume (the rise of hot magma outside of the normal convection current) spills hot lava out of a thin part of the crust (usually oceanic). The rising lava forms volcanic islands to form. However, as the plate moves over the top of the mantle plume, chain islands are formed and the further the island from the plume, the less likely it is to erupt.
What Is Meant By Subduction
Subduction is where one plate is pushed underneath another by the convection currents in the Earth’s mantle
Why Is There No Major Volcanic Activity At A Continental Collision
Because, unlike at destructive plate boundaries that occur with at least one oceanic crust, the two plates push together and push upwards to form mountain ranges. Because of how thick the crust is, no lava reaches the surface and creates volcanic activity. At most, there will be some geothermal activity
What Hazard (Besides Earthquakes) Is Likely To Occur At Oceanic Plate Boundaries
Tsunamis
What Are The Two Ways In Which Conservative Plate Boundaries Can Move
Next to each other. Or. One moving upwards, one moving downwards
