Key Words Flashcards
Hazard risk
The probability or chance that a natural hazard may take place.
Natural hazard
A natural event that threatens people or has the potential to cause damage, destruction and death.
Conservative plate margin
Tectonic plate margin where two tectonic plates slide past each other.
Constructive plate margin
Tectonic plate margin where rising magma adds new material to plates that are diverging or moving apart.
Destructive plate margin
Tectonic plate margin where two plates are converging or coming together and oceanic plate is subducted.
Earthquake
A sudden or violent movement within the Earth’s crust followed by a series of shocks.
Immediate responses
The reaction of people as the disaster happens and in the immediate aftermath
Long-term responses
Later reactions that occur in the weeks, months and years after the event.
Monitoring
Recording physical changes to help forecast
when and where a natural hazard might strike.
Plate margin
The margin between two tectonic plates.
Planning
Actions taken to enable communities to respond to, and recover from, natural disasters, through measures.
Prediction
Attempts to forecast when and where a natural hazard will strike, based on current
knowledge.
Primary effects
The initial impact of a natural event on people and property, caused directly by it.
Protection
Actions taken before a hazard strikes to reduce its impact.
Secondary effects
The after-effects that occur as indirect impacts of a natural event, sometimes on a longer
timescale.
Tectonic hazard
A natural hazard caused by movement of tectonic plates
Tectonic plate
A rigid segment of the Earth’s crust which moves across the heavier, semi-molten rock below.Continental crust is less dense, but thicker than oceanic crust.
Volcano
An opening in the Earth’s crust from which lava, ash and gases erupt.
Tropical storm
An area of low pressure with winds moving in a spiral around the calm central point called the
eye of the storm. Winds are powerful and rainfall is heavy.
Adaptation
Actions taken to adjust to natural events such as climate change, to reduce potential damage,limit the impacts, take advantage of opportunities, or cope with the consequences.
Climate change
A long-term change in the Earth’s average temperature and weather patterns.
Mitigation
Action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from
natural hazards
