Natural Hazards

Question 1

Give the definition of a hazard

Answer 1

A danger or risk

Question 2

Give the definition of a natural hazard

Answer 2

A geophysical event that affects the physical environment and people

Question 3

Give the definition for disaster

Answer 3

An event that causes damage or loss

Question 4

Features of inner core

Answer 4

Solid, provides heat, made of iron and nickel

Question 5

What is the mantle made of?

Answer 5

molten magma

Question 6

What are the two types of plate?

Answer 6

Oceanic and continental

Question 7

Give the order of the earths insides,starting from the middle.

Answer 7

Inner core, outer core, mantle crust

Question 8

Where is Haiti?

Answer 8

Central America, in continent of North America, on island in Caribbean, west end of island is Haiti and the rest is the Dominican Republic

Question 9

Is it smooth?

Answer 9

No, there is friction between the two plates and extreme stresses build up in crustal rocks, when pressure is released earthquake happens

Question 10

What way do the Caribbean and North American plates move?

Answer 10

Caribbean = from west to east
N.A = east to west

Question 11

Give the definition of subduction

Answer 11

One plate going under the other

Question 12

What does the size of the earthquake relate to?

Answer 12

The frequency of the movement if there is a long period without movement the pressure builds up and the eventual movement will be greater generating more energy and a higher magnitude earthquake there had not been a very large earthquake at this plate boundary for over 40 years

Question 12

Why do tectonic plates move?

Answer 12

because they float on the mantle. The mantle moves due to convection currents: hot rocks rise, give off some heat and then fall. This creates big swirls of rock under the crust of the earth, which moves the plates of crust on top.

Question 13

How do earthquakes occur on conservative plate boundaries?

Answer 13

They slide against each other and no plate is created or destroyed because there is no Magma or subduction. Therefore, volcanoes do not occur at conservative plate boundaries.

Question 14

How do earthquakes occur on constructive plate boundaries?

Answer 14

Occurs when plates move away from one another. Volcanoes are formed as a result of the magma filling the gap created by the plates

Question 15

How do earthquakes occur on destructive plate boundaries?

Answer 15

When oceanic plate and continental plate move together. Oceanic plate moves under continental plate. Friction may cause earthquakes. Magma rises up through the cracks.

Question 16

Explain two human reasons why so many people died in the 2010 Haiti earthquake

Answer 16

66% of population make less than £1 per day

Shortage of doctors people die from broken limbs

1-15 people live in cramped conditions and poor housing

300000 people live in cité soleil where there are no pavements or sewers or electricity

Question 17

Haiti earthquake 2010 social impacts

Answer 17

3mil people affected
220,000 deaths
300,000 injured
1.3mil homeless
Several hospitals collapsed

Question 18

Haiti earthquake 2010 economic impacts

Answer 18

30000 commercial buildings destroyed
Businesses destroyed
Main clothing industry damaged
Airport and port damaged

Question 19

What is a hurricane?

Answer 19

A hazard that brings heavy rainfall, strong winds, and related hazards (mudslides, floods)
In Central America they are called hurricanes
In Pacific and China sea they are called typhoons
In Bangladesh Pakistan India Australia they are called cyclones

Question 20

What does a hurricane need to happen?

Answer 20

Needs tropical water, so it can form on planet earth between 8 to 20 degrees latitude

High humidity, light winds

Sea surface needs to be 26.5 degrees or more

Hurricane season in northern hemisphere runs through June to November

Question 21

How does a hurricane form?

Answer 21

1. Warm ocean heats air above which rises quickly
2. The rising air evaporates and starts to spin anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere
3. As the air rises it cools and forms cumulonimbus clouds ☁️
4. The rapidly rising air creates areas of low pressure which suck in air causing strong winds
5. Once it goes on land it slowly dies

Question 22

What does the Saffir-Simpson scale measure?

Answer 22

Saffir-Simpson Scale is the way we measure hurricanes. It measures wind speed and storm surge height

Question 23

Name two impacts of 2013 typhoon haiyan

Answer 23

Economic impacts

The overall economic impact of Typhoon Haiyan is estimated at $5.8 billion (£3.83 billion).
Six million workers lost their sources of income.
Major rice, corn and sugar-producing areas for the Philippines were destroyed affecting the country’s international trade and farmers’ incomes.
Tacloban’s city airport was severely damaged, affecting business and tourism.
Fishing communities were severely affected with the storm destroying 30,000 boats and associated equipment.

Social impacts

More than 7,000 people were killed by Typhoon Haiyan.
1.9 million people were left homeless and more than 6,000,000 displaced.
There were outbreaks of disease due to the lack of sanitation, food, water, shelter, and medication.
Less affected areas reported that their populations more than doubled after the typhoon with the influx of refugees.
The Tacloban city government was devastated, with only 70 people at work in the immediate days after the disaster compared to 2,500 normally. Many were killed, injured, lost family or were simply too traumatised to work.
In the city of Tacloban, widespread looting took place in the days following the typhoon.

Environmental impacts

Widespread floods damaged and in many cases destroyed homes and businesses in coastal areas.
The Philippine government estimated that about 71,000 hectares of farmland was affected.
Thousands of trees were uprooted leading to a massive release of carbon dioxide and loss of habitat with resulting effects on wildlife.
Flooding knocked over Power Barge 103 causing an oil spill affecting mangrove ecosystems.
Major roads were blocked by trees, and were impassable.

Question 24

Two impacts of hurricane sandy

Answer 24

Economic impacts

Hurricane Sandy was the second most costly hurricane on record, causing $71 billion in damages. In New York City, economic losses are estimated at exceeding $18 billion.
Buildings, cars, people’s possessions and business stock were lost.
More than 18,000 flights were cancelled leading to disruptions in business, tourism and trade.
Crops were lost resulting in loss of earnings for farmers.

Social impacts

At least 286 people were killed either directly or indirectly by Hurricane Sandy. There were 147 direct deaths: 72 in the USA and the rest mainly in the Caribbean, including 54 in Haiti and 11 in Cuba.
Power failure at New York University Langone Medical Centre led to the evacuation of all 215 patients to other hospitals.
People were highly stressed and anxious. In the longer term, many people could be affected psychologically by the loss of family and friends.
More than 8.5 million homes and businesses were left without power.
In Washington DC and other cities, many supermarkets ran out of essentials such as bottled water and batteries as people prepared for the worst.
The New York City marathon was cancelled resulting in a loss of income for many businesses.

Environmental impacts

346,000 houses were damaged or destroyed in New Jersey and 305,000 damaged or destroyed in New York.
Makeshift shanty towns in Haiti were washed away.
Fallen trees and flooded vegetation affected animals’ habitats.
In areas such as New York and New Jersey, untreated sewage was washed into public drinking water, threatening human health.
More than 70 per cent of crops, including bananas and maize, were destroyed in the south of Haiti.
Roads, train lines and other transport infrastructure became unusable due to flooding, resulting in disruptions to travel and trade.
Approximately 10 metres of beach was lost in some parts of New Jersey (making it narrower), exposing the coast to further erosion and impacting wildlife.

Question 25

Why did the Philippines suffer more than nyc after tropical storm?

Answer 25

Low Income Country (lic) means cannot recover financially from damage as quickly meaning that they cannot restructure buildings and have a full recovery as quickly as a rich city like New York can