Tectonic Hazard Profiles

Question 1

Earthquake Magnitude:

Answer 1

Magnitude is the most common way to measure an earthquake
- It measures the energy released at the source (focus)
- Can be measured on different scales, one of which is the Moment Magnitude Scale
- Which is measured using seismographs
- The MMS goes from 1 which is not felt by humans to 10

Question 2

Measuring Volcanic Eruptions:

Answer 2

• The volcanic eruption index is used to measure the size of an eruption
• It is calculated using a number of measurements/observations:
  1. Height of material objected into atmosphere
  2. Volume of material
  3. Duration of the eruption

Question 3

Tectonic Hazard Profiles:

Answer 3

Are used to compare tectonic hazard events

Question 4

What do they include information about?

Answer 4

• Magnitude (size of the hazard)
• Speed of onset (how quickly does it happen)
• Areal extent (how big an area does it cover)
• Duration (how long does it last)
• Frequency (how often does it happen)
• Spatial predictability (is there a pattern to where this happens)

Question 5

What are the advantages of hazard profiles?

Answer 5

+ They can be used to compare different hazards
+ They can also be used to plan for future events
+ They are useful when looking at one hazard such as an earthquake

Question 6

What are the disadvantages of hazard profiles?

Answer 6

• Other factors may have a greater influence on the impact
• They focus on physical factors when human factors may be the most important
• Multi-hazard events are not easily represented on a hazard profile
• They are subjective