Tectonics case studies - key facts

Question 1

Haiti fact file

Answer 1

• 12th of January 2010
• Epicentre was 25km south-west of Port-au-Prince
• 230,000 deaths, 70% of buildings destroyed in the capital, shallow focus (13km deep)
• High poplulation density and a lack of formal housing made this a disaster

Question 2

Sichuan Fact File

Answer 2

• May 12th, 2008
• Affected Sichuan province in China
• 7.9 magnitude, 90000 deaths, $86 billion in economic damages
• Government corruption - unsafe buildings

Question 3

Monserrat fact file

Answer 3

• Eruption started on July 1995, lasted for multiple years
• Affected the whole island, 40% declared uninhabitable
• Massive skilled labour shortages due to relocation programmes for specialist workers, people moved to disaster relief camps for 2+ years, 70% rise in rent due to increased demand
• Fast flowing lava (pyrocrastic flows) swept through the capital, destroying the whole city

Question 4

Iceland Fact File

Answer 4

• March 20th, 2010
• South of Iceland + Large areas of Europe
• 2 million stranded in airports, Airlines lost $1.2 billion, roads to major cities were destroyed.
• The massive area it affected

Question 5

Indian Ocean Tusnami fact file

Answer 5

• 26/12/04
• Effected 14 countries, including Thailand, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Epicentre was north-west of Indonesia
• 9.1 magnitude earthquake, 500,000 seriosuly injured, 6 million in damages
• The sheer amount of people in developing and emerging countries effected

Question 6

Japan fact file

Answer 6

• March 11, 2011
• Tohuhu region most affected
• 9.1 magnitude, 18500 deaths, $100 billion in reconstruction costs
• Lack of preparation + Fukushima power plant meltdown