Tectonics hazards and processes

Question 1

When did the Haitian Earthquake occur?

Answer 1

January 12, 2010

Question 2

What tectonic boundary is Haiti on?

Answer 2

Haiti is situated at the northern end of the Caribbean Plate, on a conservative plate boundary with the North American Plate.

Question 3

What magnitude was the Haitian earthquake?

Answer 3

7.0 magnitude

Question 4

What were some immediate social impacts of the Haitian earthquake?

Answer 4

• 3 million people were affected
• Two million people living in the most affected area in and around the capital Port-au-Prince
• 220,000 dead
• Left 1 million people homeless
• Damaged water, transport, and communication infrastructure, which affected the efficiency of aid delivery and emergency services.

Question 5

What were some immediate economic impacts of the Haitian earthquake?

Answer 5

• Caused output to fall by 7% of GDP
• At $8 billion, basic reconstruction costs surpassed the country’s annual GDP.

Question 6

What were some immediate environmental impacts of the Haitian earthquake?

Answer 6

• Trash-filled beaches, smelly waterways, swarms of dead fish and tons of floating debris were all caused by the earthquake

Question 7

What were some short-term responses to the Haitian earthquake?

Answer 7

• The USA sent rescue teams and 10,000 troops.
• Bottled water and purification tablets were provided. 2
• 35,000 people were moved away from Port-au-Prince to less-damaged cities.
• £20 million was donated by The UK government.
• Over 5,000 improved temporary shelters built with 125,000 planned

Question 8

What were some long-term responses to the Haitian earthquake?

Answer 8

• New homes were built to a higher standard.
• $9b of aid in total was pledged
• 200,000 people received cash or food for public work
• Emergency long term aid e.g., EU has pledged 300 million euros and some countries cancelled Haiti’s debt to them, e.g., Italy
• Public health campaign to prevent spread of water borne diseases e.g., hand washing

Question 9

What are some examples of monitoring before and after the Haitian earthquake?

Answer 9

• Scientists at the British Geological Survey were alerted by their automatic earthquake location software 10 minutes after the earthquake struck.
  -After the quake that year, international organisations provided financing to set up seismometers, which cost tens of thousands of dollars each, in Haiti.

Question 10

What are some problems hindering recovery in Haiti?

Answer 10

• Overcrowding, chaotic urban development without a regional development policy and the skills of its staff meant that Haiti has had a tough time recovering from this disaster
• In October 2010, barely 10 months after the earthquake, a cholera epidemic broke out north of Port-au-Prince. The disease rapidly spread to other parts of the country, including the capital. By the end of 2011, an estimated 520,000 people had contracted cholera and more than 7,000 people had died which made recovery much harder.

Question 11

When did the Christchurch Earthquake occur?

Answer 11

22nd February 2011

Question 12

What tectonic boundary is Christchurch on?

Answer 12

The earthquake happened on a conservative plate boundary between the Pacific plate and the Australian plate.

Question 13

What was the magnitude of the Christchurch earthquake?

Answer 13

6.2

Question 14

What were some immediate social impacts of the Christchurch earthquake?

Answer 14

-The earthquake caused 185 fatalities, injured 3,129 people, and 1,293 were injured in the aftermath.
- Damaged sewage pipes contaminated water supplies which increased risk of disease.
- Businesses were closed for a long time.
- Christchurch could not host five Rugby World Cup matches.

Question 15

What were some immediate economic impacts of the Christchurch earthquake?

Answer 15

• Damage estimates increased possibly up to $20 billion which includes $13 billion for the residential sector, $4 billion for the commercial sector and $3 billion for infrastructure. The estimated total net cost to the Crown was $13.5 billion.
• There was a fall in GDP

Question 16

What were some immediate environmental impacts of the Christchurch earthquake?

Answer 16

• The earthquake changed the natural hazard landscape in North Canterbury and Marlborough considerably
• Rivers changed shape, and rockfall and landslips created significant new geotechnical hazards for buildings and other essential infrastructure.
• Several farms and settlements were badly damaged.

Question 17

What were some short-term responses to the Christchurch earthquake?

Answer 17

• Ordinary people helped to rescue people who were stuck in the rubble
• Urban search and rescue were there within a couple of hours of the event
• Emergency government meeting was held within hours of it happening
• The Canterbury art Gallery, which was Earthquake proof, was used as an emergency response centre
• 300 Australian police were flown in
• International aid was provided (around $6 to $7 million).

Question 18

What were some long-term responses to the Christchurch earthquake?

Answer 18

• $898 million was paid in building claims
• Provided temporary housing and ensured all damaged housing was kept watertight
• Water and sewerage were restored for all residents by August
• Roads and houses were cleared of silt from liquefaction by August and 80% of roads/50% of footpaths were repaired

Question 19

What are some examples of monitoring before and after the Christchurch earthquake?

Answer 19

• Scientists were relatively unprepared for the earthquake as they did not even know there was a geologic fault there until the September 2010 earthquake. Christchurch was understandably unprepared for activity on a fault that was previously unidentified.

Question 20

What are some problems hindering recovery in Christchurch?

Answer 20

• More than 90% of greater Christchurch’s housing stock was damaged by the earthquakes, and large residential areas (an estimated 7,860 residential properties) with extensive, area-wide land damage were designated Residential Red-Zone (RRZ) by the New Zealand Government.

Question 21

When did the Indian Ocean Tsunami occur?

Answer 21

26 December 2004

Question 22

What were some physical causes of the Indian Ocean Tsunami?

Answer 22

A 9.0 underwater earthquake occurred at a depth of 30 km below sea level and was the result of a sudden release of pressure along 1200 km of the plate boundary or fault line. The shaking of the seabed and the rebounding of the Eurasian plate by up to 20 metres along the entire 1200 km displaced a vast amount of water.

Question 23

What were some social impacts of the Indian Ocean Tsunami?

Answer 23

• It affected more than 18 countries from Southeast Asia to Southern Africa, killing more than 250,000 people in a single day and leaving more than one million homeless.
• However, the tsunami that followed killed more people than any other tsunami in recorded history, with 227,898 dead or missing in 14 countries across the Indian Ocean. The worst hit country was Indonesia with 167,540 listed as dead or missing and damages of $4,451.6 million.

Question 24

What were some economic impacts of the Indian Ocean Tsunami?

Answer 24

There were economic damages (such as the destruction of assets) worth $5.597 billion and losses (due to changes in economic flows due to the disaster) worth $4.333 billion (Rego, Social and Economic Impact of December 2004 Tsunami) because of the tsunami across Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives.

Question 25

What were some environmental impacts of the Indian Ocean Tsunami?

Answer 25

The tsunami’s medium-long term effects on the environment include potential damage to coral reefs, loss of fertile soil, loss and degradation of vegetation (including e.g. mangroves and sea grass), and salt intrusion into soil and inland water.

Question 26

When did the Japanese Tsunami occur?

Answer 26

9 March 2011

Question 27

What were some physical causes of the Japanese Tsunami?

Answer 27

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake on the Eurasian, Pacific and Philippine plates meet here, making it an extremely complex boundary.

Question 28

What were some social impacts of the Japanese Tsunami?

Answer 28

15,000 deaths, 6000 injured, and 5000 missing.
Victims aged 60 or older accounted for 65.2% of the deaths; 24% of victims were in their 70s.
45,700 buildings destroyed and 144,300 damaged. 300 hospitals damaged, with 11 completely destroyed. An estimated 24–25 million tons of rubble and debris.
Around 1.5 million households without water supplies and 4.4 million without electricity.

Question 29

What were some economic impacts of the Japanese Tsunami?

Answer 29

The economic destruction of the disaster was massive: 138,000 buildings were destroyed and $360 billion in economic losses were incurred. This was the most expensive disaster in human history.

Question 30

What were some environmental impacts of the Japanese Tsunami?

Answer 30

Saltwater damage of agricultural lands was so severe that agricultural crops could not be grown on large parts of the tsunami-inundated farmlands even two years after the disaster.

Question 31

What were some development factors affecting vulnerability and resilience of the Japanese Tsunami?

Answer 31

The adherence to strict building codes and infrastructure standards significantly influenced the vulnerability of communities. Areas with well-constructed buildings and robust infrastructure designed to withstand seismic forces and tsunamis were more resilient

Question 32

What were some geographical factors affecting vulnerability and resilience of the Japanese Tsunami?

Answer 32

The geographical location of the offshore trenches and fault lines influenced the intensity and magnitude of the earthquake that triggered the tsunami. Areas situated close to these geologically active zones experienced more powerful and destructive tsunamis