the challenge of natural hazards Flashcards

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1
Q

what is a natural hazard

A

a natural event that threatens people or has the potential to cause damage, destruction and death

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2
Q

what are the four types of natural hazards
+ examples

A
  • atmospheric hazards ( made by movement of air and water in the air) e.g tropical storms, lightning ,drought , tornadoes
    -terrestrial / geological ( made by tectonic plates )e.g earthquake, tsunami, volcano, landslide
  • water based ( made by river , seas , oceans) e.g flooding
    -biological (threat to health) e.g virus , bacteria
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3
Q

factors affecting hazard risk

A

magnitude, location, time, wealth, education, frequency, natural factors, population density

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4
Q

what is the plates tectonic theory

A

the theory that the earths crust is broken up into plates due to the convection currents in the mantle

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5
Q

characteristics of contental and oceanic crust

A

continental :
older , thicker , less dense , cant sink ,cant be destroyed
oceanic :
younger, thinner, more dense, can sink, can be destroyed

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6
Q

what is the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes like

A

occur in linear patterns along plate margins,
pacific ring of fire

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7
Q

what is a constructive plate boundary + how do earthquakes and volcanoes form here

A
  • two oceanic plates moving away from each other
  • this allows new land to be created
  • volcano : the plates move apart, magma rises through the cracks in the earths surface , a shield volcano forms
  • earthquakes : as plates move apart tension is formed ( as movement is not smooth), tension is released by sending shock waves
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8
Q

what is a subduction destructive plate boundary + how do earthquakes and volcanoes form

A
  • an oceanic and continental plate move towards each other, the denser oceanic plate subducts underneath to continental plate
  • volcano : as the oceanic plate subducts it is melted and formed into magma, the magma rises through the cracks, a
    composite volcano forms
  • earthquake : one of the plates gets stuck whilst its subducting another, movement is not smooth, tension builds, as the plates slip past each other tension is released by shock waves
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9
Q

what is a destructive collision plate margin + how do earthquake form

A
  • two continental plates move towards each other , neither plate sinks as they have the same density and the crust is folded to make fold mountains
  • earthquake : as the plates move towards each other the movement isnt smooth, tension builds, released through shock waves
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10
Q

what is a conservative plate margin and how do earthquakes form

A
  • two plates ( any type of crust ) move past each other in different directions or same directions but different speeds
    -plates get stuck as they move past each other, tension builds, tension is released in seismic waves
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11
Q

primary effects of tectonic hazard

A
  • injury and death
    -buildings, property and farmland are destroyed
    -communications and public services ( transport, electricity , telephones) disrupted
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12
Q

secondary effects of tectonic hazard

A
  • tsunami
  • shortages of drinking water, food and shelter
    -social problems from family loss and stress
  • fires from burst gas pipes
    -spread of disease from contaminated water or dead bodies
    -economic problems from cost of rebuilding and the loss of tourism and factories
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13
Q

immediate responses of a tectonic hazard

A
  • evacuation from areas
    -emergency services deployed
    -international aid sent e.g tents, bottled water, medical supplies
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14
Q

long term responses for a tectonic hazard

A
  • rebuilding settlements and infrastructure such as roads
  • redeveloping economic activities that were affected e.g farming and tourism
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15
Q

nepal earthhquake - key facts ( date, magnitude, epicentre, wealth)

A
  • 25th april 2015
  • 7.9
  • 80 km to kathmandu ( the capital)
  • LIC and ranked 109th in GDP
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16
Q

nepal earthquake - primary effects

A
  • 9000 killed
  • 20,000 injured
  • 70,000 schools damaged
  • 50% of shops destroyed
17
Q

nepal earthquake - secondary effects

A
  • 3 million homeless
  • avalanches on mt everest killed 19 ( the greatest loss of life here ) and in langtang region 250 went missing
  • a landslide blocked the kali gandaki river, many people were evacuated in case of family
18
Q

nepal earthquake - immediate responses

A
  • overseas aid including NGOs, Oxfam aid from the uk, india, china
  • 300,000 people migrated from kathmandu for shelter and support from family friends
    -social media and satelites used to map damaged areas
19
Q

nepal earthquake - long term responses

A
  • 7000 schools rebuilt or repaired
  • repairs to everest base camp by august 2015 new routes were established
  • thousands of homeless people were rehoused
20
Q

christchurch earthquake - key points ( date , magnitude ,

A
21
Q

christchurch - key facts ( date, magnitude, epi centre, wealth )

A
  • 22nd febuary 2011
  • 6.3
  • 10 km south east of christchurch
  • HIC ranked 53rd in GDP
22
Q

christchurch primary effects

A
  • 181 people killed
  • 2000 people injured
  • 100,000 homes damaged
  • 6 storey canterbury television building collapsed killing 85 people
23
Q

christchurch secondary effects

A
  • cost of reconstruction was 11 billion US$
  • christchurch could not host the fifth rugby world cup
  • 10,000 people migrated out of christchurch
24
Q

christchurch immediate responses

A
  • the military was mobilised to help the rescue effort and 300 Australians police officers were flown in
  • fire and ambulance crews and other rescue services searched for survivors
25
Q

christchurch long term responses

A
  • water and sewage were restored in the city by august 2011
  • government set up the ‘ canterbury earthquake recovery authority’ to coordinate the reconstruction of christchurch which costed £13 billion
  • city divided up into 4 zones :
    red zones - (worst affected areas close to the inner city)
    orange zones - (10,000 residential homes)
    green zone ( 100,000 homes )
    white zone ( central business district )
26
Q

reasons why people live in areas at risk from a tectonic hazard

A
  • energy ( geothermal energy can be made by using the steam from underground that’s been heated by magma. this can be used to drive turbines to produce electricity ) e.g iceland volcanoes has cheap geothermal power (20% of all its energy)
  • farming ( volcanic areas often contain the most mineral rich soil thats very beneficial to farming ) e.g italy where they have crops like olives, vines and nuts/fruit
  • tourism ( volcanoes attract visitors - help the local economy and provide a source of income )
  • scientific research ( to monitor and asses any volcanic risk )
27
Q

how does monitoring help reduce the risks of earthquakes and volcanoes

A
  • volcanoes can be monitored by :
    remote sensing, seismicity, ground deformation, geophysical measurements
  • earthquakes usually occur without warning thereofre can be difficult to monitor
28
Q

how does monitoring help reduce the risks of earthquakes and volcanoes

A
  • volcanoes can be monitored by :
    tiltmeters, GPS and check gas levels to monitor changes before an eruption. Thermal heat sensors and seismometers can observe temperature changes and earth movements
  • earthquakes usually occur without warning therefore can be difficult to monitor
29
Q

how does prediction help reduce the risks of earthquakes and volcanoes

A
  • volcanoes :
    monitoring the movement of tectonic plates + changes in the surface of the volcano, scientists can forecast the likelihood of a volcanic eruption
  • earthquakes :
    difficult to predict but scientists can study historical records to identify high risk areas as they are likely to return periods
30
Q

how does protection help reduce the risks of earthquakes and volcanoes

A
  • volcanoes :
    embarkments, explosives or concrete blocks can be used to divert lava flow
  • earthquakes :
    building earthquake proof buildings (shock absorbers, rolling weights, automatic shutters )
31
Q

how does planning help reduce the risks of earthquakes and volcanoes

A
  • volcanoes :
    evacuation plans, hazards maps to show areas likely to be affected
  • earthquake :
    earthquake drills to educate people how to react and maps to show high value lands like hospitals or reservoirs that can be protected
32
Q

what are the three cells of the earth starting from the equator

A

hadley cell
ferrel cell
polar cell

33
Q

what is global atmospheric circulation

A

the worldwide system of winds which transports heat from tropical to polar latitudes