the challenge of natural hazards Flashcards
what is a natural hazard
a natural event that threatens people or has the potential to cause damage, destruction and death
what are the four types of natural hazards
+ examples
- 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
factors affecting hazard risk
magnitude, location, time, wealth, education, frequency, natural factors, population density
what is the plates tectonic theory
the theory that the earths crust is broken up into plates due to the convection currents in the mantle
characteristics of contental and oceanic crust
continental :
older , thicker , less dense , cant sink ,cant be destroyed
oceanic :
younger, thinner, more dense, can sink, can be destroyed
what is the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes like
occur in linear patterns along plate margins,
pacific ring of fire
what is a constructive plate boundary + how do earthquakes and volcanoes form here
- 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
what is a subduction destructive plate boundary + how do earthquakes and volcanoes form
- 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
what is a destructive collision plate margin + how do earthquake form
- 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
what is a conservative plate margin and how do earthquakes form
- 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
primary effects of tectonic hazard
- injury and death
-buildings, property and farmland are destroyed
-communications and public services ( transport, electricity , telephones) disrupted
secondary effects of tectonic hazard
- 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
immediate responses of a tectonic hazard
- evacuation from areas
-emergency services deployed
-international aid sent e.g tents, bottled water, medical supplies
long term responses for a tectonic hazard
- rebuilding settlements and infrastructure such as roads
- redeveloping economic activities that were affected e.g farming and tourism
nepal earthhquake - key facts ( date, magnitude, epicentre, wealth)
- 25th april 2015
- 7.9
- 80 km to kathmandu ( the capital)
- LIC and ranked 109th in GDP