Natural Hazards Flashcards

1
Q

What is a natural hazard?

A
  • A natural process which could cause death, injury or disruption to humans, or destroy property and possessions.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is a natural disaster?

A
  • A natural hazard that has actually happened.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are geological hazards? What are some examples?

A
  • Geological hazards are caused by land and tectonic processes.
  • They include volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides and avalanches.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are meteorological hazards? What are some examples?

A
  • Caused by weather and climate.
  • Tropical storms, heatwaves, cold spells
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is hazard risk?

A
  • The probability of people being affected by a hazard in a particular area.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How can vulnerability affect hazard risk?

A
  • The more people that are in area exposed to natural hazards, the greater the probability they will be affected by a natural hazard.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How can capacity to cope affect flood risk?

A
  • The better a population can cope with an extreme event, the lower the risk of them being severely affected.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How can the type of natural hazard affect flood risk?

A
  • The risk from some hazards is greater than others.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

How does frequency affect hazard risk?

A
  • Natural hazards that occur more often may carry a higher risk.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

How does magnitude affect hazard risk?

A
  • More severe natural hazards have the greatest effects.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are primary effects?

A
  • Immediate impacts caused by the hazard itself.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Examples of some generic primary effects:

A
  • Buildings and roads destroyed
  • People injured or killed e.g when buildings collapse
  • Crops and water supplies can be damaged or contaminated
  • Electricity cables, gas pipes and communication networks can be damaged, cutting off supplies.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Examples of some (generic) secondary effects:

A
  • Hazards can trigger other hazards
  • Aid and emergency vehicles cannot get through because or blocked roads/bridges which can cause more deaths.
  • Shortage of clean water, lack of proper sanitation makes it easier for disease to spread.
  • Food shortages can occur if crops are damaged, livestock are killed or supply lines are blocked.
  • Economy can be weakened - damage to businesses can cause unemployment, and the reconstruction process can be very expensive.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Examples of some generic immediate responses:

A
  • Evacuate people (before the hazard)
  • Treat the injured and rescue people
  • Recover dead bodies to prevent the spread of disease
  • Provide temporary supplies of electricity or gas
  • Provide food, drink and shelter
  • Aid workers, supplies, financial donations
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Examples of some generic long term responses:

A
  • Repair homes or rehouse people
  • Repair or rebuild buildings, roads, railways and bridges
  • Reconnect broken electricity, water, gas and communications connections
  • Improve forecasting, monitoring and evacuation plans
  • Improve building regulations
  • Boost economic recovery e.g by promoting tourism.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is continental crust?

A
  • Thicker (30-50 km)
  • Less dense
17
Q

What is oceanic crust?

A
  • Thinner (5-10 km)
  • Denser
18
Q

Why do tectonic plates move?

A
  • Because of convection currents in the mantle.
19
Q

What are plate margins/boundaries?

A
  • The places where plates meet.
20
Q

Destructive Margins involving oceanic and continental:

A
  • Where two plates move towards each other.
  • Where an oceanic plate meets a continental plate, the denser oceanic plate is subducted and destroyed, creating gas-rich magma.
  • Violent volcanoes, violent earthquakes and ocean trenches occur here.
  • Example: West Coast of South America, the oceanic Nazca plate is being subducted beneath the continental South American palate, creating the Atacama Trench.
  • Example: Andes Mountain Range
21
Q

Destructive Margins involving two continental plates:

A
  • Where two plates move towards each other.
  • The ground is folded upwards, creating fold mountains.
  • Violent earthquakes
  • Himalayas
22
Q

Constructive Margins:

A
  • Where two plates move away from each other.
  • Magma rises from the mantle to fill the gap and cools, creating new crust.
  • Gentle earthquakes and gentle volcanoes
  • Iceland is an example of this (the movement of the Eurasian plate and the North American plate away from each other).
23
Q

Conservative Margins:

A
  • Where two plates are moving sideways past each other, or are moving in the same direction but at different speeds.
  • Crust isn’t created or destroyed.
  • San Andreas Fault, California.
  • Violent Earthquakes
24
Q

What is the focus?

A
  • The point in the Earth where the Earthquake starts.
25
Q

What is the epicentre?

A
  • The point on Earth’s surface, straight above the focus.