Implications Of Living In Tectonically Active Places

Question 1

Volcano status

Answer 1

Active - erupted in last 10,000yrs

Dormant - Not erupted in last 10,000yrs but expected to erupt

Extinct - Not expected to erupt again

Question 2

Living with volcanoes - JAPAN

Answer 2

110 active volcanoes

70% of land mass mountainous

Significant to Japanese folklore/culture i.e mount fuji

4 plates meet at Japan (North American, Pacific, Philippine and eurasian)

10 VEI 6 in past 2,000 yrs

Question 3

Mount Ontake 2014

Answer 3

200km west of Tokyo

3,000m + snow covered summit

Spiritual pilgrimage for many

September 2014:
- 63 deaths (mainly climbers)
- Ash fall, pyroclastic flow, volcanic bombs, lahars
- Not under any warnings at the time
- Search and rescue teams with military help

Question 4

Living with volcanoes - INDONESIA

Answer 4

3/4 of inhabitant live within 100km of a volcano

Many cultural links with volcanoes

Highly explosive volcanoes

1883 Krakatoa, tsunami = 36,000 deaths

Question 5

Mount Merapi 2010

Answer 5

Strato volcano

Nearly 3,000m

October - November 2010:
- VEI 4
- Pyroclastic flows (4km north, 11.5km west, 7km east, 15km south)
- Lava bombs 4km from summit
- Significant lahas due to rainy season
- 353 deaths
- 350 injured
- 410,000 made refugees

Question 6

Why live near a volcano?

Answer 6

• Fertile soil
• Steep sided slopes = terraced farming
• Tourism opportunities
• Geothermal power generating
• Minerals i.e Sulphur

Question 7

Living with earthquakes - JAPAN

Answer 7

400 earthquakes/day

Since 2000, 23 7.0Mw earthquakes

High tsunami risk

Question 8

Tohoku 2011 earthquake

Answer 8

Epicentre: 70km North east Honshu island
Focus: 30km (shallow)
9.0 Mw
6 minutes
One of 5 largest since 1900
Tsunamis = 40.5m, 10km inland at sendai
Many aftershocks

Social impacts:
- around 19,000 deaths
- 6,000 injured
- 90% = drowning
- 100,000 chilldren affected
- Traditional funerals waived for mass graves

Economic impact:
- $ 181 bn in damages
- 45,700 buildings destroyed
- 4.4 million without power
- 25 million tonnes of debris to be cleared
- Fukushima = 30km evacuation zone

Political impacts:
- Big movement against nuclear power
- Increase in government dept

Question 9

Living with earthquakes NEPAL

Answer 9

Common but many unrecorded

Liquefaction major hazard

Convergent continental - continental boundary

Question 10

Gorkha 2015 Earthquake

Answer 10

7.8 Mw
Epicentre 90km northeast of kathmandu
Focus 15km
Many landslides
Avalanches on high mountains i.e Everest

Social impacts:
- 8,800 fatalities
- 22,000 injured
- 2,8 million displaced in Kathmandu valley
- 473,000 buildings damaged
- 1 million needed food assistance

Economic impacts:
- $ 10 bn cost
- tourism = 10% economy shut down
- Asian development bank provided $200 mil

Political impacts:
- Needed assistance from other countries
- Undermined progress for a more stable country