natural hazards Flashcards

1
Q

what is a hazard

A

something that poses risk to people and the environment

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2
Q

what is a natural hazard

A

a natural event which poses risks to people and the environment

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3
Q

what is natural

A

naturally occurring, not caused by people

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4
Q

4 types of hazards

A

geological

biological

meteorological

hydrological

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5
Q

examples of geological hazards

A

earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and volcanoes

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6
Q

examples of biological hazards

A

disease epidemics and insect/animal plagues

e.g. covid-19

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7
Q

examples of meteorological hazards

A

tropical storms, droughts, wildfires and extreme temperatures

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8
Q

examples of hydrological hazards

A

avalanches and floods

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9
Q

what is a hazard risk

A

chance or probability of being affected by a natural event

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10
Q

5 things that increase hazard risk

A

location in the world

economic development

urbanisation

time of event

climate change

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11
Q

examples of hazard risk

A

people who live in low lying areas are more at risk from flooding

people who live in coastal regions are more at risk of tropical storms

people who live in urban areas are more at risk from earthquakes

if an earthquake happens during rush hour, more people will be affected

people living in LICs are less able to prepare for natural hazards like earthquakes

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12
Q

why can HICs cope with natural hazards better

A

HICs tend to be better prepared for natural hazards because they can afford good equipment to monitor, predict and evacuate areas at risk

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13
Q

how does earthquake on destructive plate boundary affect more people

A

if an earthquake at a destructive plate boundary causes a tsunami, more people will be impacted

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14
Q

what is the crust

A

above mantle

earths hard outer shell

surface we’re living on

thin- 4-7 miles deep

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15
Q

what is the mantle

A

layer above the outer core

1800 miles thick

makes up 80% of the earths total volume

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16
Q

what is the outer core

A

hot —> temps reaching 3700 degrees

1370 miles thick

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17
Q

what is the inner core

A

centre of earth that’s solid (iron and nickel)

780 miles thick

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18
Q

describe continental crust

A

land on top of it

less dense (lighter)

thick

e.g. north american plate

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19
Q

describe oceanic crust

A

ocean on top of it
heavy and dense
thinner
e.g. pacific plate

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20
Q

what is a convection

A

heat rises and falls inside the mantle which creates convection currents generated by radioactive decay

the convection currents move the plates

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21
Q

what is a ridge push

A

when plates move apart (constructive boundary), the magma rises from the mantle

magma cools and creates new, hot and dense rock

it pushes the old rock out of the way

this creates a ridge in the crust

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22
Q

what is a slab pull

A

gravity pulls the old rock into the mantle because the rock has become colder and denser

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23
Q

what is a constructive margin

A

2 plates move apart, magma rises up to fill the gap —> causes volcanoes at this type of boundary

however, since the magma can espace easily at the surface, the volcano does not erupt with much force

earthquakes are also found at constructive boundaries e.g. mid atlantic ridge

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24
Q

what hazards are found at constructive plate boundaries

A

earthquakes and volcanoes

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25
Q

what is a destructive plate boundary

A

plates move towards each other and 1 is subducted under the other

found where a continental plate meets an oceanic plate

oceanic plate descends under the continental plate because it is denser

as plate descends, it starts to melt due to friction caused by the movement between plates

melted plate is now hot, liquid rock (magma) —> it rises through gaps in the continental plate and if it reaches the surface, the liquid rock forms a volcano

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26
Q

example of destructive plate margin

A

andes mountains in south america

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27
Q

what is it called if subduction does not take place

A

collision boundary

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28
Q

what hazards are found on the destructive plate boundary

A

earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanos

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29
Q

what is a conservative margin

A

plates slide past each other

30
Q

example of conservative margin

A

san andreas fault in california

31
Q

what hazards are found along the conservative margin

A

earthquakes

32
Q

what are primary effects

A

occur immediately as a result of the earthquake itself

e.g. buildings collapsing, death and injury

33
Q

what are secondary effects

A

occur hours to days after the initial earthquake

happen due to primary effects

e.g. disease due to lack of medical facilities

34
Q

HIC tectonic hazard case study

A

christchurch, new zealand

35
Q

where is christchurch located

A

new zealand

in Oceania

on the conservative boundary between indo-australian plate and pacific plate

36
Q

what happened in christchurch and when

A

22nd february 2011 at 12:51pm

magnitude 6.3 on richter scale

shaking that lasted 12 seconds

37
Q

what are the primary effects (social)

A

people may be killed or injured

homes destroyed

transport links disrupted

water pipes may burst and water supplies may be contaminated

38
Q

primary economic effects of natural hazards

A

shops and businesses destroyed

damage to transport can make trade difficult

39
Q

primary environmental impacts of natural hazards

A

landscape may be destroyed

fires can spread due to gas pipe explosions —> damage areas of woodland

40
Q

secondary social effects of natural hazards

A

disease may spread

people have to be rehoused

41
Q

secondary economic effects of natural hazards

A

cost of rebuilding infrastructure is high

investment may only be focused on repairing the damage caused by the earthquake

income could be lost —> buildings collapsing —> business can’t happen

42
Q

secondary environmental effects of natural hazards

A

important human landmarks may be lost —> less tourism —> less money

43
Q

primary effects of earthquake in christchurch

A

181 people killed

200 injured

50% of central city’s buildings were damaged

80% of the city was without power

44
Q

secondary effects of earthquake in christchurch

A

businesses were put out of action for long periods —> losses of income and jobs

couldn’t host rugby world cup so lost benefits e.g. tourism and income that they would bring

flooding from liquefaction —> difficult for emergency services to get around

45
Q

immediate responses to christchurch earthquake

A

ordinary people helped those who were trapped

canterbury art gallery which was earthquake proof was turned into an emergency response centre

chemical toilets were provided for 30000 residents

full emergency response plan within 2 hours

46
Q

long term responses to christchurch earthquake

A

provided temporary housing

roads and houses were cleared of silt from liquefaction by august

80% of roads were repaired

47
Q

LIC case study earthquake

A

haiti, port au prince

48
Q

where is haiti located

A

western hemisphere

north america

dominican republic neighbourhoods it

49
Q

what happened in haiti and why and when

A

7.0 magnitude earthquake

12th january 2010

on conservative plate boundary —> north american plate + caribbean plate

epicentre of earthquake was about 10 miles south west of capital, port au prince

50
Q

immediate responses of haiti earthquake

A

dominican red cross sent medical supplies

dominican emergency team assisted more than 2000 injured

twitter + facebook spread messages to help

39 trucks carrying canned food were displaced, 10 mobile kitchens and 110 cooks capable of producing 100,000 meals a day

51
Q

long term responses haiti

A

haiti received $1 billion in aid

world bank stopped debt repayments for 5 years

dominican republic which neighbourhoods haiti offered support and accepted some refugees

52
Q

primary effects of haiti earthquake

A

300 000 people injured

220 000 people were killed

100 000 homes were destroyed

8 hospitals in port au prince were badly damaged or collapsed

roads were blocked by fallen buildings and smashed vehicles

53
Q

secondary effects of haiti

A

-looting became a serious problem as 2 million people were left without food or water
-1.3 million people were homeless
-haitian tourist industry declined as tourists stopped visiting
-by november 2010 there were outbreaks of cholera —> water became contaminated so chlorea spread

54
Q

why do people continue to live in areas at risk from a tectonic hazard (volcanoes)

A

volcanic soil is extremely nutrient rich —> perfect soil for growing crops e.g. hawaii

granite is formed through volcanic activity —> very durable building material and is also very valuable

geothermal heat —> generate electricity —> cheap and environmentally friendly

lower housing prices near active volcanos

diamonds and precious materials —> lava from deep within earth contains minerals which can be mined when lava has cooled e.g. gold and silver

tourism —> creates many jobs for local people e.g. hotels, restaurants and tour guides e.g. blue lagoon

55
Q

why do people continue to live in areas at risk from earthquakes

A

don’t happen very often —> not seen as a great threat

better building design can withstand earthquakes —> make people feel less at risk

people living in poverty may focus on other issues like food

some people may not be aware of the risks of living close to a plate margin

56
Q

why are risks of hazards greater is LICs than in HICs

A

-preparation in HICs are usually better than in LICs —> constant drills and practices so they know what to do in an emergency e.g. japan, all schools have frequent earthquake drills where people hide under tables and practise evacuating
-housing is usually poor quality in LICs

57
Q

Describe what is meant by ‘monitoring’ tectonic hazards?

A

Using scientific equipment to detect warning signs of events

58
Q

prediction?

A

Using evidence and monitoring information to make a judgement about when
an earthquake or volcano is likely to happen.

59
Q

protection?

A

Designing buildings to withstand tectonic hazards

60
Q

planning?

A

Identifying places at risk of tectonic hazards and ensuring people know what to do in the event of an earthquake/volcano.

61
Q

examples of monitoring

A

Volcanoes
• satellites detect changes in volcano shape
• increasing amounts of gases such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide is
given off before an eruption

Earthquakes
• there is no reliable way of monitoring and predicting earthquakes.

62
Q

examples of prediction

A

Volcanoes & Earthquakes
• It is incredibly difficult to accurately predict an earthquake or volcanic eruption

63
Q

examples of planning

A

Volcanoes & Earthquakes
• Identify areas at risk and don’t build on these areas
• Plan open areas outside buildings where people can assemble during an evacuation

64
Q

examples of protection

A

Volcanoes
• Divert lava away from built up areas by using explosives

Earthquakes
• Reinforced foundations
• Shock absorbers to absorb ground shaking
• Automatic shutters to cover windows preventing shattering glass

65
Q

epicentre?

A

point on earths surface directly above the focus

66
Q

seismic waves

A

vibrations or waves of energy released by an earthquake

67
Q

focus

A

origin of the earthquake

68
Q

facts about haiti

A

most houses are self built with no foundations or rules restricting height —> many built on steep hillsides

poorest country in the western hemisphere
66% earn less than £1 a day

69
Q
A
70
Q

comparison LIC and HIC

A
71
Q

why do storms have severe effects

A

-wealth of country and money invested in forecasting, warning systems, protection, planning and responses
-living in coastal zone
-quality of infrastructure and building design
-strength of coastal defence