Tectonic processes and hazards (EQ 2) Flashcards

1
Q

Natural Hazard definition

A

A natural event with the potential to harm people or property.

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1
Q

Natural disaster definition

A

A natural hazard which has caused significant damage to a community or society, and they are no longer able to cope using their own resources

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2
Q

Risk

A

The probability or potential of a natural event to cause harm and damage

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3
Q

Resilience

A

The capacity of a community, individual or nation to cope with the impacts of a natural hazard.

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4
Q

What is the PAR model?

A

A theoretical framework for the vulnerability of places to natural disasters.

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5
Q

What are the 3 things that contribute to a disaster (PAR model)

A

Root causes - Limited access to power, structures and resources. Also poor political/economic systems

Dynamic pressures - Lack of investment, training and other factors such as rapid urbanisation and population change

Unsafe conditions - Physical environment, local economy, public actions

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6
Q

Give 2 root causes, dynamic pressures and unsafe conditions in Haiti 2010

A

Root causes - GDP per capita is 1200 USD, 50% of the population is under 20

Dynamic pressures - Lack of education and training, rapid urbanisation and population growth

Unsafe conditions - 80% of housing in Port Au Prince is informal slums, 25% of people live in extreme poverty

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7
Q

How do geological factors affect vulnerability and resilience?

A

Degree of urbanisation - More urbanisation, higher potential risk
Isolation and accessibility - Isolated areas have less potential life losses but are more at risk during recovery and rescue due to accessibility problems
Population density - Potential for death, injury and damage is greater.

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8
Q

How does governance affect vulnerability and resilience?

A
  • Poor governance leads to a lack of investment and planning for natural hazards
  • Haiti government had very little control over land ownership or housing regulations
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9
Q

How does development affect vulnerability and resiliance?

A

Education - educated population allows for more effective planning and management, less deaths and an increase in the capacity to cope
Housing - Resilient housing infrastructure may create more resilient people + decrease vulnerability
Healthcare - Better healthcare will increase chances of survival and treatment of those impacted
GDP - wealth provides all of the above

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10
Q

Moment Magnitude Scale (MMS)

A

Measures energy released by an earthquake
Logarithmic scale
Related to the amount of slip on the fault line

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11
Q

Mercalli Scale

A

Measures impacts seen and felt from the earthquakes
Measures the intensity of the shaking effects, not the energy released
Scale of I -XII

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12
Q

Volcanic explosivity index

A

Composite index combining eruption height, volume of material erupted and the duration
Scale of 0-8 but can go up to 9

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13
Q

What are the six factors on a hazard profile

A

Magnitude
Speed of onset
Duration
Areal extent
Spatial predictability
Frequency

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14
Q

Why do we have hazard profiles?

A

To map out and compare the characteristics of hazard events

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15
Q

What 3 types of hazard with the following characteristics present the highest risk?

A
  • High magnitude, low frequency events
  • Rapid onset events with low spatial predictability, occur in numerous places and without warning
  • Regional areal extent, can affect large numbers of people in a wide range of locations
16
Q

Problems of hazard profiles

A
  • Unpredictability of hazards makes these models less effective at accurately representing human responses to hazards
  • Time frame is not presented very well
  • Quite vague in treating every hazard the same way
17
Q

Human, Economic and Environmental impacts from Tohoku, Japan EQ and tsunami

A
  • 16,000 deaths
  • 6,000 injuries
  • 130,000 displaced
  • USD 235bn cost
  • Industrial production prevention
  • 40m wave tsunami
  • Liquefaction
  • Coastal subsidence of 0.6 meters
18
Q

Human, Economic and Environmental impacts from Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland

A
  • 500 local families displaced
  • Roads impassable
  • Water supply contaminated
  • £130m lost per day for airline companies
  • £5m lost per day for tourism
  • Major jokhulhaulp
  • Ash dissolved in Atlantic ocean, causing plankton boom
19
Q

Human, Economic and Environmental impacts from the earthquake in Sichuan, China

A
  • 69,000 deaths
  • 5 million made homeless
  • 370,000 injured
  • £140bn in losses
  • £75m repair in communications infrastructure
  • Fire and gas leaks were common
  • Water pollution
20
Q

Human, Economic and Environmental impacts from Eruption of Mt Pinatubo, Phillipenes

A
  • 850 deaths
  • 1.2m made homeless
  • 58,000 evacuated
  • Bridges and transport infrastructure destroyed
  • 650,000 jobs lost
  • Volcanic ash destroyed soil fertility
  • Fast flowing lahars
  • Global cooling
21
Q

Human, Economic and Environmental impacts from the Asian 2004 tsunami and earthquake

A
  • 280,000 deaths
  • Outbreak of cholera
  • Limited food supply
  • £9.4bn damage
  • Sri Lankan fishing industry destroyed
  • Tourism collapsed
  • Pollution and debris hazards
  • Smaller islands completely destroyed
22
Q

Human, Economic and Environmental impacts from the Haiti 2010 earthquake

A
  • Over 220,000 deaths
  • 300,000 injuries
  • Further 30% in poverty
  • £8.5bn in damage
  • One third of commercial buildings collapsed
  • Water pollution and cholera outbreak
  • Rubble and debris remained on the landscape for months
23
Q

Vulnerability factors for the Tohoku, Japan earthquake (inequality, governance, geographical factors)

A
  • 0.910 HDI, very well developed nation with a good education system
  • Well prepared, good planning and preparation
  • Epicentre 70km off the coast, 1 minute Tokyo warning signal
24
Q

Vulnerability factors for the Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland eruption (inequality, governance, geographical factors)

A
  • Highly developed nation, sparsely populated, high incomes per capita
  • Very well rehearsed planning and preparation. Stable political landscape
  • Lies on mid-Atlantic ridge and a large magma plume, used to tectonic events so the population is well rehearsed on evacuation procedures etc. making them less vulnerable.
25
Q

Vulnerability factors for the Sichuan, China earthquake (inequality, governance, geographical factors)

A
  • Poverty stricken area, school buildings of poor quality
  • Poor corrupt governance in the planning and building regulations but the response was quick and effective and used traditional methods and voluntarism.
  • Shallow, strong earthquake ab out 120km from the Sichuan province
26
Q

Vulnerability factors for the Mt Pinatubo, Philippines eruption (inequality, governance, geographical factors)

A
  • Stark inequality, high poverty levels, weak education. health problems were wide ranging.
  • Underprepared and reliant on international responses
  • On the Eurasian and Philippine plate, so eruptions are fairly frequent, but not of this scale.
  • Triggered lahars as heavy rainfall remobilised the volcanic debris in the following years.
27
Q

Vulnerability factors for the Indian ocean tsunami and earthquake (inequality, governance, geographical factors)

A
  • High state of vulnerability in the surrounding nations with a lack of preparedness and education
  • Technology of the nations is weak
  • Very destructive fault line. However there was an inadequate warning due to lack of EWS’s
28
Q

Vulnerability factors for the Haiti, 2010 earthquake (inequality, governance, geographical factors)

A

-50% in poverty before the quake and infrastructure is of very poor quality and lots of slums on slopes due to geographical factors
- Historic debt problems, government legislation weak
- No warning systems, epicentre 25km away from Port-au-Prince. Very shallow earthquake