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tectonics Flashcards

(90 cards)

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1
Q

what’s a natural hazard

A

a naturally occuring process or event that has the potential to affect people

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2
Q

what’s a natural disaster

A

a majorly natural hazard that causes significant socioeconomic and environmental damage

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3
Q

when does a natural process become a natural hazard

A

when it affects people

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4
Q

what’s the oceanic fracture zone (OFZ)

A

a belt of activity through the oceans along the mid-ocean ridges eg. The Red Sea (africa) and coastal California

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5
Q

where are most earthquakes found (70%)

A

the ring of fire

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6
Q

what are intra-plate earthquakes

A

occur in the middle or interior of tectonic plates, rather than boundaries, and are much rarer

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7
Q

what’s the continental fracture zone (CFZ)

A

a belt of activity following mountain ranges from Spain via the Alps, to the Middle East, Himalayas, East Indies then round to the Pacific

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8
Q

how are hot spot volcanos formed (intra-plate processes)

A

hot spot volcanoes occurs when an area in the mantle has heat rising as a hot thermal plume- high heat and low pressure causes the lithosphere to melt- rises through the cracks to the surface and erupts to form an active volcano

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9
Q

what is a seismic hazard and a volcanic hazard

A

seismic hazard- generated when rocks within 700km of the Earth’s surface comes under such stress they break and become displaced
volcanic hazard- Associated with eruption events

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10
Q

jigsaw fit evidence for plate tectonics theory

A

some continents seem to fit together if placed side by side (western seaboard of Africa and the eastern seaboard of South America)

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11
Q

Fossil Evidence for Continental Drift

A
  • Fossils of the same plants have been found on almost all continents, suggesting that they all once had similar climates.
  • Fossils of tropical plants have been found on Antarctica and on islands in the Arctic Ocean, suggesting that are may have been much warmer in the past.
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12
Q

Climatological Evidence for Continental Drift

A
  • glaciers do not form in oceans, which would have to have happened in the past to be consistent with the patterns of movement found in the rocks. Glaciers generally originate on land and move toward the ocean
  • coal deposits that would have been formed in tropical climate conditions are found in no longer tropical climate zones- drifted
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13
Q

Geological Evidence for Continental Drift

A

pangea

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14
Q

what are convection currents

A

a circular pattern that forms when matter (in mantle) heats and cools, changing the material’s density
thought to be the force responsible for moving Earth’s tectonic plates

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15
Q

what is paleomagnetism

A

iron particles in lava erupted on the ocean floor are aligned with the Earth’s magnetic field.
As the lavas solidify, these particles provide a permanent record of the Earth’s polarity at the time of the eruption - called paleomagnetism.

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16
Q

what is sea floor spreading

A

the striped pattern suggests that the ocean crust is slowly spreading away from this boundary and new rocks are being added equally on either side.
if all rocks were formed at the same time they wouldn’t have this pattern of striping they’d all be aligned the same way= formed over time

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17
Q

what is the slab pull

A

older, colder plates sink at subduction zones, because as they cool, they become more dense than the underlying mantle. The cooler sinking plate pulls the rest of the warmer plate along behind it.

regarded as the greatest reason for tectonic plate movement

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18
Q

what is the ridge push

A

magma rises as the plates move apart. The magma cools to form new plate material. As it cools It becomes denser and slides down away from the ridge. This causes other plates to move away from each other.
newly-formed plates at oceanic ridges are warm, and so have a higher elevation at the oceanic ridge than the colder, more dense plate material further away; gravity causes the higher plate at the ridge to push away the lithosphere that lies further from the ridge.

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19
Q

what’s the lithosphere

A

earth’s surface layer, made up of the crust and upper mantle broken into sections with an average depth of 100km

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20
Q

what’s the asthenosphere

A

The liquid part of the mantle, that allows some movement of the lithosphere

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21
Q

what are the 4 main types of tectonic plate boundarys

A
  • destructive
  • collision
  • constructive
  • conservative
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22
Q

what is the destructive plate boundary plates?

A
  • one oceanic and one continental
  • oceanic subducts as more dense
  • fold mountains found
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23
Q

what is the conservative plate boundary plates?

A
  • 2 plates of the same type moving in same direction at different speeds, or opposite direction
  • earthquakes found here
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24
Q

what is the constructive plate boundary plates?

A
  • often 2 oceanic plates moving apart,
  • with magma upwelling creating new land between them
  • volcanoes common
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25
what is the collision plate boundary plates?
* 2 plates of the same type collide and fold upwards * small amount of subduction as one plate can be more dense * strong earthquakes found here
26
what is a constructive rift valleys
* Occur at constructive margins in continental areas. * The heating and up-doming of the crust leads to fracturing and rifting. * As the sides of the rift move apart, central sections drop down to form rift valleys.
27
what's the benioff zone
an inclined zone in which many deep earthquakes occur, situated beneath a destructive plate boundary where oceanic crust is being subducted.
28
what are primary hazards
occur immediately and are a direct result of the earthquake eg crustal fracturing and ground shaking
29
what are secondary hazards
occur as a consequence of ground shaking e.g. landslides and soil liquefaction.
30
what is liquefaction
block of soil behaves as a liquid instead of a solid
31
why does liquefaction occur
because of the intense shaking caused by seismic waves, which increases pore water pressure and reduces the contact between sediment particles.
32
what are the type of earthquake waves
P waves= forwards S waves= back and forth L waves= moves up (ocean wave)
33
what are the shapes of volcanos
* shield volcano * Composite (Stratovolcanoes) * Cinder Cone Volcanoes * Caldera Volcanoes
34
what's a shield volcano's shape
Broad, gently sloping sides
35
what's the shape of a Composite (Stratovolcanoes)
Steep-sided, cone-shaped, layers of ash and lava.
36
what's the shape of a cinder cone volcano
Small, steep-sided, built from ash, tephra, and volcanic rock fragments.
37
what's the shape of Caldera Volcanoes
Large depression (crater) left after a massive eruption and collapse.
38
what primary impacts do volcanoes cause (4)
* pyroclastic flows, * tephra, * lava flows * volcanic gases
39
what secondary impacts do volcanoes cause (2)
* lahars * jökulhlaups
40
what is tephra (3)
fragmented magma produced during a vocanic eruption include: ash cinders volcanic bombs
41
what is a pyroclastic flow
if the tephra is denser than air, it will flow downhill as a pyroclastic density current, forming a hot, fast flow of volcanic gases.
42
what is a lahar (2)
* deadly mud flows caused when tephra mixes with water * are hot and flow very fast
43
what are the 3 types of lava
1. Basaltic 2. Andesitic 3. Rhyolitic
44
what are the characteristics of the Basaltic lava (temp, viscosity, gas content, eruption type, found where)
1. 1000–1200°C 2. Low (runny) 3. Low 4. Gentle, effusive 5. Constructive boundaries
45
what are the characteristics of the Andesitic lava (temp, viscosity, gas content, eruption type, found where)
1. 800–1000°C 2. Medium (thicker) 3. Medium 4. Explosive 5. Destructive boundaries
46
what are the characteristics of the Rhyolitic lava (temp, viscosity, gas content, eruption type, found where)
1. 650–800°C 2. High (very sticky) 3. High 4. Very explosive, violent 5. Continental hotspots, destructive boundaries
47
What is the difference between a hazard and a disaster?
as soon as a natural tectonic event disrupts normal life and daily routines it becomes a hazard
48
What is the difference between a hazard and a disaster / mega disaster? (5)
for a disaster: * 500 or more deaths for a mega disaster: * Over 2000 deaths or * 200,000 homeless or * GDP of a country is reduced by 5 per cent or * Dependence from aid from abroad for a year or more after the event.
49
what is risk
The exposure of people to a hazardous event. The probability of a hazard occurring that could lead to loss of lives/livelihood.
50
what is vulnerability
How exposed you may be or how exposed an area may be. The tendency of place, group or society to incur loses to hazards.
51
what is resilience
The ability of a community or society to resist, absorb and to restore areas after the natural hazard has occurred.
52
what factors can influence how vulnerable you are? (7)
Poverty Failing political and economic power Population pressure Over exploitation of resources Dangerous locations Disease and hunger War
53
what is the Degg's model/shows? (3)
shows the interaction between hazards, disaster and human vulnerability.
54
how does vulnerability increase (6)
* Population growth * Urbanisation and urban sprawl * Environmental degradation * Loss of community memory about hazards * Ageing population * Ageing infrastructure
55
how does vulnerability decrease (7)
* Warning and emergency-response systems * Economic wealth * Government disaster-assistance programmes * Insurance * Community initiatives * Scientific understanding * Hazard engineering
56
what is the hazard risk equation?
risk= hazard x vulnerability / capacity to cope
57
what are the stages in the pressure and release model
the progess of vulnerability -root causes -dynamic pressures -unsafe conditions disaster hazards
58
what does the PAR model suggest and when are disasters likely?
that the socio-economic context of a hazard is important In poor, badly governed places (root causes) with rapid change and low capacity (dynamic pressures) and low coping capacity (unsafe conditions), disasters are likely.
59
what does the PAR model show
It shows how root causes, dynamic pressures and unsafe conditions combine with a natural hazard to create a disaster.
60
what does a hazard profile compare
physical processes that all hazards share and helps decision makers identify and rank the hazards
61
how effective is the hazard profile model
when comparing, even small losses to an individual can be significant its not just those in poverty that are at risk, rather those that face disadvantages from political, physical, social, cultural and economic factors.
62
what's the effects of governments (6)
* meeting basic needs * planing * environmental management * preparedness * corruption * openness
63
what is magnitude
a measure of how much energy is released during a tectonic event
64
what are the characteristics of an earthquake, volcano, tsunami (6)
magnitude speed of onset areal extent duration frequency spatial predictability
65
what is the speed of onset
how quickly the impacts of a tectonic event are felt by a population
66
what is the areal extent
the size of the area that is impacted by the hazard
67
what is duration
the length of time for which the hazard occurs, including both orimary and secondary hazards
68
what is frequency
how often a tectonic event occurs
69
what is spatial predictability
the ability to predict the temporal and spatial pattern of hazards
70
what is a multiple hazard zone
Locations where a number of physical hazards combine to create increased level of risk for the country and its population. (often a combination of meteorological, climatic and geomorphic impacts)
71
what is a disaster hotspot
A country or area that is extremely disaster prone for a number of reasons
72
what is a forecast
Statistical likelihood of an event occurring in a location
73
what is a prediction
When and where (Usually only able to predict year not shorter)
74
how can earthquake risk be forecast
using seismic data and historical records
75
methods of predicting (3)
* identifying 'diagnostic precursors' such as a change in physical or chamical conditions in an area * detecting stress zones- by monitoring magma flows * some look at animal behavious changes and electromagnetic changes
76
what is the parts of the hazard management cycle (4)
response, recovery, mitigation, preparedness
77
what is the role of emergency planners
a professional who prepares for, responds to, and helps recover from disasters by developing strategies to reduce risk, protect lives, and coordinate emergency responses.
78
what is the park model used to compare
areas at different stages of development
79
what are the stages in a parks model
1. preparation 2. response 3. reconstruction 4. mitigation- preventing hazard effects or minimising them
80
what are 3 ways to change the impacts of hazards
* Modifying the effect of the event: land-use zoning, resistant building designs (counter-weights, deep foundations), engineering defences, diversion of lava flow * Modifying vulnerability and resilience: monitoring, prediction, education, community preparedness * Modifying loss: emergency services, short and long term aid, insurance
81
what is land use zoning
to remove important infrastructure or dense populations from areas at risk a- low cost d- requires strict, enforced planning rules
82
how have icelanders diverted lava flow
sprayed seawater on to the lava to slow its movement by chilling it
83
what is mitigation
practices used to describe actions and interventions that a community may take to reduce vulnerability in advance of a tectonic hazard event
84
what is adaptation
Ways in which communities may be able to live with a tectonic hazard by making adjustments to reduce risk
85
what is the scale of strategies be classed as (2)
* Micro: Strengthening individual buildings, people or structures * Macro: Large-scale protective measures designed to protect whole communities
86
what does modifying vulnerability and resilience include (6)
hi-tech monitoring, prediction, education, community preparedness and adaptation.
87
what are strategies to modify loss (4)
include emergency, short and longer term aid and insurance (rely on to recoup losses), and the actions of affected communities themselves.
88
what is spearman's rank
used to measure the degree to which there is a correlation between two sets of data
89
what is the equation of spearman's rank
rs= 1- 6∑ D² / n(n²-1)
90
what is the alternative/null hypothesis
what you expect to happen what you don't expect to happen

geography physical (6 decks)

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