Tectonics case studies

Question 1

Location of the San Andreas Fault

Answer 1

Border of West California.

Question 2

Type of plate boundary at the San Andreas Fault

Answer 2

Transform plate boundary (Pacific plate moving north quickly and North American plate moving north more slowly).

Question 3

Characteristic feature of the San Andreas Fault plate boundary

Answer 3

Linear trough.

Question 4

Example of a large earthquake on the San Andreas Fault and its magnitude

Answer 4

San Francisco earthquake in 1906: 7.9 on the Richter scale.

Question 5

Date and magnitude of the Tohoku Earthquake in Japan

Answer 5

March 2011, Magnitude 9

Question 6

Tectonic plates involved in the Tohoku Earthquake

Answer 6

Meeting of the Eurasian and Pacific

Question 7

Consequence of the Tohoku Earthquake regarding ocean waves

Answer 7

A series of ocean waves (tsunami) hit Japan some reaching 40 feet high.

Question 8

A social impact of the Tohoku Earthquake

Answer 8

Sendai airport rendered unusable.

Question 9

Another social impact of the Tohoku Earthquake (casualties)

Answer 9

20,000 dead/missing

Question 10

Another social impact of the Tohoku Earthquake (displacement)

Answer 10

50,000 forced to evacuate.

Question 11

Another social impact of the Tohoku Earthquake (supplies)

Answer 11

Lack of supplies e.g. medicine.

Question 12

An economic impact of the Tohoku Earthquake related to energy

Answer 12

Loss of power plant caused a rethink of Japan’s energy mix.

Question 13

The estimated economic cost of the Tohoku disaster

Answer 13

The costliest disaster ever at $360 billion.

Question 14

An environmental impact of the Tohoku Earthquake related to a nuclear plant

Answer 14

Meltdown of 3 nuclear reactors at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Question 15

Why did the Fukushima meltdown occur?

Answer 15

A gigantic wave surfed over coastal defenses.

Question 16

Long-term environmental impact of the Fukushima meltdown

Answer 16

Area is still radioactive today.

Question 17

Another environmental impact of the Tohoku Earthquake (waste)

Answer 17

Created 80-200 million tonnes of waste.

Question 18

Initial governmental response to the Tohoku disaster

Answer 18

Emergency command centre set up by PM and ~100,000 members of the Japanese self-defence force were mobilised.

Question 19

Timeframe approved by the Japanese government for reconstruction after Tohoku

Answer 19

A 10-year timeframe.

Question 20

Sources of aid for Japan’s recovery after Tohoku

Answer 20

Many NGOs and other cooperations provided funding, supplies etc.

Question 21

A governmental mitigation measure implemented after the Tohoku disaster

Answer 21

The government amended its disaster management plan to better prepare for multi-hazard high-impact events.

Question 22

A social/economic recovery effort in Japan after Tohoku

Answer 22

People began to re-establish cultural and economic connections, particularly the tourism industry.

Question 23

A preparedness measure in Japan for tectonic events

Answer 23

Training of emergency workers.

Question 24

Another preparedness measure in Japan for tectonic events

Answer 24

EWS such as sirens installed and regularly maintained.

Question 25

Date and magnitude of the China (Sichuan) Earthquake

Answer 25

12th May 2008, Magnitude 7.9.

Question 26

A social impact of the Sichuan Earthquake (casualties)

Answer 26

69,000+ deaths.

Question 27

A significant social impact of the Sichuan Earthquake (displacement)

Answer 27

4.8 million people made homeless (highest homeless count in history).

Question 28

A contributing factor to the economic impacts of the Sichuan Earthquake

Answer 28

Poorly constructed buildings could not withstand shaking.

Question 29

The estimated direct economic loss from the Sichuan Earthquake

Answer 29

USD $124 billion.

Question 30

An environmental impact of the Sichuan Earthquake

Answer 30

Rock avalanches, rock falls.

Question 31

Date and magnitude of the Haiti Earthquake

Answer 31

12th January 2010 Magnitude 7.

Question 32

Tectonic plates involved in the Haiti Earthquake

Answer 32

Located between the North American and Caribbean plates.

Question 33

A significant social impact after the Haiti Earthquake related to health

Answer 33

Outbreak of cholera caused by poor sanitation occurred and still exists.

Question 34

A social impact of the Haiti Earthquake affecting governance

Answer 34

¼ of government officials died so less recovery and relief efforts were organised.

Question 35

Another social impact of the Haiti Earthquake (casualties)

Answer 35

200,000+ deaths.

Question 36

An economic impact of the Haiti Earthquake related to infrastructure

Answer 36

Poorly built buildings collapsed.

Question 37

Another economic impact of the Haiti Earthquake affecting aid access

Answer 37

Only airport was damaged in the earthquake, slowing emergency aid access.

Question 38

An environmental impact of the Haiti Earthquake related to waste

Answer 38

Trash-filled beaches, tons of floating debris.

Question 39

Another environmental impact of the Haiti Earthquake related to wildlife

Answer 39

Swarms of dead fish.

Question 40

Date of the Montserrat volcanic eruption

Answer 40

18th July 1995.

Question 41

Tectonic plates involved in the Montserrat volcanic eruption

Answer 41

Caribbean tectonic plate slowly colliding with the North American plate.

Question 42

Geological feature created by the plate boundary near Montserrat

Answer 42

A volcanic arc.

Question 43

A significant social impact of the Montserrat eruption

Answer 43

People evacuated from the south and this became permanent due to pyroclastic flows.

Question 44

An economic impact of the Montserrat eruption affecting travel

Answer 44

Grounded flights due to thick ash.

Question 45

Another economic impact of the Montserrat eruption related to population

Answer 45

Migration from Montserrat.

Question 46

An issue with aid provision after the Montserrat eruption

Answer 46

Poor aid from the UK as they were not treated like UK citizens.

Question 47

An environmental impact of the Montserrat eruption affecting agriculture

Answer 47

Destroyed arable land and crops such as onions and tomatoes were affected.

Question 48

Location and year of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption

Answer 48

Iceland 2010.

Question 49

Cause of the magma rise at Eyjafjallajökull

Answer 49

Magma periodically rising at a constructive plate margin.

Question 50

A social impact of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption related to air quality

Answer 50

Decline in air quality due to heavy ash fall on 7-8 May.

Question 51

Another social impact of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption causing displacement

Answer 51

Flooding resulted in the evacuation of 800 people.

Question 52

A major economic impact and significant international response to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption affecting travel

Answer 52

Closure of European Airspace.

Question 53

An economic impact of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption on UK travel agents

Answer 53

UK travel agents lost £6 million daily.

Question 54

Another economic impact of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption related to tourism

Answer 54

Decrease in tourism in usual tourist attractions.

Question 55

An environmental impact of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption related to ash depth

Answer 55

Ash fall was 10cm+ deep.

Question 56

Another environmental impact of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption increasing flood risk

Answer 56

Mudslides increased flood risks.

Question 57

Initial governmental response in Iceland to the eruption

Answer 57

Iceland went into a state of emergency.

Question 58

A local response to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption involving people

Answer 58

Evacuation occurring nearby.

Question 59

A safety measure implemented around the eruption site

Answer 59

Exclusion zone created.

Question 60

An EU initiative to prevent future airspace closures

Answer 60

EU established FABs (Functional Airspace Blocks).

Question 61

Role of the Red Cross in the Eyjafjallajökull recovery

Answer 61

Volunteers gave food to those living in the vicinity of the glaciers (risk of jokulhlaups).

Question 62

A long-term infrastructure mitigation effort in Iceland

Answer 62

Icelandic government rebuilt river banks higher than before.

Question 63

A preparedness measure in Iceland involving machinery

Answer 63

Diggers were in position to dam rivers.

Question 64

A preparedness measure in Iceland involving communication

Answer 64

Texts sent to locals with a 30-minute warning.

Question 65

A factor contributing to the high death toll in the Bam earthquake related to medical care

Answer 65

Lack of specialised medical training to deal with large-scale trauma care, a reflection of poor governance.

Question 66

A factor contributing to the extensive damage in the Bam earthquake related to building codes

Answer 66

Iranian seismic building code had not been enforced when constructing new buildings, a reflection of poor governance and corruption.

Question 67

Timeframe of the series of earthquakes in New Zealand

Answer 67

2010 to 2011.

Question 68

How were the rebuild costs largely covered in the New Zealand earthquakes?

Answer 68

Largely insured costs (US $15 billion).

Question 69

Impact of the New Zealand earthquakes on international tourism

Answer 69

International tourist visits were down by 40% in the 2011-2012 period.

Question 70

Factor contributing to the effective response in New Zealand

Answer 70

Better governance resulted in better responses, especially financially.

Question 71

How did financial markets react to the New Zealand earthquakes?

Answer 71

Financial markets largely ignored the earthquake’s impacts.

Question 72

Approximate number of islands in the Philippines

Answer 72

7641 islands.

Question 73

Type of plate boundary located near the Philippines

Answer 73

Destructive plate boundary where the Philippine plate is being subducted beneath the Eurasian plate.

Question 74

Average number of major hazard events experienced by the Philippines annually (1960-2015)

Answer 74

An average of 10 a year.

Question 75

Significant volcanic eruption in the Philippines, year

Answer 75

1991 Mount Pinatubo, caused 847 deaths due to the volume of tephra.

Question 76

A factor increasing the vulnerability of the Philippines to tectonic hazards related to population

Answer 76

Due to a rapidly growing population in coastal areas, less measures can be taken to ensure infrastructure is built following regulations.

Question 77

Another factor increasing the vulnerability of the Philippines to tectonic hazards related to economic status

Answer 77

Areas with high levels of poverty may not have the funds to build sound infrastructure or build EWS.

Question 78

A major geographical challenge faced by the Philippines regarding tectonic activity

Answer 78

The Philippines is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire so is highly susceptible to volcanic and seismic risks.

Question 79

Another major geographical challenge faced by the Philippines related to the ocean

Answer 79

Being located on the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines is prone to tsunamis and is part of a typhoon belt (experiencing on average 15 typhoons annually).

Question 80

Another geographical challenge faced by the Philippines related to landforms

Answer 80

The country has a steep topography, making it prone to landslides in heavy rain.

Question 81

Name of the act passed in the Philippines to increase resilience to disasters

Answer 81

Disaster Risk Management Act passed in 2009.

Question 82

An action taken under the Disaster Risk Management Act in the Philippines

Answer 82

Moving illegal settlers from areas prone to hydro-meteorological hazards.

Question 83

An ongoing effort in the Philippines to prepare for tectonic hazards

Answer 83

A lot of mapping and recording of seismic activity has continued to take place to give a warning when a tectonic hazard occurs.

Question 84

Name of the comprehensive disaster risk reduction plan in the Philippines

Answer 84

2011-2028 National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan