risk of tectonic hazards

Tectonic Hazards

Natural hazards that result from the movement of tectonic plates, including earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis.

Ring of Fire

An area in the Pacific Ocean basin where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur, marking the edge of the Pacific tectonic plate.

Intra-plate earthquakes

Earthquakes that occur away from tectonic plate boundaries, often linked to ancient fault lines or hot spots.

Convergent boundary

A type of tectonic plate boundary where two plates move towards each other, leading to subduction or continental collision.

Transform boundary

A type of plate boundary where two plates slide past one another, causing earthquakes but not leading to volcanic activity.

Subduction zone

An area where one tectonic plate moves under another, leading to the formation of deep ocean trenches and volcanic arcs.

Hotspot volcanoes

Volcanoes that form over stationary magma plumes in the mantle, leading to chains of islands, such as those in Hawaii.

Lithosphere

The rigid outer layer of the Earth, composed of the crust and the upper part of the mantle.

Asthenosphere

The semi-molten, plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere that allows for tectonic plate movement.

Seafloor spreading

The process by which new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges as tectonic plates pull apart, causing the sea floor to spread.

Magma

Molten rock located beneath the Earth's surface that can erupt as lava during volcanic eruptions.

Primary hazards

Direct consequences of tectonic events such as ground shaking and crustal fracturing.

Secondary hazards

Hazards that arise as a result of primary hazards, such as landslides, liquefaction, and flooding.

Benio Zone

The area within the subduction zone where significant friction and pressure build-up occurs, leading to strong earthquakes.

Pyroclastic flow

A fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter that flows down the slopes of a volcano during an explosive eruption.

Tsunami

A series of ocean waves caused by large-scale disturbances such as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions that can displace large volumes of water.