Geography Q1 challenge of natural hazard

What is a natural hazard?

Natural process which could cause death, injury, or disruption to humans, or destroy property.

What is a hazard risk?

Probability of people being affected by a hazard in a particular area.

Name several factors that can affect hazard risk.

• Vulnerability- the more people in an area exposed to natural hazards, the greater the probability they will be affected by a natural hazard .

• Capacity to cope- the better a population can cope with an extreme event, lower risk of them being severely affected. eg..HIC'S are better able to cope with flooding because they can afford to build flood defences and evacuate people.

• Nature of Natural Hazards- TYPE- the risk from some hazards is greater than others. Eg..tropical storms can be predicted and monitored giving people time to evacuate. But earthquakes happen very suddenly with no warning so much harder to protect people. FREQUENCY- natural hazards that occur more often may carry a higher risk. MAGNITUDE- more severe natural hazards tend to have the greatest effects. Eg.. a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan in 2011 killed over 15000 people whereas a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti in 2010 killed around 220 000. Japan had fewer deaths but s higher magnitude because they had advanced infrastructure.

Whats the difference between Conservative, destructive and constructive plate boundaries.

Conservative- where two plates are moving sideways past each other or are moving in same direction but at differnt speeds. Crust isn’t created or destroyed.

Constructive- 2 plates moving away from each other. Magma rises from the mantle to fill the gap and cools,creating new crust.

Destructive- 2 plates moving towards each other. Oceanic plates meets a continental plate, the denser Oceanic plate is subductdd (forced down into mantle) and destroyed,creating gas rich magma. Volcanoes and ocean trenches occur here. Where 2 continental plates meet the ground is folded upwards creating fold mountains.

Why do people continue to live in areas at risk from tectonic hazards?

• Might not be able to afford to move, or they may not know the risks.

• They have always lived there so means they will have to leave jobs, or families.

• In wealthier countries, effective monitoring and evacuation plans can minimise risks.

• Their confident that their government will support them after earthquake or volcanic eruption. For example, in 2001, Italian government provided financial aid and tax breaks for local residents when Mount etna erupted.

• Minerals from volcanic ash makes volcanic soil very fertile attracting farmers. For example the mineral rich soil around Mount etna is ideal fir producing grapes.

• Volcanoes are tourist attractions so lots of people live nearby to work in tourist industry. Mount etna receives hundreds of thousands of visitors when it is erupting.