Energy & Disaster Scales #Lecture 1

When you get out of a shower and the bathroom door is open you are cold because?

Liquid water uses heat from your body to become water vapour

Where does the energy for an earthquake come from?

it comes from earth’s mantle and the moving of plate tectonics. Energy is released when faults slip causing seismic waves

Where does the energy for a meteorite impact come from?

gravitational force when it enters the atmosphere

Energy vs. Release: Earthquakes

centuries, years —> minutes

Energy vs. Release: Volcanos

centuries, decades —> days

Energy vs. Release: Hurricanes

months —> days

Energy vs. Release: Thunder Storms

hours—> minutes

Energy vs. Release: Rouge Waves

hours —> minutes

Energy vs. Release: Landslides

millennia —> seconds

Energy vs. Release: Tsunami

minutes —> hours

Energy vs. Release: Floods

hours —> days

Why are logarithmic scales used for disasters?

cause every time you go up one magnitude you multiply it by a power of 10. logrithmic scales make information easier to read

What is the relationship between the intensity and frequency of disasters?

more intense disasters occur less frequently