Hazardous environment geography igcse edexcel

Characteristics of volcanic eruptions

Lava flows, ash, gas emissions, pyroclastic flow

Characteristics of earthquakes

- intense shaking of the ground

- central point called the focus

- shockwaves are strongest closest to the epicentre

- tsunamis

Characteristics of TRS

storm surges

Conservative plate boundary

where two tectonic plates slide past each at different speeds, causing them. to become locked releasing immense pressure with friction and causing earthquakes

Constructive plate boundary

Plates that move away from each other. Magma rises through gap and forms new crust as it cools.

Destructive plate boundary

tectonic plate margins where oceanic plate is subducted under the continental plate, which releases pressure for earthquakes and magma to rise causing volcanic eruptions

Collision plate boundary

When 2 plates collide and cause fold mountains

Causes of tropical storms and the sequence of their formation and development?

Low pressure, temperatures of 27 degrees of sea temperature, low wind shear, deep layer of humid layer

Formation of tropical storms

1. Sun warms ocean

2. 27 degrees + needed

3. Cause warm moist air to rise, then cool and condenses to form clouds and rain

4. Some cooled air sinks back down creating a eye

5. Air rushes from high to low pressure creating winds which rotate due to the spin of the earth

Scales used to measure earthquakes

Richter Scale, Moment Magnitude Scale, Mercalli Scale

Scale used to measure volcanic eruptions

Volcanic Explosivity Index

Scale used to measure Tropical Revolving Storms

Saffir Simpson scale

Why do people live in hazardous areas?

1. A lack of education & information may mean that people wont take the issue seriously & not aware of the risks

2. People may be aware of the risks but continue to live there anyway maybe because of tradition & because their ancestors lived there (connection to that area).

3. Some families are poor so they cannot afford to move away e.g Farmers depend on fertile land provided by volcanoes

4. Perhaps the biggest factor is areas of high population density e.g Tokyo. It would take a lot of time & money to move a large amount of people away therefore they adapt too these conditions.

Hazardous management

assessment - prediction - preparation-hazard event - recovery - appraisal

Responding to Hazards

Emergency respons -> Appraisal and Long term planning

Short term impacts of hazards

Death toll, infrastructure destroyed, number of people made homeless, agricultural land loss, destruction of services

Long term impacts of hazards

Businesses being affected, out-migration, tourist industry being heavily affected, disease, unemployment

short term responses to hazards

Emergency shelter, medicine, food and water being provided

long-term responses of hazards

International donations, observatory being built for predictions, risk assessments, building hazard-proof buildings, drills, insurance schemes.

What is a hotspot volcano?

a volcano that does not occur near a plate boundary due to a magma plume

What affects the direction of a tropical storm?

During the seasons the earth rotates, which gives the TRS the coriolis effect