Tectonics EQ2 (1.2)

Question 1

how can a natural disaster be quantified ?

Answer 1

by the number of deaths and cost of damage or on human terms-over 500 deaths is a natural disaster

Question 2

what is considered a mega disaster ?

Answer 2

• if the GDP falls by 5% or more
• over 2000 deaths
• over 20,000 made homeless
• over a year of foreign aid dependency

Question 3

what is the hazard risk equation ?

Answer 3

(hazard x vulnerability) /

capacity to cope

Question 4

what are the 5 types of vulnerability ?

Answer 4

physical- when people live in hazard prone areas in buildings that don’t offer protection

economic- when people risk losing their jobs and assets

social- when a household is unable to support the disadvantaged people living in it

knowledge- when people lack education or training

environmental- where the area that people are living in has increased hazard risk due to population pressure forcing them into more risky places

Question 5

what are the 3 thing that can increase the scale of disaster in the pressure and release (PAR) model ?

Answer 5

oot causes e.g poor governance, weak economic system, low resources

dynamic pressure e.g lack of education, urbanisation

unsafe conditions e.g poor infrastructure, poverty

Question 6

how does the Haiti PAR model look ?

Answer 6

root causes :
-heavily in debt
-corruption
-poverty
dynamic pressure:
-lack of urban planning,disaster preparedness, educational systems, 
-rapid urbanisation
-high pop density
unsafe conditions:
-soft soil where the buildings where built
-poor infrastructure

Question 7

what are the 3 types of impacts of tectonic disaster ?

Answer 7

social, economic and environmental

Question 8

what is used to measure the magnitude of a tectonic hazard ?

Answer 8

moment magnitude scale

1= minor happens 1000 times per year, 9= massive one every decade

Question 9

what is used to measure intensity of earthquakes ?

Answer 9

Mercalli scale I-XII

Question 10

what is used to measure the magnitude of a volcanic eruption ?

Answer 10

volcanic explosivity index- sclae of 0-8 and measures eruption height, volume and duration

Question 11

what is an example of a volcanic hazard in a developed country ?

Answer 11

volcanic eruption in iceland- Eyjafjallajokull

• VEI=4
• no injuries or deaths
• major disruption to air travel in Europe causing $1.7 bill damage

Question 12

what is an example of an earthquake in a developed country ?

Answer 12

earthquake in Canterbury new zealand

• magnitude 7.1
• focal depth 10km
• 100 injuries but no deaths
• building damage due to liquefaction
• total damage of $40 mill

Question 13

what is an example of a tsunami in a developed country ?

Answer 13

tsunami in Tohoku Japan

• magnitude 9
• 16,000 deaths
• $300 bill in damage
• 46,000 buildings damaged and 145,000 damaged

Question 14

how do tectonic hazards compare in developed countries ?

Answer 14

• most deaths caused by tsunamis

- most damage by tsunamis

Question 15

what is an example of a volcanic hazard in a developing country ?

Answer 15

eruption in Nyiragongo DRC

• VEI= 1
• 147 deaths
• 120,000 homeless
• $1.2 billion in damage

Question 16

what is an example of an earthquake in a developing country ?

Answer 16

earthquake in Gorkha nepal

• magnitude=7.9
• 9000 deaths
• 22000 injured
• lost$5 mill

Question 17

what is an example of a tsunami in a developing country ?

Answer 17

tsunami in indian ocean

• magnitude= 9.2
• 230000 deaths and 125000 injured
• 1.7 mill people displaced among 15 countries
• $15 bill in economic losses

Question 18

how do the effects of tectonic hazards compare in developing countries ?

Answer 18

• more damage caused by tsunamis
• more people effected by tsunamis
• more deaths caused by tsunamis

Question 19

what is a hazard profile ?

Answer 19

it is used to compare the impacts of tectonic hazards

Question 20

what characteristics can present the greatest risk ?

Answer 20

• high magnitude
• low frequency as hard to predict
• rapid onset events with low spatial predictability

Question 21

why was the Kashmir earthquake so destructive ?

Answer 21

• frequency:the last major earthquake there was 1905 so there was no living experiance of previous disasters
• spatial predictability:this is a seismic area and so people should have been educated about the dangers of earthquakes

Question 22

how does HDI relate with death tolls ?

Answer 22

the lower the HDI the greater the death tolls

Question 23

what countries are most at risk to hazards ?

Answer 23

LEDC’s because they are less developed and therefore more vulnerable. Also islands as they are more exposed and more isolated.

Question 24

what are some factors to do with development that increase and decrease risk ?

Answer 24

increase:

• population growth and density
• ageing population
• urbanisation

decrease:

• emergency responses
• economic wealth
• hazard engineering

Question 25

how does governance effect the vulnerability of a country ?

Answer 25

- planning of land use to prevent building in high risk areas - environmental management - corruption - preparedness through awareness and education

Question 26

what are some geographical factors of hazards ?

Answer 26

- population density - degree of urbanisation - isolation and accessibility in rural areas

Question 27

why are developed countries with good governance less susceptible to disasters ?

Answer 27

- they have more advanced insurance - more preparations and emergency procedures - monitoring of volcanoes - local planning systems for building