Geog. Natural Hazards

• What is the average duration of a tropical cyclone?

  10 days
• What damage can strong winds from a tropical cyclone cause?

  They can destroy trees, crops, and buildings
• How does torrential rain from a tropical cyclone affect the land?

  It can lead to serious inland flooding
• What are storm surges associated with tropical cyclones?

  Sudden rises in sea level due to low pressure
• What are the effects of storm surges in coastal areas?

  They can cause immense damage to coastal areas
• What is the relationship between volcanic eruptions and earthquakes?

  Both result from plate movements
• What is the rate of tectonic plate movement?

  A few centimeters per year
• What happens at a divergent plate margin?

  Two plates move apart, creating new crust
• What is subduction in tectonic plate movements?

  One plate plunges below another
• What is formed at a collision plate margin?

  Fold mountains are formed
• What occurs at a conservative plate margin?

  Two plates slide past each other
• What are hotspots in geology?

  Locations with strong rising currents of magma
• How do tectonic plates shape the landscape?

  By creating new rocks and forming mountains
• What are the four types of plate boundaries?

  Destructive, conservative, collision, divergent
• What is the primary hazard associated with volcanic eruptions?

  Different forms of volcanic eruption
• What can lava flows destroy?

  Farmland, buildings, and communication lines
• What is the impact of ash clouds from volcanic eruptions?

  They can bury everything under them
• How can gas clouds from eruptions affect living beings?

  They can suffocate people and animals
• What is a pyroclastic flow?

  A fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter
• What is an earthquake?

  A sudden and brief shaking of the ground
• What determines the amount of damage from an earthquake?

  The type of rock above the earthquake focus
• What is the saying regarding earthquakes and buildings?

  “Earthquakes do not kill people, buildings do!”
• What can the collapse of buildings during an earthquake lead to?

  Fires and further hazards
• How does a tsunami form?

  An undersea earthquake displaces water
• What was the casualty list of the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004?

  Nearly 300,000
• What can volcanic eruptions also generate?

  Tsunamis