Paper 1

• Natural hazard


  A natural event that has a social impact, such as damage to property or loss of life
• Types of natural hazards

  • Tectonic hazards (volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes)
  • Biological hazards (forest fires)
  • Geomorphological hazards (flooding, mudslides, rockslides)
  • Atmospheric hazards (hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, rain)
• If there are no people to be affected, then it is not a hazard, simply an event that happened
• Why do people knowingly put themselves at risk by living near hazards

  • They simply don't want to leave
  • They may believe the defenses will protect them
  • They just don't believe that the hazard is going to occur
  • It could be to do with the economy (jobs, facilities)
  • There are lots of social reasons (don't know where to go, language barriers)
• Human activity has a big impact on climate change, as humans are responsible for the majority of the CO2 that is put into the atmosphere
• This increasing climate change is leading to more flooding and more extreme weather events
• If a densely populated area is affected, then more people are going to be affected
• Tectonic plates


  Parts of the crust of the Earth, the surface that we are actually on, which is a very thin surface in comparison with the thicknesses of the different layers in the Earth
• Mantle


  A very thick layer below the crust, full of magma, molten rock that is flowing very slowly
• Core


  The innermost layer of the Earth, which is very hot
• The heat of the core underneath the molten rock sets up convection currents in the magma
• Types of tectonic plate margins

  • Destructive (continental-continental, continental-oceanic)
  • Conservative
  • Constructive
• Destructive continental-continental plate margin

  • Plates collide and crumble up to form mountains, frequent earthquakes but no volcanoes
• Destructive continental-oceanic plate margin

  • Oceanic plate subducted below continental plate, magma forms volcanoes, friction causes earthquakes
• Conservative plate margin


  • Plates move against each other, friction causes earthquakes but no volcanoes
• Constructive plate margin


  • Plates move away from each other, magma reaches surface and forms new rocks, can lead to rift valleys and shield volcanoes
• Primary effects


  The first effect of a natural hazard or event on the population, that is the people or the buildings
• Secondary effects


  The after effects of a natural hazard or event, happening over a longer time scale (days, weeks, months, or even years)
• Immediate response


  How people react straightaway, as the event is happening and the immediate time scale afterwards
• Long term response


  How people will react to the natural hazard in the weeks or the months after it has happened
• HIC


  High income country, defined by the World Bank as a country where the Gross National Income (GNI) is over $12,000 per person
• LIC


  Low income country, defined by the World Bank as a country where the Gross National Income (GNI) is less than $12,000 per person
• HIC earthquake case studies

  • Chile (8.8 Richter scale, $30 billion cost)
  • Italy (6.3 Richter scale, $11 billion cost)
• Primary effects of Chile earthquake

  • Airport and port severely damaged, loss of power affecting communications and water supply, 500 killed, 12,000 injured, many homes and schools destroyed
• Primary effects of Italy earthquake

  • Nearly 15,000 old buildings collapsed, including university, hospital and churches, 300 killed, 1,500 injured
• Secondary effects of Chile earthquake

  • Tsunamis, landslides, and fires, roads damaged and blocked hampering aid delivery
• Secondary effects of Italy earthquake

  • Increase in rent and house prices, less businesses in the area
• Immediate response in Chile

  • National funding appeals, local and international emergency services, repairs began immediately
• Immediate response in Italy

  • Search for survivors began within an hour, hotels and tents provided, bill payments suspended
• Long term response in Chile

  • Government helped rebuild homes and businesses
• Long term response in Italy

  • Reduced taxes for affected people
• LIC earthquake case study

  • Nepal (7.9 Richter scale, $5 billion cost)
• Primary effects of Nepal earthquake

  • Supply of food, water and electricity badly affected, 9,000 killed, 1,700 injured, 1 million made homeless
• Secondary effects of Nepal earthquake

  • Avalanche on Everest killed 19, landslides blocked roads, loss of tourism and seed for planting
• Immediate response in Nepal

  • Aid and supplies pledged from other countries, tents provided for displaced people, helicopters used to deliver aid due to blocked roads
• Long term response in Nepal

  • Massive rebuilding project, repairs to Everest base camp to restart tourism
• It is very difficult to protect against a volcanic explosion
• Predicting volcanic eruptions


  • Easier than predicting earthquakes, advanced warning from monitoring systems (temperature, gases, gravity, satellite data)
• Protecting against earthquakes


  • Map affected areas, locate important buildings away from hazards, secure furniture, educate population, stockpile supplies, earthquake drills
• New technology has meant we now know more about how to protect against earthquakes and reduce the risk