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• 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, with humans responsible for the majority of the CO2 that is put into the atmosphere
• 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 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, melting rock forms magma and 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, 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
• Secondary effects of Chile earthquake

  • Tsunamis, landslides, and fires
• Response to Chile earthquake

  • National funding appeals, local and international emergency services, immediate repairs began
• Primary effects of Italy earthquake

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

  • Landslides, increase in rent and house prices, less businesses in the area
• Response to Italy earthquake


  • Search for survivors began within an hour, hotels and tents provided, funding appeals, bill payments suspended
• LIC earthquake case study

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

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

  • Avalanche on Everest, landslides blocking roads, loss of tourism
• Response to Nepal earthquake

  • Aid and help pledged from other countries, tents provided for displaced people, ongoing rebuilding and repairs needed
• Predicting volcanic eruptions is easier than predicting earthquakes, due to advanced warning from monitoring systems
• Satellites are used to monitor ground changes and movements as part of volcanic eruption monitoring
• For earthquake planning, we can map affected areas, locate important buildings away from hazard zones, secure furniture, educate the population, and stockpile supplies
• New technology has improved our understanding of how to reduce earthquake risk
• Mapping earthquake-affected areas


  • Hospitals and important buildings situated away from affected areas
  • Furniture fastened down to reduce damage
  • Local population educated on earthquake response
  • Stockpiling of food and medical supplies
  • Earthquake drills practiced
• Earthquake-resistant building design


  • Predicting earthquakes is much harder than other tectonic hazards
  • No clear warning signs for earthquakes
  • Possibility of animals sensing impending earthquakes
• Accelerometers in smartphones


  Can sense an earthquake minutes before it occurs