tectonic hazards geography

• What happens at a destructive plate boundary?

  Oceanic and continental plate move towards each other
• How does tectonic activity occur at a constructive plate boundary?

  Magma rises to fill the gap between plates

  Shield volcano is formed

  Movement can cause earthquakes
• What happens at a constructive plate boundary?

  Two plates move away from eachother
• How does tectonic activity occur at a destructive plate boundary?

  Oceanic plate is denser, so it is subducted

  Oceanic plate melts due to heat in the mantle

  Friction can cause earthquakes

  Magma can rise to form a volcano
• What happens at a conservative plate boundary?

  Plates slide past each other opposite directions or parallel at different speeds
• How does tectonic activity occur at a collision boundary?

  Neither plates sink, so land buckles upwards to form fold mountains

  Pressure can cause earthquakes
• What happens at a collision boundary?

  Plates of the same crust move towards eachother
• How does tectonic activity occur at a conservative plate boundary?

  Plates get stuck and causes friction

  Pressure is released and huge amounts of energy are released in the form of an earthquake
• When was the L'aquila earthquake?

  6th April 2009
• What was the magnitude of the L'aquila earthquake?

  6.3 on richter scale
• How many people died from the L'aquila earthquake?

  308
• How many injuries were there from the L'aquila earthquake?

  1500
• How many buildings were destroyed due to the L'aquila earthquake?

  15,000
• How many hospitals were destroyed in the L'aquila earthquake?

  1
• What % of businesses never reopened after the L'aquila earthquake?

  70%
• What was the unemployment rate after the L'aquila earthquake?

  56%
• Secondary effects of the L'aquila earthquake

  Reduced number of students due to lack of facilities

  Many stuck in temporary accommodation through winter
• How long was the response in L'aquila?

  1 hour
• Responses to the L'aquila earthquake

  bills and tax until 2010 susupended

  access to EU funds

  40,000 tents provided
• When was the Gorkha earthquake?

  25th April 2015
• What was the magnitude of the Gorkha earthquake?

  7.8 on richter scale
• How many people died from the Gorkha earthquake?

  8800
• How many people were injured from the Gorkha earthquake?

  21,000
• How many buildings were destroyed from the Gorkha earthquake?

  600,000
• How many hospitals were destroyed from the Gorkha earthquake?

  26
• What % of schools were destroyed from the Gorkha earthquake?

  50%
• Secondary effects of the Gorkha earthquake

  Avalanche on Mount Everest

  352 aftershocks

  Rice seed stores destroyed - starvation and food shortage
• How long was the response to the Gorkha earthquake?

  2 weeks - some remote areas only accessible by helicopter
• Responses to Gorkha earthquake

  $126 million raised in international aid

  Reinforced hillsides to prevent landslides

  Medical supplies distributed by WHO
• How can we predict earthquakes?

  Measuring radon gas dissolved in groundwater (released when plates shift)

  Seismometers to measure foreshocks
• How can we protect against earthquakes?

  Shields under buildings to deflect seismic waves

  Reinforcing concrete with steel

  Rubber shock absorbers
• How can we plan for earthquakes?

  Early warning systems

  Practicing earthquake drills

  Earthquake survival kits