Managing Natural hazards
6.1 What is a natural hazard
Hazard:
A physical event that has the potential to cause loss of life , injury or damage to infrastructure.
-Hazard can be classified into:
Tectonic (geological): such as Earthquakes and volcanoes.
Or Climatic : such as Tropical cyclones, drought, floods.
Another classification for natural hazards:
Magnitude or intensity.
Speed of the event.
Duration.
Frequency.
If a hazard causes serious or massive disruption to a community (social, economic, environmental), then
it is called natural disaster.
Generally the impacts of natural disaster depends on :
Length of the event (long term or short term).
Time of occurrence.
Vulnerability of people affected (population density).
People ability to cope with the disaster (management).
6.2 what causes earthquakes and volcanoes
In order to understand how earthquakes and volcano occur, we need to understand the theory of plate
tectonics, and the structure of the crust.
Plate tectonic theory:
A theory that explains the formation of some important features on the earth and continents move. It
states that crust is not one continuous layer, it is made up of 8 plates, each plate is consisting of crust
and upper part of the mantle (lithosphere). Fig 6.3 pg. 136
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There are 2 types of crust, oceanic and continental, the table below shows the differences between
them:
Oceanic (sima) Continental (sial).
Mainly made up of basalt. Mainly made up of granite.
Thinner (average depth 6 km) Thicker (average depth 35-100 km)
Denser(heavier). Less dense (lighter).
It can sink and usually destroyed and renewed. It can not sink and is neither destroyed or
renewed
Tectonic plates are floating on the magma and could move by the action of convection currents caused
by the heat.
When the convection currents rise up to the surface plates move apart from each other, and vice versa.
Plate boundary (margin):
A place where 2 plates meet. There are 3 types of plate boundaries:-
1.Constructive (divergent).
2.Destructive (convergent).
3.Conservative.
1. Constructive(divergent):
-Two plates are moving away from each other. ( , , ).
A. If these 2 plates were oceanic plates:
A gap is formed (mid ocean ridge) and magma rises up (because of convection currents) and solidified to
form new crust (volcanic island).
This process is called by sea-floor spreading or ridge push.
Volcanoes are formed due to this plate boundary is called by shield\basic volcano, without explosion
and violence eruption due to the little pressure. There is less probability of earthquakes occurrence.
Fig 6.4(a). Pg 137.
B. If these 2 plates were continental plates:
If 2 continental plates move away from each other, this results in forming rift valley down the faults.
Faults (the edges of rift valley).
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2.Destructive(converging) :
A. Two plates are moving toward each other.
If 2 plates (one oceanic\ one continental) move toward each other, the oceanic (denser) will sink
downward (subducted) at subduction zone. As result of this process (subduction) an oceanic trench (the
deepest part in the ocean) is formed. (fig 6.4) (b). pg. 137
-The high pressure and friction results in Triggering earthquake in Benioff zone.
-The magma starts to rise and erupt (due to pressure) through a weakness in the crust as an explosive to
form (composite\strato\acidic) volcano, with high eruption
B. If 2 continental plates are moving toward each, sediments between plates are squeezed and folded
up ward at collision zone, to form fold mountain. (fig 6.4) (c).pg. 137
Earthquakes can occur, but no volcanoes (No subduction zone).
C. If 2 oceanic plates move toward each other, the denser (older) sinks and subducted downward.
The magma that rises form island arc (japan).
3. Conservative:
-2 plates sliding over\past each other, they either moving at opposite direction, or at same direction but
at different speeds.
High friction and pressure result in producing seismic and triggering earthquakes. (fig 6.4) (d).
There is no risk of volcanic eruption (no subduction zone).
Earthquake is when the ground moves or shakes in a sudden jerks.
Characteristics of earthquakes:
-Earthquakes initiate at focus underground (where seismic waves generate).
-Earthquakes reach the surface at the focus.
-Tsunami created if earthquakes occurs under the sea or in a coastal area.
-The magnitude of an earthquakes is measured by Richiter scale on seismometer.
The number of death and injuries of an earthquake depend on :
-The magnitude.
-The location (close to epicenter= more damage)
-The time (at night causes more damage)
-The geology and relief (mountains may suffer from land sliding, coastal area suffer from tsunami)
-The density of population.
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-Building strength.
-How people cope with the event (after the event)
Characteristics of volcanoes:
Volcano: a hole or crack through which magma erupts onto the surface.
Features of volcano (fig 6.6) pg 140
6.3 What causes tropical cyclones
Tropical cyclones are large area with very low pressure, with high wind speed.
The conditions of cyclone formation:
A-Warm ocean temperature ( above than 27˚C), heat provides energy for this process . ( no cyclones at
high latitude due to low temperature, or land because it loses its source of energy.)
B-Deep ocean 60 m, provides more water vapor.
C-Latitude between 5˚ and 20˚ North and south the equator.(high Coriolis comparing to the equator).
They do not form on the equator because the Coriolis effect there is 0.
Coriolis force : the force that initiates because of earth rotation.
D- Calm condition; wind shear (strong wind stop development of the vertical column).
These conditions are exist between May and November in Northern hemisphere, and between
November and May in Southern hemisphere.
How tropical cyclones occur:
- When sea water reaches 27˚C, moist warm air starts to rise, when it reaches high latitudes, it cools
down and condenses and loses its latent heat and starts to go down ward, this results into
development of column of low pressure or centre of cyclone (the eye), which sucks up more air with the
aid of Coriolis force. The moisture in rising air condenses and forms cumulonimbus clouds.
6.4 What causes flooding?
Flooding occurs when discharge of a river exceeds the capacity of the river’s channel, which mainly
caused by high rainfall.
Causes of flooding:
Flooding occur when there is more surface run-off and less infiltration.
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This may due to physical factors or Human factors:
Physical factors:
HEAVY RAINFALL • Reduces the infiltration capacity of the soil;
• Increase in overland flow.
PROLONGED • Saturates the soil;
RAINFALL • Causes the water table to rise,
reducing infiltration capacity.
SNOWMELT • Overland flow occurs due to rapid snowmelt.
LAND RELIEF • Steeper gradients lead to faster overland flow ؞water has little time to infiltrate.
SATURATED SOIL • The more saturated the soil is(before the rainfall), lesser infiltration and more
overland flow.
STORM SURGES, • Flooding of low-lying coastal areas.
TSUNAMIS
Human factors:
HUMAN CAUSE IMPACT
DEFORESTATION • Reduces interception and infiltration.
Agriculture • Ploughing down rather than across slopes increases the water flow.
Overgrazing compact soil, which affects drainage( less pores).
URBANISATION • Concrete and tarmac are impermeable surfaces (no infiltration ؞high overland
flow).
CLIMATE • Global warming may lead to rise in sea levels and more rainfall in some areas.
CHANGE
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6.5 What causes drought?
Drought is when there is a lack of rain or less rain than normal over a long period of time. Or prolong of
dry period for long tome.
Most drought occurs when regular weather pattern is interrupted and evaporation exceed than
precipitation, this is because:
- Air in a high-pressure system sinks and doesn’t form rain clouds.
- Effect of El Niño Southern Oscillation and La Niña:
El Niño causes the surface water in the Pacific Ocean along South America (Peru) to be warmer.
This warmer water alters the storm pattern and reverse the warm current in Australia with cold one
which causes drought (see oceanic currents 5.2 ) La Nina.
-Effect of climate change:
Some scientists debate that warmer worldwide temperatures cause the rainfall to decrease in some
parts of the world, leading to drought.
6.6 impacts of natural Hazards
Fig 6.12 pg. 147
6.7 Strategies to manage the impacts of natural hazards
Tables 6.5-6.9 pg. 149-150
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