Natural Hazards
Question Answer
What is a hazard? Something caused by a natural process that's a potential threat to human life or property
Give the 4 different types of hazards. Geophysical hazards, atmospheric hazards, hydrological hazards, and biological hazards
Geophysical hazards are caused by ... … land processes
Give 4 examples of geophysical hazards. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and tsunamis
Atmospheric hazards are caused by ... … climatic processes
Give 5 examples of atmospheric hazards. Tropical cyclones, storms, droughts, extremes of hot and cold weather and wildfires
Hydrological hazards are caused by ... … water movement
Give 2 examples of hydrological hazards. Floods and avalanches
Biological hazards are caused by ... … organisms
Give 3 examples of biological hazards. Animal and plant invasions, disease epidemics and humans and forest fires
What is a disaster? When a hazard seriously affects humans
What is hazard risk? The likelihood that a hazard will take place and that humans will be seriously affected by it
What is hazard vulnerability? How susceptible a population is to the damage caused by a hazard and how they will be impacted
Give 4 factors that affect hazard vulnerability. Population density, poverty, buildings design and defences and hazard hotspots
What is hazard capacity? How able a population is to react and recover to a natural hazard
Give 3 factors that affect hazard capacity. Having searched teams, medical care and helicopters at the ready to respond as any moment
Vulnerability is based on a range of physical factors which can be seen if we ... … graph physical exposure to hazard against human vulnerability to disaster
In the graph, give 2 examples of places with high risk and high security. California and Japan
In the graph give 2 examples of places with low risk and high security. The UK and France
In the graph give 2 examples of places with low risk and low security. Bolivia and Angola
In the graph give 2 examples of places with high risk and low security. Mali and Bangladesh
Hazards can have significant impacts whilst they are occurring and often require ... … emergency response such as evacuation
The impacts of a hazard can go on for ... … a long time after the hazard itself has happened
Give 3 different ways people can view hazards. Fatalism, adaptation and fear
What is fatalism? Believing that hazards can't be avoided, losses are inevitable and therefore they must be accepted
People who view hazards through fatalism are likely to ... … stay where they are
What is adaptation? A positive view of prediction, prevention and protection, which will depend on the economic status of the area
and adapting their lifestyle to minimise risk
People who view hazards through adaptation likely to ... … stay and try to help out
What is fear? Feeling vulnerable and they cannot live with the threat
People who view hazards through fear are likely to … … move away
Some people may believe that a hazard will ... … never happen to them so maybe unprepared when it does happen
People's perception of hazards can be affected by ... … social, economic and cultural backgrounds
Give 5 things which can affect people's perceptions of hazards. Wealth, religion, education, past experience and personality
How might richer people perceive hazards? They may be able to afford to move to areas that are less prone to hazards, have access to better transports for
evacuation or build their homes to withstand hazards, so may perceive smaller risks
Give an example of a hazard where people perceived smaller risk because they were richer. Hurricane Katrina
How might poorer people perceive hazards? They may not be able to leave because their entire livelihood exists solely at home so they perceive larger risks
,Give an example of a hazard where people perceive large risk because they are poorer. Indonesian volcanoes
How can religion affect how people perceive hazards? Some may view has it as an act of God sent to punish people or may believe God will save them
Give an example of where religion affects a person's view of a hazard. Vannuatan volcanoes
How can education affect a person's perception of Hazard? People who are more educated may have a better understanding of the risks of a hazard and believe they can
reduce the risks mitigate the impacts
Governments can encourage education of hazards by ... … spreading information
Give an example of where governments spread information about hazards Bousai no hi Is a day in Japan where everyone has earthquake drills
How can past experience affect a person's perception of a hazard? People who live in hazard prone areas may have experienced hazards before, which may affect perceived risk
from future hazards
How can personality affect a person's perception of a hazard? Some may fear hazards whilst others find them exciting
Give 4 reasons why people may remain exposed to risks by staying in certain locations. Changing risks, lack of alternatives, cost-benefit analysis, and risk perception
How can change in risks cause people to remain exposed to risks? Places change over time, so a risk that is present now may not be in 5 years and vice versa
Give an example of where risks are changing. Costa Rica, Caribbean coast
How can a lack of alternatives cause people to remain exposed to risks? People are unable to move due to a variety of social and economic factors
Give an example of where there is a lack of alternatives so people remain exposed to risks. Phnom Penh, Cambodia
How can a cost-benefit analysis cause people to remain exposed to risks? Hazards may present a risk to individuals however, they may also provide benefits
Give an example of where a cost benefit and analysis may mean people remain exposed to risks. Etna, Sicily, Italy
How can risk perception cause people to remain exposed to risks? An individual or group perception of the hazard which may influence their behaviour before, during and after the
event
Give an example of where risk perception caused people to remain exposed to a risk. Phi phi island, Thailand
Hazard Response
Question Answer
Give 2 different responses to a hazard. Prevention and mitigation
A hazard can be prevented or … … it's magnitude reduced
For some hazards, prevention is ... … impossible
Give an example of a hazard which is impossible to prevent. A volcanic eruption
Give an example of a hazard which can be prevented. Flooding by building flood defences
What is risk sharing? A way of sharing the cost of a hazard, sharing the benefits of preventing it or sharing the costs of not preventing it
Give an example of risk sharing. Buying insurance can help you to repair your property after a disaster and because most people won't be affected
but many people contribute, it is risk sharing
The impacts of a hazard may be reduced through … … prediction and adaptation
Governments can coordinate responses to ... … manage hazards effectively
The success of attempts to manage hazards depends on … … hazard incidence, magnitude and distribution
Generally, which hazards are the most destructive? Low incidence and high magnitude hazards.
How can the level of development of a place affect how able a place is to react to a hazard? Less developed countries may lack the wealth and technology to manage hazards effectively
What does the Park Model show? Different phases of response to a hazard and how they affect quality of life
In the Park model, what is pre-disaster? Before the event where the situation is normal
In the Park model, what is disruption? During and directly after the event, there is destruction of property and loss of life before people can begin to
respond
In the Park model, what is relief? In the aftermath of the event, rescue efforts focus on saving people and preventing further damage
In the Park model, what is rehabilitation? Resolving longer-term problems like providing shelter and aid to those affected
,In the Park model, what is reconstruction? Rebuilding permanent houses and infrastructure
During reconstruction in the Park model, buildings can either be built to … … the same standard as before and the area returns to normal or a higher standard so the area improves as they
are less vulnerable to future disasters
The Park model shows response progress during a disaster, which can help planners … … predict what resources will be needed at each stage
The reconstruction phase can help planners prepare for future hazard events because … … it shows that conditions can be improved after a disaster by designing hazard-resistant buildings or installing
warning systems
By plotting 2 curves onto the same graph, the Park Model can be used to … … compare different hazard events and their responses
What is the disadvantage of the Park Model? It does not account for other factors that can affect disruption and recovery such as level of development and
other recent hazards
Give an example where the Park Model may not be appropriate. Haiti was hit by cat 4 Hurricane Matthew 6 years after their earthquake , plunging the country into another crisis
and so the Park model cannot depict this complex situation
In the Park Model, the steeper the curve and the deeper the drop ... ... the greater the magnitude of the event and the greater the lack of preparedness
What are the 4 phases in the hazard management cycle? Mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery
What is mitigation? Minimising the impact of future disasters by flood defences or fire resistant roofs
Mitigation can happen … … before a hazard occurs or after, during recovery
What is preparedness? Planning how to respond to a hazard with warning systems and education
What is response? How people react when a disaster occurs
Give an example of response. Emergency services rescuing people who have been trapped or evacuating people from the danger zone
What is recovery? Getting the affected area back to normal
Recovery can include … … preparing or rebuilding houses and restoring services such as medical care and electricity
The hazard management cycle is a cycle because … … hazards keep happening so efforts to prepare and mitigate them are ongoing
The primary purpose of the hazard management cycle is to provide a ... ... model of action before and after the event
The hazard management cycle is designed to speed up ... ... the recovery process and minimise the impact
Because aid and emergency services are only going to do large things like general fixing power and water … it is up to the community to fix most of the other problems such as individual home access and water supply
supply …
Plate Tectonics
Question Answer
When did the first Homo sapiens exist? 70,000 years ago
When was the Earth formed? 4.6 billion years ago
Describe the inner core. A solid ball containing lots of iron and nickel
Describe the outer core. Semi molten also contains lots of iron and nickel
The mantle is mostly made up of … … silicate rocks
In the mantle, the parts nearest the core are … … quite rigid
In the mantle the higher layer … … is called the asthenosphere and its semi molten
In the mantle, the very top layer is … … rigid
The outer layer of the Earth is called the … … crust
The rigid top part of the mantle and the crust together are the … … lithosphere
Describe continental crust. Thicker, less dense and younger
How thick is the continental crust? 30 to 70 km
What is the maximum age of the continental crust? 280 million years
Describe the oceanic crust. Thinner, more dense and older
, How thick is the oceanic crust? 6 to 10 km
What is the maximum age of the oceanic crust? 4 billion years old
How hot is the inner core? 6,000º C
How hot is the mantle? 1000 to 3,500º C
Heat from the core and mantle is the Earth's main source of … … internal energy
Where does the internal energy of the Earth come from? Leftover energy from when the Earth formed as well as some from radioactive decay of elements like uranium
The lithosphere is divided into lots of slabs called … … tectonic plates
Tectonic plates move in relation to each other and where they meet are called … … plate boundaries or margins
Who first theorised plate tectonics? Francis Bacon
In what year did Francis Bacon first theorise plate tectonics? 1570s
Who developed the theory of plate tectonics? Alfred Wegener
In what year did Alfred Wegener publish his theory of Continental fit? 1912
How did Alfred Wegener come to his theory of Continental fit? He saw the jigsaw fit of the continents and the equidistance of the continental shelves around the mid-Atlantic
Ridge
What are the 5 main pieces of evidence for the theory of plate tectonics? Geological evidence, climatological evidence, biological evidence, paleomagnetism and hydrothermal vents
What is the geological evidence for continental fit? Similar rock types separated by oceans and newer rock in the centre of the Atlantic which suggests plates
gradually moved apart
Geological evidence proved that the continents moved apart slowly, as opposed to … … by instantaneous events such as a comet
Give an example of where there is similar rock type separated by oceans. South America and Africa
What is the climatological evidence for continental fit? Coal, which formed through 350 million years ago in tropical areas, is now found away from the equator
What is the biological evidence for continental fit? Some prehistoric animal fossils can be found seemingly in completely different sides of the Earth
Where can the mesosaurus fossils be found? Chile and Zimbabwe
Where can lystrosaurus fossils be found? The DRC, India and Antarctica
What is the paleomagnetic evidence for continental fit? Magnetic bands of rock running parallel to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with newer rock in the centre, suggesting that
rock spread out from the centre.
The paleomagnetic evidence for continental fit was later found to be due to … … the North and South Poles switching every 400,000 years which causes each band of rock to seem different
When was the theory of paleomagnetism first established? 1960s
Who established the theory of paleomagnetism? British geologists Fred Vine and Drummond Mathews
What are hydrothermal vents? Fissures on the seabed from which geothermally heated water discharges and are usually found in volcanically
active areas
How did hydrothermal vents provide evidence for continental fit? They were found moving away from ocean ridges suggesting that the plates moved apart from the ridge and the
vents along with them
Give the 3 processes which cause plate movement. Convection currents, slab pull and ridge push
Until recently what did scientists think the main process causing plate movement was? Convection currents
Now, what do scientists think is the main process causing plate movement? Slab pull
How do convection currents form in the Earth's mantle? Lower parts of the asthenosphere heat up, become less dense and rise, then cool down, become more dense move
apart and slowly sink creating, circular movements of semi-molten rock
Why is the lower part of the asthenosphere hot? It is closest to the mantle
How do convection currents cause plate movement? The semi molten asthenosphere connects the crust to these convection currents so they can create a drag on the
base of the tectonic plates causing them to move
How does slab pull cause plates to move? At destructive plate margins, the dense crust is forced under the less dense crust causing sinking of the plate edge
due to gravity which pulls the rest of the plate towards the boundary
