A risk assessment shows that the chances of a volcanic eruption in the next 10,000 years is 1 in 10, 0000 ("Volcanic hazard at," 2002). This region has had some volcanic activity within 12 miles of the Yucca Mountain. Some of the eruptions have caused some levels of magma. Because of the level of volcanic gases contained in the magma the eruptions have been explosive ("Volcanic hazard at," 2002). This could be a problem if an eruption was to take place at the Yucca Mountain or close by.
To show the view that the impact of earthquake hazards depends primarily on human factors, I will situate the essay around some seismic events that have previously occurred; Haiti in the Caribbean, 2010, Christchurch in New Zealand, 2011, Sichuan in China, 2008 and Indian Ocean, 2004. Monitoring and predictions can help to reduce the impacts that can arise from earthquakes. Although earthquakes are much more difficult to predict than volcanoes monitoring systems can help to identify changes which could lead to a future earthquake, though it is hard to accurately predict when the event may actually occur. The value of prediction however is
As a result of an earthquake in Haiti (2010) up to 230,000 people were killed. The city of Port-Au-Prince lies close to the fault line where the epicentre of the earthquake was located, which meant that the city bore the brunt of the destructive force. A large proportion of the population live in poverty in slum areas, where buildings are built close together and in some cases on top of each other, resulting in a high population density. When the earthquake struck many buildings collapsed, killing people as rubble collapsed on top of them. However, the L’Aquila earthquake in Italy resulted in a mere 300 deaths.
Plate tectonics and Associated hazards Analyse the factors that cause differences in the hazards posed by volcanoes around the world. (40 Marks) Using case studies we can clearly see the differences in the hazards that volcanoes pose. A hazard is a situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property or environment. The level of hazard posed by different volcanoes can very greatly, from a weak eruption with minimal impact that causes little damage, to a violent and life threatening explosion. Most of the sixty-plus volcanoes that erupt each year are low risk, however a combination of factors can cause a volcano to be a serious hazard.
Indeed, Chaitén was a major concern to both the airline industry and the neighbouring country of Argentina. In the first week of the current eruption, five airplanes encountered eruption-cloud ash, and several sustained significant engine damage. Airports in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, up to 2,300 km from the volcano, were forced to close or cancel flights. In addition, volcanic ash from the eruption clouds caused ground transportation and health problems in Chile and Argentina. There were several hundred domestic flights in Argentina and Chile and several dozen international flights from Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina cancelled.
Global Warming: Changing the Climate Control Policies For the past 10 years, 2000 until today, we have experienced some phenomenal natural disasters. For example, the 2004 Indonesia tsunamis, 2010 Haiti earthquakes, 2010 Icelandic volcano eruption, and massive hurricanes in the Atlantic, and they are leaving everyone wondering, why? Even though these are natural disasters and it seems there is nothing we can do to avoid these catastrophes; we can help control the climate around us. Climatologists have been warning the government all around the world of the possible effects due to global warming and there is still no agreement on the action that needs to be taken. Since we have the attention of everyone, now is the best time to take action against global warming.
This would explain why the island (thought to be due to a mud volcano) appeared off the coast of Pakistan this fall at about the same time as the large earthquake. Seismic waves of larger earthquakes are thought to trigger subsequent mud volcano eruptions up to a year after the event. The role the seismic waves play is not yet fully understood. Other tectonic activity, sedimentary loading due to rapid sedimentation, and continuous hydrocarbon accumulation are said to also control the occurrence of mud volcanoes. On a
As a result many LEDC countries such as Chile often experience the effects more severely than those in MEDCs such as Italy. In June 1991 on the Island of Luzon in the Philippines, Mount Pinatubo erupted where 500,000 people lived within the danger zone of the volcano. The Philippines is a LEDC, which relies heavily on sustenance farming, as a result the effects of this eruption severely affected the people. 847 people died directly from the volcano and 500 more from the indirect effects of the eruption. During the time the USA had used the Philippines as a military base and thanks to this they provided financial support.
The high content of carbon causes global warming and global warming causes climate change. These changes are destroying our blue planet and making the ecosystem become sicker. Unfortunately, all the high content of carbon was released by human activities. We must reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions in the next two to three years, or we will lose our natural environment that we depend upon for survival. The 11th Hour shows us the consequences of irreversible global warming that have already begun to affect our life and environment.
‘How do people and society respond to environmental hazards and what factors influence their choice of adjustments?’ (Cutter 1996). Discuss this statement with reference to examples of both natural and technological hazards. Introduction Environmental hazards fall under two headings: Chronic and Catastrophic. Catastrophic hazards are those with a high magnitude and low frequency. They create huge media attention as the rate of change from what would have been considered as ‘normal’ conditions is very high, for example an earthquake can turn an entire city to ruins and kill hundreds of people in just minutes.