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Disasters

Volcanoes form at plate boundaries and hotspots as magma rises from below the Earth's surface. The main volcanic hazards are pyroclastic flows, lahars, lava, tephra fall, volcanic gases, tsunamis, lightning and earthquakes. Earthquakes are caused by the sudden slip of blocks of the earth along faults and produce seismic waves. Large earthquakes near coastlines can generate tsunamis, a series of enormous ocean waves. Both volcanoes and earthquakes can have devastating impacts through hazards like ashfall, lava flows, landslides, liquefaction, flooding and infrastructure damage.

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19 views

Disasters

Volcanoes form at plate boundaries and hotspots as magma rises from below the Earth's surface. The main volcanic hazards are pyroclastic flows, lahars, lava, tephra fall, volcanic gases, tsunamis, lightning and earthquakes. Earthquakes are caused by the sudden slip of blocks of the earth along faults and produce seismic waves. Large earthquakes near coastlines can generate tsunamis, a series of enormous ocean waves. Both volcanoes and earthquakes can have devastating impacts through hazards like ashfall, lava flows, landslides, liquefaction, flooding and infrastructure damage.

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janinepenelope07
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Disasters

Lesson 1: Volcano

According to the now generally accepted "plate tectonics" theory, scientists believe that the Earth's
surface is broken into several shifting slabs or plates. These plates move relative to one another above
a hotter, deeper, more mobile zone at average rates as great as a few inches per year. Most of the
world's active volcanoes are located along or near the boundaries between shifting plates. The
peripheral areas of the Pacific Ocean Basin, containing the boundaries of several plates, are dotted by
many active volcanoes that form the so-called "Ring of Fire." The "Ring" provides excellent examples of
"plate boundary" volcanoes, including Mount St. Helens.
Volcanism refers to the processes and phenomena associated with the superficial discharge of
molten rock mostly involving volcanoes. A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a
reservoir of molten rock called magma below the surface of Earth. They differ from most mountains
because they have vents where molten rock escapes to Earth’s surface during volcanic eruptions.
Volcanic landforms are controlled by the geological processes that formed them and acted on them
even after being created.

Most volcanoes can be found only on designated narrow bands suitable for the completion of the
three stages of the volcano’s life cycle. These three stages are invasion of magma, building
pressure, and eruption. These processes involve convection. Convection occurs when matter,
such as magma, circulates within the Earth. Temperature change, density, and the pull of gravity
are the reasons for convection.
Active volcanism occurs in four principal settings:
1. Along divergent plate boundaries.
2. In areas of continental extension that may become divergent plate boundaries in the future.
3. Along converging plate boundaries where subduction occurs. Approximately 75% of the world’s
active volcanoes can be found along the Pacific Ring of Fire.
4. In areas called hotspots (meaning: location on Earth’s surface that has experienced active volcanic
activities for a long time) that are usually located in the interior of plates, away from the plate margins.

Volcanic Hazard
A volcanic hazard is any potentially dangerous volcanic phenomenon or process that may cause loss of
life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and economic disruption, or environmental
degradation. Volcanic hazards occur before, during, and after volcanic eruptions.

List of Volcanic Hazards


1. Pyroclastic Flows 5. Volcanic gas
2. Lahar 6. Tsunamis
3. Lava 7.Volcanic lightning
4. Tephra fall 8. Volcanic earthquakes
Lesson 2: Earthquake and Tsunami

A. Earthquake
An earthquake is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in
the Earth's lithosphere. These create seismic waves.

An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. The
surface where they slip is called the fault plane.
Sometimes, an earthquake has foreshocks. These are smaller earthquakes that happen in the same
place as the larger earthquake that follows. Scientists can’t tell that an earthquake is a foreshock until
the larger earthquake happens. The largest, main earthquake is called the mainshock. Mainshocks
always have aftershocks that follow.

These are smaller earthquakes that occur afterward in the same place as the mainshock. Depending on
the size of the mainshock, aftershocks can continue for weeks, months, and even years after the
mainshock!
How are earthquakes recorded?

Earthquakes are recorded by instruments Word Bank


called seismographs. The recording they make is called
Seismic waves - are waves of energy that
a seismogram. The seismograph has a base that sets firmly travel through the Earth's layers, and are a
in the ground, and a heavyweight that hangs free. When an result of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
earthquake causes the ground to shake, the base of the magma movement, large landslides and large
seismograph shakes too, but the hanging weight does not. man-made explosions that give out low-
Instead, the spring or string that it is hanging from the top frequency acoustic energy.
absorbs all the movement. The difference in position Fault plane - is the flat surface along which
between the shaking part of the seismograph and the there is slip during an earthquake.
motionless part is what is recorded. Foreshock - a mild tremor prior the violent
shaking movement of an earthquake
Mainshock - The largest earthquake in a
sequence.
Aftershock - is a smaller earthquake that
follows a larger earthquake.
Fault – is a fracture along the rocks that form
when rock layers break and move along the
surface resulting in rock displacement.
Figure 1. Seismograph
Earthquakes are generated along faults due to the breaking or movement of rock layers. During
earthquakes, rocks move from a few centimeters up to about two meters. Thus, a single earthquake
creates only a small change in the topography of a place. But since earthquakes have been occurring for
a long time, they have caused a lot of changes on the Earth’s surface.
Types of Earthquakes
➢ Tectonic earthquake occurs when the earth's crust breaks due to geological forces on rocks and
adjoining plates that cause physical and chemical changes.
➢ Volcanic earthquake is an earthquake that results from tectonic forces which occur in conjunction
with volcanic activity.
➢ Collapse earthquake is a small earthquake in underground caverns and mines that are caused by
seismic waves produced from the explosion of rock on the surface.
➢ Explosion earthquake is an earthquake that is the result of the detonation of a nuclear and/or
chemical device.
Earthquake Hazards
The type of hazard depends on the strength of seismic activity, along with such factors as local
topographic and built features, subsurface geology, and groundwater. A large earthquake will always be
followed by a sequence of aftershocks.
1. Ground Shaking 3. Landslides and Rockfalls
2. Tsunami 4. Liquefaction
B. Tsunamis
Tsunami is a Japanese word for tidal waves or big waves in the port. The term was coined by the
fishermen who returned to their ports after their villages had been devastated by a giant wave while the
fishermen had not seen any waves in the open sea.

A tsunami can kill or injure people and damage or destroy


buildings and infrastructure as waves come in and go out.
A tsunami is a series of enormous ocean waves caused by
earthquakes, underwater landslides, volcanic eruptions, or
asteroids.
Tsunamis can:
➢ Travel 20-30 miles per hour with waves 10-100 feet
high.
➢ Cause flooding and disrupt transportation, power,
communications, and the water supply. Figure 2. Tsunami

Not all earthquakes can produce tsunamis. Below are the three things that will allow a seaquake to
generate tsunamis.
1. A minimum of at least magnitude 7 on the Richter scale must be recorded.
2. The seabed must be lifted or lowered by the quake.
3. The epicenter of the earthquake must be near to Earth’s surface.
Word Bank
Seiche
Magnitude - measures the energy released at the
Seiche refers to a large wave that
source of the earthquake (fault displacement)
moves up and down instead of
forward. It oscillates in a closed space Intensity - measures the strength of shaking
such as a lake, reservoir, or swimming produced by the earthquake at a certain location
pool. Like tsunamis, seiches are (damage produced)
caused by disturbances at the crustal Richter scale - a numerical scale for expressing
plates. They can cause overtopping of the magnitude of an earthquake based on
dams and destruction of structures seismograph oscillations.
surrounding the bodies of water and
Modified Mercalli scales - measures how people
floods
feel and react to the shaking of an earthquake.
Epicenter – the point on Earth’s surface directly
above the focus.

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