C2 Living with Natural Hazards — Are we better

equipped than the others?

Name: ( ) Class: Date:

Major natural hazards of the world

1.1 What are the major natural hazards in the world?
 Refer to textbook P. 4-5

Concept: Natural hazards • Definition, examples and distribution

1. What are natural hazards?

Natural hazards are natural events that threaten human life and property
.

2. Identify the distribution pattern of the following natural hazards.

Distribution pattern Found all over the Only occur in certain
Natural hazard world locations

a. Landslides

b. Earthquakes ˇ
c. Droughts ˇ
d. Volcanic eruptions
ˇˇ
i
e. Tropical cyclones

f. Flooding

 Examples of natural hazards

Natural hazard 自然災害 Tropical cyclone 熱帶氣旋

Earthquake 地震 Flooding 氾濫
Volcanic eruption 火 爆發 Drought 旱災
Landslide 泥傾瀉

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 Earthquake
4.1 What is the structure of Earth?  Refer to textbook P. 48-49

Concept: Structure of Earth • Structure and plate

1. The table below summarises the structure of Earth.

Crust Mantle Core

Include crust
Include
ǎièèiiii uppermost The innermost
Description crust and
mantle and layer of Earth
oceanic
岩漿
magma
crust
The outer core
Solid material 9 ;
is
0d
si融
molten
Composition and molten
rock the inner core
magma
is solid

Thickness Thin Thick Thickest mantle core

Temperature Low High Highest

2. The crust is made up of the seven major plates and some smaller plates. The place
where two plates meet is the . Antaric plate
plate boundary

Eurasianplate
Ǐǎtican

paciticpiate
piǎiian

IndoAustrianplate
器

Antarctic plate

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4.2 How does plate movement lead to earthquakes?
 Refer to textbook P. 50-51

Concept: Plate movement • Ways of movement and formation of earthquakes

1. Identify the following three ways of plate movement.

a.
movingtowardseacn other

b.
Movingawayfromeach other

c.
slidingpast eachother

2. How does the convection currents in the mantle drive plates to move?

near the core is heated and (rises / sinks).

mantle
CO


Mantle cools near the crust and then (rises / sinks).

Mantle is heated near the and rises again.

core


cònǚǚion currents are formed in the mantle, driving the above to move.
plates

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3. How does an earthquake form?

When plates move, builds up along the plate boundaries.

pressure

Pressure exceeds the limit the rocks can withstand.

Rocks break
and move suddenly.

The huge amount of energy stored is released in the form of seismic waves
,
causing the ground to shake.

Identify A to D in the figure below.

A:
Epicentre 震央
B:

C:

D:
Depiniitou
䨻䯂度
seismicwaves 地震波

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4.3 What are the negative impacts of earthquakes?
 Refer to textbook P. 52-54

Concept: Earthquake • Global disribution and impacts

1. What are the two main earthquake zones in the world?

b. circumpaciticBelt , also called

a.
Belt the pacific
aǎing品iiimǎg Ring ofFire

2. What is the Richter scale?

 The 強度
magnitude
is measured by the Richter scale.

 The higher the magnitude, the (more /

less) the energy is released and the
(larger / smaller) the destruction.
Eneigy

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3. The table below shows the primary and secondary effects of earthquakes.

Impact Example

a. Primaryettects

 The immediate
and airect
destruction caused by ground shaking

 Building conapes

 Roads and bridges

cracking
 Damage to power cables and water pipes

b.  , flooding, landslide and

Secondary effects fire
 Damages caused by primary effects
tsunami

 2011 Japan earthquake

 The number of deaths caused by

earthquake-induced tsunami is much
higher than that of building
collapsing.
 This shows that secondary effects are
sometimes more destructive than
primary effects.

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4.4 How do we prepare for and respond to earthquakes?
 Refer to textbook P. 56-58

Concept: Earthquake • Preventive and remedial measures

Type Measure Content

争係
1. ㄍㄟ ǒiiingind  Set up and use
monitoring systems
semimo
meters to detect earthquakes
warning systems

 Warnings are issued when unusual ground

motions are detected so that people can
evacuate in time

 Take risks
into
earthquake
consideration when carrying out land use
planning
2. landuse zoning  Common planning practices in high-risk areas
include:
Preventive
 Restricting building
heights
measures
 Zoning land for low
density
development
 Avoiding building facilities
nignrisk
 Designating schools and parks as

temporaryevacuation sites

 Some countries require buildings to meet

shockproof standards by law.

3.
of
snock.pro  Regular should also
maintenance
designs
be carried out to ensure the shock-proof
installations are in good conditions

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 Type Measure Content

 Educate the public on earthquakes

and survival skins
.

4.  In Taiwan, large-scale earthquake arins

ˋ肅惑
ǜI
纛ˋˋÉˊǜ
Él
are held every year:
Preventive

gㄜ
 To improve the
measures efficiency
of rescue work

 Allow people to get familiar with the

escape routes and the locations of
temporary evacuation sites

 Send rescue teams

1.
Emergency eiiet  Provide for the
basic necessities

victims

ˊ
o.eeiz.mn  Sanitised affected areas and monitor cases of
i
䤘
z infectious diseases to prevent disease
outbreaks

Remedial
measures

2.  Rebuild and restore damaged buildings and

Rehabilitation
infrastructure are rebuilt and restored after
earthquakes.

 Provide post-hazard
counselling services
services to help survivors cope with emotional
problems

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 Structure of Earth
Crust 地殼 Magma 鑽
Mantle 地幔 Continental crust 陸地殼
Core 地核 Oceanic crust 洋地殼
Semi-molten 螩融

 Plates
Plate 板塊 Pacific Plate 太平洋板塊

Plate boundary 板塊邊界 North American Plate 北美洲板塊

Eurasian Plate 歐亞板塊 South American Plate 南美洲板塊

African Plate 非洲板塊 Antarctic Plate 南極洲板塊

Indo-Australian Plate 印度—澳洲板塊 Philippine Plate 菲律賓板塊

 Formation of earthquake
地震 earthquake
震源 Focus
對流 convection current
震央
Epicentre
地震波 震源深度
seismic wave not focus
Dept

 Major earthquake belts

Earthquake zone 地震帶 Pacific Ring of Fire 太平洋火環

Circum-Pacific Belt Alpine-Himalayan Belt 阿爾卑斯—喜馬拉雅山帶

環太平洋帶

 Impacts of earthquakes
Magnitude 強度 Tsunami 海嘯
Richter scale 黎克特震級 Mount Everest 珠穆朗瑪峰
Aftershock 餘震 Avalanche 雪崩

 受地震影響的國家 Countries affected by earthquakes

Indonesia 印尼 New Zealand 新 蘭

Japan 日本 Haiti 海地
Nepal 尼泊爾

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 Measures to cope with earthquakes
Seismometer Earthquake drill 地震演習

Land use zoning i 分區 Infectious disease 傳染病

Green belt 綠化帶 Counselling 輔導
Temporary evacuation site 臨時避難地點 Monitoring network 網絡
Shock-proof 防震 Subsidy 匶阗

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 Landslide
3.1 What is the relief of Hong Kong?  Refer to textbook P. 28-29

Concept: Relief • Definition and the relief features of Hong Kong

1. What is relief?
Relief refers to .
changes inthe height oftheland

2. What are the relief features of Hong Kong?

Two thirds of the total land area of Hong Kong it is . Natural lowlands are scarce.
hilly

Feature Distribution Example

a.
Highland
Central and eastern New
Tai Mo Shan and Ma On Shan
Territories

Central part of Lantau Peak and

Lantau Island sunsetpeak

b. Natural lowlands
northwestern and Yuen Long Plain and
sheung
New Territories
northern snuiFanling piain

On both sides of victoria

Mong Kok
Hasour

c. Man-made lowlands
Along the Victoria Harbour Central

Some Sha Tin and Tung Chung

newtowns

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3.2 Why do landslides occur in Hong Kong?  Refer to textbook P. 30-33

Concept: Landslide • Formation and causes

1. What is a landslide?
Landslide is the rapid movement of a mass of Soil or Rock down a slope
due to the gravity .

2. The table below summarises the natural factors causing landslides in Hong Kong.

Natural factor Description Impact on slope stability

Rainwater fills
the pores
 Heavy rainfall in Rainwater
between Soil
Summer is the makes slope Particles
a. Heavy rainfall
1 .
major cause of materials

landslides in Hong
Kong.
0
(heavier /
lighter).
Cohesion
(increases /
 About 80% of rain
falls between
0
reduces).

May
and .
september The slope becomes unstable.

b. Steep slopes  With a hilly relief,

60% of the natural
slopes in Hong Kong

0
The (steeper / gentler) the slope,
the higher the risk of landslides.
have an angle greater
than 20˚.

3
 Natural factor Description Impact on slope stability
 The and
c.
eating
Strong w
hot vet
climate of Hong Kong favours
the weathering of rocks.  These materials are

 Well-jointed rocks such as prone to collapse under

are strongly heavy rain, triggering a

granite landslide.
weathered, producing thick
layers of loose materials on
slopes.

3. The table below summarises the human factors causing landslides in Hong Kong.

Human factors Description Impact on slope stability

 Steep man-made
 To provide more land for urban
尐 slopes, if not properly
development, many natural
designed or
slopes have been
cut constructed, may have
a. natural or to create
Development on
filled a higher risk of
man-made slopes.
0pynāǎě landslides.
 Many man-made slopes built in
soil Iope 尖
the early years were poorly  Poorly-designed
Nope designed and below .
Rock standard man-made slopes have

愈erials 
尖 In the 1970s, both landslides a high risk of
landslides when there
that occurred in SanMau
ping
involved fill slopes of poor is heavy rainfall.

quality.

 Some man-made slopes lack

b. Poormaintenance of regular repair and maintenance .  can seep
manmade
water
slopes
 into the slopes easily,
尖 cracked slope surfaces,
blocked drainage channels and increasing the risk of
landslides.
underground water pipe leakages
are common.

4
3.3 What are the negative impacts of landslides on Hong Kong?
 Refer to textbook P. 34-35

Concept: Landslide • Negative impacts

Negative impact Explanation Example

 Landslides took place at

1. Casualties  In the early years, most and
sanMau Ping
landslides that happened PoshanRoad in 1972
in  Killing 138 people in
densely populated
urban areas caused serious total
casualties.  The two most fatal
landslides in history

 Landslide occurred on

Lantau Island
in June 2008
2. Traffic  Collapsed soil often  Major roads were cut
disruption

blocks roads and disrupts off, and transport

traffic. links were blocked.
Many residents and
tourists were
affected.

 Landslides damage  In 2017, 143 facilities

3. infrastructure, resulting in were damaged by
Economic loss
property loss. landslides.

 Debris and  Roads, pavements and

repairing damaged footpaths were the most
facilities are also costly. commonly affected.

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3.4 How does Hong Kong prepare for and respond to landslides?
 Refer to textbook P. 36-39

Concept: Landslide • Preventive and remedial measures

The table below shows the preventive measures of landslides adopted in Hong Kong.
Preventive measure Description Function
 Increase the stability of  To reduce the risk of
man-made slopes by landslides
engineering works

Engineering work Function

To prevent rainwater from

a. covers
seeping into the slopes
1.
b. Weep holes and
To help drain excess water

c. Soil nails and To offer physical support to

slopes

d. Flexible barriers and To trap soil and rock debris

that are sliding down

 Greening on engineered  To improve the

slopes appearance of the slopes

2.  Determine how the land on

and around slopes should be  To reduce the risk of
used based on the stability landslides
and safety of the slopes

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 Preventive measure Description Function
In the 1980s, the government:
a.  Started to clear squatter huts
located on hillsides.
 Performed engineering
works.
 Restricted development on
slopes.

 To reduce the risk of
are conducted for
landslides
development projects near
b.
dangerous slopes.

 Example: Due to the high

risk of landslides, the land
near Castle Peak that had
been proposed for residential
development was changed
to .

 Two thirds of the man-made

3. slopes are regularly checked

and maintained by the
 To ensure the slopes
government.
meeting safety standards
 Owners of private slopes are
responsible for ensuring the
slopes’ safety.

 Warning signs are posted

4.
near dangerous slopes
 To remind people to stay
 A is issued away from these slopes
when there is heavy rainfall
and a high risk of landslides.

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 Preventive measure Description Function

5.
 Provide useful information
for citizens through  To raise public awareness
, TV of slope safety
advertisements and websites

The table below shows the remedial measures of landslides adopted in Hong Kong.
Remedial measure Description Function

 Send rescue teams to the

sites of landslide

 Open temporary shelters to

1.
 To minimise casualties
people in need

 Provide food, water and

emergency supplies

 Clear rock debris on the  To restore transport

roads services

2.

 Carry out engineering works  To repair collapsed slopes

 Example: build retaining  To prevent landslides
walls and weep holes from happening again

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 Relief of Hong Kong
Relief Yuen Long Plain 元朗平原

Lowland Sheung Shui-Fanling Plain 上水—粉嶺平原

Highland Victoria Harbour

New Territories Reclamation

Lantau Island New town

Tai Mo Shan 大帽山

 Formation of landslides
Landslide 山泥傾瀉 Gravity 重力

 Causes of landslides
Slope angle 坡度角 Cut slope

Granite Fill slope

Joint Sau Mau Ping

Weathering Drainage channel 排水渠

 Negative impacts of landslides

Po Shan Road 寶珊道 Tung Chung Road 東涌道

North Lantau Highway 北大嶼山公路 Keung Shan Road 羗山道

Yu Tung Road 裕東路 Tai O 大澳

Yat Tung Estate 逸東邨

 Measures to cope with landslides

Concrete Rigid barrier 泥石壩

Weep hole Squatter hut

Surface channel Risk assessment

Soil nail Castle Peak

Retaining wall Landslip Warning

Stone pitching 砌石護面 Rehabilitation 復修

Flexible barrier 柔性防護網

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 Landslide in Gansu
Gansu 甘肅 Commercial logging 商業性伐木

Zhouqu 舟曲 Soil erosion

Deforestation Hydro-electric power 水力發電

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