Post on 30-Jun-2015
GCSE Hazards Revision
Haiti Earthquake and Montserrat Volcano
Types of Plate Boundary
Earthquakes
• Occur along FAULT LINES.• Movements in the ground due to sudden release
of friction in the form of SEISMIC WAVES.• The FOCUS is inside the earth’s crust where the
earthquake happened.• The EPICENTRE is the point on the Earth’s surface
above the focus, where the shakes are strongest.• Measured using the RICHTER SCALE where each
number is 10 times greater than the last
Earthquakes
Earthquakes - Haiti
• 12th January 2010• Haiti is an island in the Caribbean Sea• Magnitude measured 8.0 on the Richter Scale
• Conservative plate boundary – N. American plate moving past the Caribbean plate
Earthquakes - Haiti
Primary Effects– 200 000 deaths– 3 million people left homeless, moved into tents– 8 hospitals damaged in Port-au-Prince (capital)
Secondary Effects– The Haitian tourist industry declined– Outbreaks of disease eg. Cholera– Destruction of government buildings made the
island difficult to control, the police force collapsed
Links?
Earthquakes - Haiti
Responses
Aid struggled to get to those who needed it most because of the damaged
infrastructureOverseas aid agencies eg. Oxfam, Red Cross
Social media such as Facebook and twitter used to spread messages
Trying to rebuild healthcare and agriculture but not enough money
Earthquakes - Haiti
Reducing the Effects of Earthquakes• Earthquake proof buildings (MEDC and LEDC)
• Earthquake drills (regular practices)
• Preparing and planning in the home (earthquake kits)
• Earthquake prediction amps and shaking maps
• Overseas aid and rebuilding
WHICH OF THESE ARE SHORT TERM?
WHICH ARE LONG TERM?
Why do people live near earthquakes?
Family and friends live
there
Many plate boundaries are near the coast (best land for farming/trade)
They cannot afford to live
anywhere else
Worth the risk – unlikely that an earthquake will happen in their
lifetime
Volcanoes
Volcanic bombs, ash, lava, gases
Magma chamber
Parasitic cone
Crater
Main vent
Volcanoes
ActiveVolcano has
erupted recently
DormantVolcano has
erupted in the last 2000 years, but
not recently
ExtinctVolcano unlikely
to ever erupt again
Volcanoes – Soufriere Hills
• Destructive plate boundary• In the south of the Caribbean island of
Montserrat• Much of the population are poor and rely on
subsistence farming• Having been dormant for 500 years the
volcano erupts in August 1995 and again in 1997
Volcanoes – Soufriere Hills
Primary Effects– 50% of people evacuated to the North to live in shelters– 19 people dies– Pyroclastic flows destroyed farms and started fires– 2/3 of island covered in ash– Plymouth (capital) turned into a ghost town
Secondary Effects– Poor sanitation and crowding in the North– Tourist industry still suffering– Over half the population have not returned after they
were evacuated
Links?
Volcanoes – Soufriere Hills
Responses
Helicopters from France help to find
missing people
Medical assistance from
neighbouring Caribbean islands
Many people still relying on
aid 15 years later
How could Montserrat reduce their
dependence on aid?
Volcanoes
Reducing the Effects of Volcanoes• Improved warning
• Better buildings – smooth, sloped roofs to prevent ash build up
• Education – what to do if the volcano erupts
• Prevent/restrict building on land vulnerable to effects
• Emergency kit for households…
Volcanoes
Emergency Kit• Non-perishable food• Torch• First aid kit• Water• Radio• Whistle• Blankets• Face masks and goggles
Why do people live near volcanoes?
People feel an eruption will not
occur in their lifetime
Those in LEDCs often cannot
afford to move away
Geothermal energy for example in
Iceland
Tourism from those wanting to see the dramatic
landscape
Fertile soils producing
better crops