Objective

• Identify the different types of hazards resulting

from tectonic processes.

• Describe the causes and effects of tectonic

hazards.

• Evaluate strategies for reducing the impact of

tectonic hazards.
 Vocabulary Words
Hazardous environment - A place or situation that presents a danger
or risk to human life or health, such as a natural disaster or industrial
accident.

Natural hazard - A natural event or process that may cause harm or

damage to people, property, or the environment, such as an
earthquake, flood, or hurricane.
Resilience - The ability of a person, community, or system to withstand
and recover from the impacts of a hazardous event or situation,
through adaptive strategies and resourceful action.

Emergency response - The immediate actions taken to respond to a

hazardous event or situation, such as by providing medical care,
evacuating people, or restoring critical infrastructure.
Anthropogenic hazard - A hazard that is caused or
influenced by human activities, such as pollution, climate
change, or industrial accidents.

Disaster - A sudden event or occurrence that causes

severe damage, destruction, or loss of life, such as a major
earthquake or hurricane.

Risk - The probability or chance of harm, injury, or loss

occurring as a result of exposure to a hazard.

Mitigation - The act of reducing or minimizing the impacts

of a hazardous event or situation, such as through disaster
preparedness measures or environmental management
strategies.
Adaptation - The process of adjusting to or coping with the
impacts of a hazardous event or situation, such as by
developing resilient infrastructure or changing land-use
practices.

Vulnerability - The degree to which a person, community, or

system is susceptible to harm or damage from a hazardous
event or situation, based on factors such as location,
infrastructure, and social and economic conditions.

.
Glossary

crust the thin, solid outer layer of the Earth

sudden shaking of the ground, caused by energy being released

earthquake
in the Earth’s crust

the point on the Earth’s surface where an earthquake emits

epicentre
from, directly above the focus

fault line a geographical boundary in the Earth’s crust

the exact point in the Earth’s crust where the energy is released
focus
causing an earthquake

seismic waves waves of energy that travel through the Earth’s crust

seismogram the output from a seismograph showing ground motions

seismograph the instrument used to record ground motions

tectonic plate a piece of the Earth’s crust

 Plate
Plates boundaries

Eurasian Caribbean plate Nazca plate Antarctic plate

plate Indian plate
North Australia Arabian
Pacific South African
American n plate plate
plate American plate plate
plate
How many countries in the ring of fire

15 countries
What countries are in the Ring of Fire?
There are 15 countries in the ring of fire;
Indonesia, New Zealand, Papa New
Guinea, Philippines, Japan, United
States, Chile, Canada, Guatemala,
Russia, Peru, Solomon Islands, Mexico
and Antarctica.
Where do earthquakes occur?
The Earth’s crust is like a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces are called Tectonic Plates.
Convection currents in the Earth’s mantle (the molten rock beneath the crust)
cause the plates to move.
However, the plates are not all moving in the same direction.

What is the name of the tectonic plate we live on?

?
Which directions are the different plates moving in?
?
Name some countries on tectonic plate boundaries.
?
Can you predict a country that has earthquakes?
?
Earthquakes happen where tectonic plates meet.

As the plates collide or move past each other, energy builds up.
An earthquake occurs when that energy is suddenly released.

focus: the exact point underground

where the energy is released causing
the earthquake.
How deep in the Earth’s crust do you think the focus can be?
?
epicentre: the point on the Earth’s
surface directly above the focus. This
is where the earthquake will be felt
How far from the epicentre do you
most strongly.
think an earthquake can be felt? ?
fault line: a weakness where rocks are
moving and the point where pressure
Where do you think the most active fault line in the world is?
is released. ?
How are earthquakes measured?
Seismographs are instruments used to measure earthquakes.

They are securely fixed so that when the earth shakes they can record the
amount of movement. The recording output is called a seismogram. If the line is
straight, no seismic waves have been detected.
The recordings used to be on paper but are now digital.
This image shows a seismograph located at the Lick
Observatory in California.

? How many earthquakes do you think are

recorded each year on the Earth?

? Where do you think the closest

seismograph is to your school?

?
What do you think someone is called
who studies earthquakes?
Earthquake Scales
Many earthquakes have been
measured on the Richter Scale
to show their intensity.

However, this scale is not very

accurate
Apart fromwhen it come to
earthquakes, veryelse do you think would
what
register on the
destructive Richter or Moment
earthquakes as it onlyMagnitude Scales?
measures the largest seismic wave
What do you
recorded on athink the largest earthquake ever recorded
seismogram.
on
So, the
manyRichter Scale was?
earthquakes now use Moment Magnitude Scale (MMS) which instead
measures the total energy released during an earthquake.
Why do you think it is important to know the total energy
released during an earthquake and not just the largest
The scales are similar to each other. For example, the 1906 earthquake in San
seismic wave?
Francisco measured 8.3 on the Richter Scale but 7.7 on the Moment Magnitude
Scale.

? ? ?
Predicting Earthquakes
Every earthquake is unique.

Earthquakes can be very destructive and

dangerous and so a lot of research has
taken place to try and predict them. This is
proving verychoose
Would you difficult.
to live in an area prone
to earthquakes?
Some areas worked on include:
Why do people live in areas prone
• monitoring changes in groundwater; However, some scientists are also
to earthquakes?
• detecting ‘foreshocks’ (small earthquakes) that coming to the conclusion that
may precede a large earthquake; perhaps predicting earthquakes is
What other research
• watching do you
the ‘seismic gap’think
(the scientists
time since the impossible.
conduct about
last large earthquakes?
earthquake);
• keeping an eye on animals, as some may
change their behaviour or leave an area before
an earthquake;
• noticing changes in the Earth’s magnetic and
? ? ?
electric fields around a fault.
Divergent Boundaries

A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other.


RIFTING
causes
SEAFLOOR SPREADING
Divergent Boundaries

Rock gets THIN in the middle as it is pulled

apart.

This STRESS is called

Convergent

A plate boundary where two plates move

towards each other.

Boundaries between two

plates that are colliding

 

This stress is called COMPRESSION

Earthquake Impacts
Impacts of an earthquake can be
instantaneous but its effects can also be
felt far into the future.

lives lost
gas pipes
broken water pipes
Devastation in Indonesia from the
broken tsunami that followed the 9.1
magnitude Sumatra-Andaman
earthquake 26th December, 2004
human

homes roads blocked

destroyed or destroyed
Earthquake Impacts

landslides
animal
habitats lost mudflows

landscape
Can you add some more immediate and long term impacts?
?
tsunamis fires
What are the consequences of these impacts?
?
Do you think an area can fully recover from an earthquake?
?
Effects of Earthquakes :

1. Destroys infrastructure.
2. Destroys lives as the death toll increases.
3. Destroys crops and livestock.
4. Destroys homes and businesses.
5. Leads to our break of diseases.
6. Has a negative impact on the economy.
7. Increases the unemployment rate as
industries and businesses are destroyed.
8. Leads to large scale poverty.
Activity:

Analyze hazardous environments in

your own communities, and propose
solutions for mitigating or adapting to
these hazards.
Activity

Evaluate strategies for reducing

the impact of tectonic hazards.
Different types of hazards
resulting from tectonic processes.
Soil Liquefaction
These buildings in Japan have become stuck
in the solid ground beneath them.

When this earthquake struck in 1964, the

wet soil under the buildings acted like a
liquid due to the vibrations from the
earthquake. Once the tremors stopped, the
soil returned to a solid state, leaving the
buildings permanently stuck at their new
angles.

Can you find any other images of items

that have become stuck due to
soil liquefaction?
?
What soil type do you think is prone to
liquefaction? ?
Ground liquefaction: The loss of strength and
stiffness in soil due to shaking during an
earthquake. This can cause the ground to behave
like a liquid, leading to damage to buildings and
infrastructure.
Ground deformation: The distortion or
displacement of the Earth's surface caused by
tectonic activity. Ground deformation can lead to the
formation of fissures and cracks in the ground, as
well as damage to infrastructure.
Landslides: The sudden movement of rocks and
debris down a slope. Landslides can be triggered by
earthquakes, heavy rainfall, or volcanic activity.
Volcanic eruptions: The release of magma, ash,
and other volcanic material from a volcano. Volcanic
eruptions can cause ashfall, pyroclastic flows, and
lahars.
Tsunamis: Large ocean waves caused by seismic
activity, such as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
Tsunamis can cause flooding, coastal erosion, and
damage to infrastructure.
Christchurch Earthquake, New Zealand
When was it?
22nd February, 2011 at 12.51pm
It lasted for 10 seconds.

Where did it happen?

The Canterbury region on the South Island
of New Zealand. The largest city in the
region, Christchurch, was particularly badly
affected.
The epicentre was 10km south of the city
and its focus was 5km deep.
Christchurch

What was its magnitude?

6.3 on the Richter scale.
6.2 on the Moment Magnitude scale.
Christchurch Earthquake, New Zealand
What was the immediate impact?
• 185 people died;
• 6,659 injuries in the first 24 hours, 164 seriously injured;
• in Christchurch, buildings collapsed, many which where of
historical significance;
• water mains burst, causing flooding;
• power cuts;
• roads cracked;
• port damaged;
• 361 aftershocks, 10 with a magnitude more than 4;
• the Tasman Glacier cracked, leading to a portion 1,200m
long falling into the Tasman Lake.

What were the impact consequences?

• 10,000 homes needed to be demolished;
• schools were closed;
• 4,500 vehicles were stranded in the city;
• international rescue teams came to assist, including from the UK;
• people needed to use portable toilets and have their water delivered by tankers;
• costs for the city to recover were estimated to be $40bn.
Earthquakes in Scotland. Where are we?

Virtual Field Trip Earthquake House, Comrie

Seismograph inside
Earthquake House
 Homework
Case studies: case studies of hazardous
environments from different regions of the world.
read and analyze the case studies, take notes and
identify the causes, impacts, and possible solutions to
the hazardous environments.