Plate Tectonics Quiz

Natural Events and Hazards

• Natural events are occurrences in the physical environment like storms, volcanic eruptions, or earthquakes.
• Natural hazards threaten people and property.
• Natural disasters are natural hazard events that cause significant damage and destruction.

Aid and Adjustment

• Aid is given by wealthier nations to less developed nations to assist with development.
• Adjustment involves people changing their behavior to prepare for hazards, reducing their impact.

Climatic Hazards

• Climatic hazards include drought, floods, and storms.

Natural Disaster Relief and Disaster

• Disaster relief provides immediate help after a disaster, including response teams.
• Natural disasters result in harm, injuries, and property damage.

Earthquake

• Earthquakes are sudden movements in the Earth's crust, often followed by aftershocks.
• Evacuation moves people from dangerous areas when a hazard is predicted.
• Hazards like earthquakes, floods, landslides, and volcanic eruptions threaten human well-being and lives.

Hazard

• A hazard is a natural event that poses a threat.

Mitigation

• Mitigation reduces risks from natural hazards through measures like building earthquake-resistant structures.

Monitoring

• Monitoring records physical changes to predict hazards such as tracking hurricanes or monitoring volcanoes.

Prediction

• Prediction aims to anticipate the when and where of a natural hazard.

Preparation

• Preparation includes actions before a hazard strikes, like educating the public or enhancing building designs.

Risk Assessment

• Risk assessment evaluates the potential damage an area might encounter from a hazard.

Tectonic Hazards

• Tectonic hazards, like volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, result from plate tectonics.

Tectonic Plates

• Tectonic plates are rigid segments of the Earth's crust.
• These plates "float" on the Earth's semi-molten rock and move.

Tropical Storms

• Tropical storms (or cyclones) are areas of low pressure.
• They have winds spiraling around the calm central area, and produce heavy rain.

Volcanoes

• Volcanoes are openings in the Earth's crust from which lava, ash, and gases erupt.

Tropical Cyclones

• Tropical cyclones have warm tropical areas along the equator.
• They are influenced by the Coriolis effect.
• They form when the temperature of ocean water reaches a certain level, initiating the rapid rise of warm air, causing low pressure.

Earthquake Distribution and Characteristics

• Earthquakes occur at plate boundaries, where plates move and interact.
• Earthquakes' strengths are measured using the Richter scale.

Mercalli Scale

• The Mercalli scale measures the extent of earthquake damage, taking into account effects on people, the environment, and the earth's surface.

Volcano Distribution

• Volcanoes are concentrated at tectonic plate boundaries.

Volcano Features

• Lava flows: slow-moving flows with limited impact, affecting mostly land.
• Ash: affects large areas; significant danger in high concentrations.
• Pyroclastic flows: dangerous, dense, hot gas and rock mixtures.

Hotspot Volcanoes

• Hotspots are areas in the mantle where magma rises, leading to volcanic activity regardless of plate boundaries.
• These volcanoes are often not ongoing, as the plates continue to move and cease proximity with the hotspot.

Storm Surge

• Storm surge happens when the wind pushes water onto land, often causing coastal flooding.

Earth's Interior

• The Earth consists of several layers: crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core.
• The inner core is solid and composed of iron and nickel.
• The outer core is liquid and made of iron and nickel.
• The layers play a crucial role in various geological processes.

Earthquake Preparation

• Prepare for earthquakes by having essential supplies (food, water, first aid kit) and disaster drills.
• Assess risk to know likelihood of events, including frequency, scale, and predictability.

Short-Term and Long-Term Responses to Natural Hazards

• Disaster relief includes providing food, medical assistance, and temporary shelters.
• Long-term responses involve building repairs, supporting affected communities, and reconstruction.

Vulnerability to Hazards

• Some countries are more vulnerable to natural hazards, particularly those with fewer resources, weak infrastructure, or limited preparedness.