GEOGRAPHY - WORLD AT RISK (GEOPHYSICAL)

14 cards·by lola1234

What causes landslides?

A movement of loose rock and soil, triggered usually by seismic waves and/or heavy precipitation

Which areas are prone to landslides?

Mountainous regions, land with a high gradient

Which areas are least likely to experience landslides?

areas with forests

Why does precipitation promote landslides?

It weakens land

Where can volcanoes form?

Conservative, constructive, destructive plate margins and hotspots

What are hotspots?

Gaps in land, with persistent volcanic activity

Landslide case study

Aberfan Wales, October 1966, built on a slope, several days of rain, 116 children and 28 adults killed

What is an example of a hotspot?

Hawaii

What causes avalanches?

Steep slopes (-25-60 degrees), strong winds that blow snow into overhangs on mountain tops, differences in types of snow layers, skiers

Avalance case study

Alpine Meadows resort Colorado, 1982, 7 dead, 65,000 tons of snow

What causes earthquakes?

Plate boundaries becoming stuck which causes a build up of energy which is suddenly released along a fault line

What increases the possibility of an earthquake?

The building of dams which increase pressure on fault lines, especially in the Himalayas

Earthquake case study (I)

Khillari India, 1993, 25,000 killed, measured 6.4 on Richter scale, happened at night, region unprepared, building standards low

Earthquake case study (J)

Kobe Japan, 1995, 6434 killed, phillipine plate subducted underneath Eurasian - plate became locked together then broke away