Natural Disasters Exam 1

Front 1

Hazard

Back 1

A condition that threatens human life or property

Front 2

Disaster

Back 2

Natural or man-made emergency which exceeds available resources

Results in significant loss of property or life

Front 3

Catastrophe

Back 3

Large scale disaster-massive loss and long term recovery

Front 4

Linked Event

Back 4

One type of event can trigger a different type of event.

ex. rock avalanche caused by an earthquake

Front 5

Magnitude

Back 5

size of an event as measured by a defined scale

Front 6

Frequency

Back 6

how often a type and size of event is repeated

Front 7

Urbanization

Back 7

Impact. Man-made features can both exacerbate and mitigate the impact of natural disasters

Front 8

Prior History

Back 8

Looking at regular recurrence intervals and making predictions off of those so you can prepare

Front 9

Precursor

Back 9

Conditions or occurrences that precede a disaster, providing warning that an event is likely

Front 10

Warning System

Back 10

Sirens-Flash Floods, Tornadoes, and mass wasting

Buoys-Tsunamis

First Motion Detectors-Earthquakes

News Media for others

Front 11

Risk Analysis

Back 11

Hazard maps based on prior history

Front 12

Retrofitting Structures

Back 12

Prepare and protect buildings to withstand a particular natural disaster

Front 13

Catastrophism

Back 13

every major feature of the earth was caused through sudden catastrophic events

Front 14

Uniformitarianism

Back 14

Processes operating today did so in the past, the present is the key to the past

Front 15

Chemical Properties of the Earth

Back 15

Core, Mantle, Crust

Front 16

Mechanical Properties of the Earth

Back 16

Inner Core, Outer Core, Mesosphere, Asthenosphere, Lithsosphere

Front 17

Core

Back 17

Iron

Chemical

Front 18

Mantle

Back 18

Iron+ Iron Bearing Minerals

Chemical

Front 19

Crust

Back 19

Devoid of Iron

Chemical

Front 20

Inner Core

Back 20

Solid

Mechanical

Front 21

Outer Core

Back 21

Liquid

Mechanical

Front 22

Mesosphere

Back 22

Solid

Mechanical

Front 23

Asthenosphere

Back 23

Ductile Solid

Mechanical

Front 24

Lithosphere

Back 24

Broken into rigid plates-cold on outside

Mechanical

Front 25

Shrinking Earth Theory

Back 25

As the earth hardened it contracted-Ocean floors and continents are fixed

Mountains are formed by crustal contraction when the crust cooled.

(Like shrinking dried fruit)

Front 26

Continental Drift

Back 26

All land masses used to be together (Pangea) and have drifted apart

Had no driving mechanism

Front 27

Seafloor Spreading

Back 27

The seafloor is spreading at ocean ridges and being subducted along deep sea trenches

Provided a driving force for contiental drift (forming plate tectonics)

Front 28

Plate Tectonics

Back 28

Process by which rock material is moved from within the earth to its surface and sometimes back

Front 29

Convection

Back 29

The movement of materials due to differences in density

As material is heated it expands lowering its density and rises until it cools and contracts causing it to become more dense and sink

Front 30

Oceanic Ridge

Back 30

Submarine mountain range found to run along continental margins on either side of the Atlantic Ocean (found in other ocean basins as well)

Front 31

Deep Sea Trench

Back 31

Lowest areas on earth

Next to folded mountain belts

Ocean crust sinks beneath the continent (forming the trench) and powers the mountains

Front 32

Magnetic Pole

Back 32

Places on Earth where the polarity stays the same and affects the continents

Front 33

Magnetic Reversal

Back 33

Earth's magnetic polarity periodically changes directions

Front 34

Polar Wandering

Back 34

It appeared that the poles were located at different places for each of the continents, but it seems as if the continents have moved and the poles have remained stationary

Front 35

Divergent Plate Boundary

Back 35

Spreading

Mostly on the sea floor-causes oceanic ridges

On land it forms continental rift systems which can eventually form ocean basins.

Shallow focus earthquakes-Volcanoes are rounded and can produce flows that layer over a wide area

Front 36

Convergent Plate Boundary

Back 36

Collision

On the Sea floor- oceanic trenches

On land- continental suture zones

Crust material is being consumed as one is subducted

Shallow, Intermediate and deep focus earthquakes

Front 37

Convergent: Ocean-Continent

Back 37

Subduction creates large volcanoes inland

(Benioff zones)

Front 38

Convergent: Ocean-Ocean

Back 38

creates island chains with large volcanoes

Front 39

Convergent: Continent-Continent

Back 39

no volcanoes but folded mountains

Front 40

Transform Plate Boundary

Back 40

Plates slide laterally past one another

Connects plates together and transfers energy

Little or no volcanic activity-lots of earthquakes

(San Andreas Fault)

Front 41

Hot Spot

Back 41

Occur where plates move over a stationary heat source - Forms a volcanic chain

Only the volcano right above the hot spot is active and the further from the hot spot you go the older the mountain

Front 42

Continental Rift

Back 42

As continental crust is stretched it becomes thinner and eventually produces an ocean basin

Have linear mountain ranges

Valley-Mountain-Valley

Front 43

Isostasy

Back 43

Vertical uplift or subsidence of the crust in response to changes in thickness. Material is added and the crust thickens and sinks, then as it is removed by erosion the crust thins and material formed at depth rises toward the surface

Front 44

Mitigation

Back 44

Efforts to reduce consequences of natural disasters

Front 45

Why does the seafloor drop in elevation away from oceanic ridges?

Back 45

As it moves out it cools making it increase in density and sink to greater depths

Front 46

Why does the thickness of sediment overlying basaltic oceanic rust increase away from oceanic ridges

Back 46

Most of the sediment comes from the continents so the closer to the continent the more sediment there will be