Natural Hazards Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

What is a natural hazard?

A natural event or process that has the potential to cause loss of life, injury or damage to property.

True or false? An oil spill is an example of a natural hazard.

False. An oil spill is caused by human activity; natural hazards come from natural processes (e.g. tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption).

Name four factors that affect hazard risk.

Urbanisation and population density, poverty, climate change, and the magnitude and frequency of the event (also farming on fertile hazard-prone land).

True or false? Two hazard events of the same magnitude always pose the same hazard risk.

False. Risk also depends on population density, wealth, preparedness and how well the area can respond, so it varies between places and over time.

When comparing data on different hazard events, what two measures show the risk posed to people and to property?

The number of deaths/injuries (risk to people) and the cost of damage or destruction of buildings and infrastructure (risk to property).

Which type of natural hazard is caused by movement of the Earth's plates, and give two examples?

Tectonic (geophysical) hazards, e.g. earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

True or false? A drought is classified as an atmospheric (meteorological) hazard.

True. It is caused by weather and climate processes, as are tropical storms and heatwaves.