Natural hazards flashcards

Natural hazards are extreme natural events that pose a risk to people and property. Students must understand the different types of hazard, including tectonic hazards such as earthquakes and volcanoes, and meteorological hazards such as tropical storms and drought. Key ideas include why some places are more at risk than others, how human and physical factors affect the severity of a hazard, and why some communities are more vulnerable. Students should also understand the difference between a natural event and a natural disaster, the concept of risk, and how people manage and respond to hazards. The role of development in shaping a country's ability to prepare for and recover from a hazard is a particularly important and frequently examined idea.

1. Card 1

   What is the difference between a natural hazard and a natural disaster?

   A natural hazard is a natural event that threatens people. It becomes a natural disaster when it actually causes significant death, injury or damage to property.

2. Card 2

   Name the two main categories of natural hazard studied in GCSE Geography.

   Tectonic hazards (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions) and meteorological hazards (tropical storms, drought, extreme weather) are the two main categories.

3. Card 3

   What does the term 'risk' mean in the context of natural hazards?

   Risk is the likelihood that a natural hazard will cause harm. It depends on how exposed a population is and how vulnerable they are to the effects of the event.

4. Card 4

   Why do people continue to live in areas at high risk from natural hazards?

   Reasons include fertile soils near volcanoes, lack of money to move, family ties, belief the hazard won't strike again, and economic opportunities in the area.

5. Card 5

   How does level of development affect a country's response to a natural hazard?

   Higher income countries (HICs) have better infrastructure, emergency services and technology to prepare and recover. Lower income countries (LICs) often suffer greater death tolls and slower recovery.

6. Card 6

   What is a tectonic plate and why does its movement cause hazards?

   Tectonic plates are large sections of the Earth's crust. Their movement at plate boundaries causes stress to build up, leading to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

7. Card 7

   What is the difference between the focus and the epicentre of an earthquake?

   The focus is the point underground where an earthquake originates. The epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus, where shaking is usually strongest.

8. Card 8

   What is a tropical storm and where do they form?

   A tropical storm is an intense low-pressure weather system with strong winds and heavy rain. They form over warm ocean water (above 27°C) between roughly 5° and 20° north or south of the equator.

9. Card 9

   What factors affect the severity of a natural hazard's impact on people?

   Key factors include magnitude of the event, population density, time of day, level of development, preparedness of the community, and distance from the hazard.

10. Card 10

    What is the difference between primary and secondary effects of a natural hazard?

    Primary effects happen immediately as a direct result of the hazard (e.g. buildings collapsing). Secondary effects occur later as a consequence (e.g. disease spreading after flooding).

11. Card 11

    What are the three main ways people can respond to natural hazards?

    People can monitor hazards to give early warning, predict when and where they may strike, and prepare communities through education, building design and emergency planning.

12. Card 12

    Why might two earthquakes of the same magnitude have very different death tolls?

    Differences in building quality, population density, emergency response, wealth of the country, and time of day all mean that magnitude alone does not determine the number of deaths.

• Many students confuse the magnitude of a hazard with its impact, forgetting that a smaller event in a vulnerable, densely populated area can cause far more deaths than a larger event in a well-prepared country.
• Students often describe all effects of a hazard as primary effects, failing to distinguish between immediate direct consequences and the secondary effects that develop in the days and weeks afterwards.
• A common error is stating that people in hazard-prone areas are simply unaware of the risk, when in reality most are well aware but stay for complex economic, social and cultural reasons.

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