Hazard Hotspots

Why is the Phillippines a hazard hotspot?

• It sits across a major plate boundary so faces significant risks from volcanoes and earthquakes.
• Northern and Eastern coasts face the Paccific which is the world's most tsunami-prone ocean.
• It lies within the South-East Asia's major typhoon belts.
• Landslides are common in the mountainous district.

Mount Pinatubo's volcanic eruption (June 1991)

Mount Pinatubo eruption was the biggest the world has seen in over 50 years. When the volcano showed signs of erupting in April they set-up an exclusion zone of 30km evacuating 200 000 people by the day of the first eruption.

• 350 people died including 77 deaths from lahars.
• Some evacuees died in camps due to exposure to disease.
• 80 000 hectacres of famland buried beneath ash. This disruptived 500 000 farmers and their familes.
• Economic loss- US$710 million (agiculture and property)

The volcano lies between the Eurasian and Phillippine plate on a destructive plate boundary.

Why is California a hazard hotspot

California is one of the most desiable places to live in America due to it's high wealth and status but is also one of the most hazardous states. This is due down to plate tectonics and and climatic patterns.

The San Andreas fault is along a conservative plate boundary. This plate boundary has caused many earthquakes such as th 1906 San Fransisco earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter Scale.

Loma Prieta Earthquake October 1989

• Magnitude and Location: 7.1; Epicentre- Loma Prieta
• 5.2 aftershock struck 37 minutes after the main one
• 63 people died
• 13 757 were injured
• 1018 homes destroyed and 23 408 damaged
• 366 businesses were destroyed
• Damage cost US$6 billion

Northridge Earthquake January 1994

• Magnitude and location: 6.7; San Fernado Valley in North LA
• Thousands of aftershocks (4.0-5.0) in following weeks
• 57 people died and over 1500 seiously injured
• 12500 building damaged (25%)
• 9000 homes and businesses had no electricity for several days. 48 500 without water.