A Level Geography- Hazards key terminology

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Hazard
A potential threat to human life or property.
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Natural hazard
A hazard that's caused by natural processes.
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Geophysical hazard
A hazard caused by land processes (earthquakes & volcanic eruptions).
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Atmospheric hazard
A hazard caused by climatic processes (tropical storms & droughts).
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Hydrological hazard
A hazard caused by water movement (floods & avalanches).
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Disaster
When a hazard actually seriously affects humans.
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Risk
The likelihood that humans will be seriously affected by a hazard.
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Vulnerability
How susceptible a population is to the damage caused by a hazard.
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Mitigation
An aim to minimize the impacts of future disasters.
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Diverging plate margin
A constructive plate margin where two plates are moving apart.
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Converging plate margin
A destructive plate margin where two plates are moving closer together.
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Transform plate margin
A conservative plate margin where two plates move past eachother horizontally.
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Pyroclastic flow
A mixture of super-heated gas, ash and volcanic rock that flows down the side of the volcano at high speeds.
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Lava flows
When lava either flows down vents or down the side of the volcano; its speed is dependent on the temperature and viscosity of the lava.
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Volcanic gases
Lava containing gases that are released into the atmosphere when the volcano erupts.
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Tsunamis
A series of waves caused by water displacement at submarine earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides.
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Tectonic plates
The lithosphere (the rigid, outermost shell of the upper crust & mantle) divided into 7 or 8 major subsections.
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Convection
The heat from the core that causes convection currents in the mantle to slowly move towards the crust.
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Slab pull
The portion of a tectonic plate that's characterized by its subduction that's driven by the weight of the cold, dense plates sinking into the mantle.
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Mantle plume
The upwelling of hot rock, within the Earth's mantle that when it breaks through the lithosphere, it forms new land.
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Fold mountains
When a plate subducts due to low density beneath another.
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Ocean ridges
When plates move apart in oceanic areas, filling with basaltic lava to form a volcano.
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Rift valleys
When plates move apart in continental areas to create a valley.
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Volcanicity
All volcanic activities related to magma being forced into the crust.
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Fissure volcanoes
When lava is ejected through a cracks from the central vent that occurs at constructive margins.
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Dome volcanoes
When acid lava solidifies when it's exposed to air and solidifies to produce a steep cone that occurs ate destructive margins.
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Shield volcanoes
When lava flows out of a central vent and spreads out before solidifying at constructive margins.
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Composite volcanoes
Where alternating eruptions cause volcanic ash and lava to form layers around the sides at destructive margins.
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Ash/ cinder volcanoes
Built into a symmetrical cone that are found at the bottom of shield volcanoes & calderas.
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Caldera
When a build-up of gases cause huge explosions that can clear/ empty magma chambers & can cause the volcano to collapse.
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Earthquakes
Vibrations at plate boundaries & fault lines (cracks in the Earth's surface).
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Hot spots
Isolated plumes of tectonic activity that can cause seismic activity.
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Focus
Where the rock break underground/ where the earthquake occured.
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Epicentre
The place on the surface that's directly above the focus of the earthquake.
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Primary (P) waves
The fastest waves and the ones to reach the surface first as they can push through the core, mantle and crust.
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Secondary (S) waves
Half as fast as P waves that can push through the crust and mantle.
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L waves
The slowest waves but cause the most damage whilst moving side to side.
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R waves
They move up and down in rolling motions from the epicentre.
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Moment Magnitude Scale (MMS)
Identifies the energy release of an earthquake from a scale of 1 to 10.
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Mercalli scale
Measures the earthquake's intensity through the impact on people & structures on a scale of 1 to 12.
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Shockwaves & seismic waves
The shifting of rock causes shockwaves called seismic waves that spread through rock in all directions.
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Liquefaction
When high water content soils are violently shaken and loose their mechanical strength and become fluid.
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Landslide
A slope failure due to ground shaking.
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Storm surges
A surge of high water (around 3m) that sweeps inland and floods low-lying areas.
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Crown fire
A fire that spreads across tree canopies.
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Surface fires
Fires that burn across surface vegetation.
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Ground fire
Fires that burn beneath the ground in layer of dry, organic peat.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

A hazard that's caused by natural processes.

Back

Natural hazard

Card 3

Front

A hazard caused by land processes (earthquakes & volcanic eruptions).

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

A hazard caused by climatic processes (tropical storms & droughts).

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

A hazard caused by water movement (floods & avalanches).

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

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