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Tectonic
Terror
Coping with earthquakes,
volcanoes and tsunamis.

Natural Hazards - Tectonic

Hazards
Natural hazards are the risks we face due to nature. Drought,
flooding and forest fires are examples of natural events which may
pose a threat, or hazard, to people.
The land surfaces and the seafloors of the Earth rest on tectonic
plates. It is the movement of the plates that causes earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. They are known as TECTONIC
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HAZARDS.
Find out more
Structure of the Earth

Plate Tectonics How Continents Move

Plate Names and Locations Volcano and Earthquake

Distribution

Structure of the Earth

Even though the Earth looks and feels uniform and solid to us, this is actually not the
case.
The Earth consists of four layers:
1.The crust is the thinnest layer of the Earth - it is between 5 and 50 km thick.
This is proportional to the thickness of the peel around an apple. This is the surface layer
we live on and where all our rocks, minerals and metals are found.
2.The mantle is the layer below the crust and consists of a plastic or viscous layer of
molten rock. This material is known as magma.
3.The outer core surrounds the inner core and is more solid than the mantle.
4.The inner core is solid, consisting of iron and nickel at a very high temperature.

Plate Tectonics
The crust of the Earth does not form a solid, unbroken layer. It is made up of
interlocking plates that grow, get smaller and move around the Earth's
surface at a very slow rate - only a few centimetres each year. If we go back
about 300 million years, we find that the continents and the oceans were
not in the positions we know today.
In fact, the Earth had only one continent known as Pangaea and only one
ocean known as Pantallassa.
180 million years ago, the first split of the land mass resulted in two
separate continents - Laurasia in the north and Gondwanaland in the
south.

How Continents Move

Constructive plate boundary
Convection currents move within the mantle. The currents well
up under the crust and "float" the plates away from each other.
In the centre, welled up magma solidifies, forming solid
volcanoes along the plane of weakness of the oceanic ridges.
This is known as sea-floor spreading.
Destructive plate boundary
As two plates meet or collide, the edge of one plate slides
beneath another. As the plate is pushed into the mantle, the
plate melts and becomes part of the mantle. This activity
occurs along the edges of fold mountain belts such as the
Andes and the Alps.
This process is known as subduction.
Conservative plate boundary
These occur when two plates slide past each other horizontally.
No crust is added or lost, eg the San Andreas Fault in California.

Plate Names and Locations

Volcano and Earthquake

Zones

Volcanoes

Volcano erupts in Hawaii (Video)

Helicopter footage of lava
eruptions and flows on the
Hawaiian volcano, Kilauea.

Iceland volcano spews lava

(Video)
A volcano at Eyjafjallajoekull in
southern Iceland continues to
erupt under an ice sheet.

Thousands flee Congo eruption

Fires rage as mile-wide river of
lava engulfs village

Hospitals are having to use every

available area to treat people
injured or affected by the
earthquake and tsunami.

Walking through a disaster zone a man and his son survey the
damage in their home town

Earthquakes

Earthquake Eyewitness Report

Teacher, Julianna Bozsik,
describes her experiences in the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Earthquakes: why they happen

Earth tremors are going on all
the time as the planet's rocks boil
and move beneath us, but only
some quakes do any damage.
Find out why ...

Distribution of earthquakes and v

olcanoes
An animated lesson on tectonic
plate movement, and how this
leads to earthquakes and
volcanoes

Tsunami

We Lost Everything In A Second (V

ideo)
Survivor testimony from Miyagi
prefecture recounts the
devastating effect of the Japanese
tsunami
Rescue in Kesennuma (Video)
Following shocking amateur
footage filmed in Kesennuma,
Jonathan Watts find hope in the
rescue of an elderly couple from
their home in the city
Japanese tsunami survivors return
to wrecked city (Video)
Camcorder footage shot by a
resident of Ishinomaki, Miyagi
prefecture, chronicles life as an
evacuee following Japan's
earthquake and tsunami on Friday
11 March

This is a house found drifting in the Pacific Ocean following the massive earthquake and
tsunami which destroyed many coastal regions in northern Japan on Friday
By Rex

A girl is rescued from the flood waters in Kessennuma

Why People Live in Dangerous

Places
You might think that sensible people would avoid dangerous
places, but often the opposite seems to be true. Why would
they do that?
Today, about 500 million people live on or close to volcanoes.
We even have major cities close to active volcanoes, so lets
look at four good reasons to live near a dangerous volcano.
Minerals

Fertile Soil

Energy

Tourism

Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy means heat energy from the earth. It's unusual to use the
heat directly, by building your house on top of a steam vent for example,
because it's unpredictable, dangerous and messy.
The heat from underground steam is used to drive turbines and produce
electricity, or to heat water supplies that are then used to provide household
heating and hot water. Where steam doesn't naturally occur it is possible to
drill several deep holes into very hot rocks, pump cool water down one hole
and extract steam from another hole close by.
The steam isn't used directly because it contains too many dissolved minerals
that could precipitate out and clog pipes, corrode metal components and
possibly poison the water supply.
Countries such as Iceland make extensive use of geothermal power, with
approximately two thirds of Iceland's electricity coming from steam powered
turbines. New Zealand and to a lesser extent, Japan, also make effective use
of geothermal energy.

Thousands of people near the

Fukushima nuclear power plant have
had to be evacuated from their homes
because of the threat of radiation
poisoning. The reactor has suffered a
series of explosions and fires following
the earthquake

People look at evacuation lists in the

town of Natori hoping to see the names
of relatives who have been moved to
safety

Fertile Soils
Volcanic rocks are rich in minerals, but when the rocks
are fresh the minerals are not available to plants. The
rocks need thousands of years to become weathered and
broken down before they form rich soils.
When they do become soils though, they form some of
the richest ones on the planet.
Places such as the African Rift Valley, Mt Elgon in
Uganda, and the slopes of Vesuvius in Italy all have
productive soils thanks to the breaking down of volcanic
rocks and ash.
The Naples area, which includes Mount Vesuvius, has
such rich soils thanks to two large eruptions 35,000 and
12000 years ago. Both eruptions produced very thick
deposits of ash and broken rocks which have weathered
to rich soils.
Today, the area is intensively cultivated and produces
grapes, vegetables, orange and lemon trees, herbs,
flowers and has become a major tomato growing region.

A coffee bush
growing in
volcanic soil African Rift valley

Tourism
Volcanoes attract millions of visitors every year. There are
few sights that can beat seeing an erupting volcano blowing
red hot ash and rock thousands of feet into the air.
Iceland markets itself as a land of fire and ice, attracting
tourists with a mix of volcanoes and glaciers, often both in
the same place. The wild, raw and barren volcanic
landscapes attract tourists who want to see what the early
planet may have looked like.
Tourism creates jobs in shops, restaurants, hotels and tourist
centres / national parks. Local economies can profit from
volcanism throughout the year, whereas skiing, for example,
has only a limited winter season.
In Uganda, a country trying hard to increase its tourist
industry, the volcanic region around Mt Elgon is being
heavily promoted for it's volcanic landscapes, huge
waterfalls and remote 'get away from it all' location.

Volcanic
landscapes are
marketed as a
tourist attraction
in Uganda, Africa

Minerals
Magna rising from deep inside the earth contains a range of
minerals. As the rock cools, the movement of superheated
water and gasses through the rock deposit minerals at different
locations. Thanks to volcanic activity, tin, silver, gold, copper
and even diamonds can be found in volcanic rocks.
Most of the metallic minerals mined around the world,
particularly copper, gold, silver, lead and zinc are associated
with rocks found below extinct volcanoes. This makes the areas
ideal for both large scale commercial mining and smaller scale
local activities by individuals and small groups of locals.
Active and dormant volcanoes have the same mineralisation, so
like extinct volcanoes, they are rich sources of minerals. Hot
gasses escaping through vents also bring minerals to the
surface, notably sulphur, which collects around the vents as it
condenses and solidifies. Locals may collect the sulphur and
sell it.

Why Hazards Become

Disasters

An earthquake or tsunami striking a place

where nobody lives, farms or visits isnt a
disaster for humans. It is only when a
natural hazard exists in an area where we
live or work that hazards have the
potential to become disasters.
Clearly, the best way to avoid tectonic
disasters is to keep away from areas
where they may occur, but weve already
seen that there are often good reasons to
live in the danger zones generations
may farm on fertile soils before the next
eruption does any damage, and if you
want to catch fish, you must live on the
coastline.

A man on his bicycle the only transport

available.

Economic Development
So,developed
what factors
influence
the sizeare
of a
In
countries,
buildings
more likely to withstand earthquakes
disaster?
because they have the money and knowledge to create safer buildings, and
adapt old buildings to withstand shocks. Less fortunate countries lack both
the money and the skills, and the results speak for themselves. In Kobe, Japan,
a quake killed 5,000, yet a smaller quake in less developed Turkey killed
17,000.

Why Hazards Become

Disasters

Urban or Rural Location

Urban areas have greater population densities than rural areas. If
identical quakes were to hit rural and urban areas with the same
safety precautions, the city, containing more people and buildings
would be the worst affected location.
Distance From The Disaster
Earthquakes are most powerful at
the epicentre the place on the
surface directly above the source. As
distance from the epicentre
increases, the power of the shock
waves decreases.
Tsunamis are most powerful along
the coast. As they move inland they
lose energy and eventually run out of
momentum.
Volcanoes discharge lava, ash and gasses. Lava and gas clouds
stay fairly close to the volcano, being ejected into the air or flowing
from the vent. Ash clouds can travel around the globe, but again,
damage quickly reduces as distance from the volcano increases.

This devastated place used to be the village of Aragama - now people are left to sort
through the debris of what used to be their homes, schools and offices

Why Hazards Become

Disasters
Weather and Seasons
When disasters leave people
injured, homeless or trapped they
are vulnerable to the weather.
More people will die in very hot,
cold, dry or wet weather than in
more pleasant and average
conditions.
Extreme weather also hampers
rescue efforts. In areas where
heating is provided by open fires
and stoves, a disaster in winter
carries a greater risk of house
fires than a disaster in summer.

Were living on the streets

at the moment so we
need shelter too.
ActionAid

Why Hazards Become

Disasters
Time and Day of The Week

The time and day at which a disaster

strikes has an influence on human
consequences. Modern cities are
packed with workers during the day,
but many go home in the evening.
Schools are occupied during the day,
but empty at night.
Office blocks are occupied during the
working week, but probably empty on Some children in Japan's capital city
Saturday and Sunday.
Tokyo have taken to wearing a "disaster
Cookers are on at meal times. If a
disaster strikes when everyone is
cooking, the risk of fires is greatly
increased.
Sleeping people are not aware of
what is happening around them; they

hood" which is designed to protect the

head from falling bricks and debris if
another earthquake was to strike

Quotes from victims of

Japans earthquake and
My hometsunami
is burning. I cant go back there. Its
too dangerous. Im staying with a friend but its
though. We have no electricity, gas or water.
We cant bathe. There are huge queues outside
the shops and nothing to buy inside. We have
no idea when our lifelines will return. Its terrible,
terrible.
Emiko Mimura, Japanese evacuee, island of
Oshima, Japan

Im hungry but what I

most want is furniture,
like a bed and a TV.
Yuto Hariyu, 15, Miyagi
prefecture, Japan

Its terrifying. We have been hit by disasters and

now we are being threatened by something we
cant even see. Any one of these dangers would
be bad, but to be hit by three in a row is beyond
imagination
Masakai Ohata, Kenssennuma City, Japan after
the explosions at Fukushima nuclear power plant,
following the earthquake and tsunami

Even airplanes have been found amongst the debris from the devastating tsunami - the
force of the water just swept away everything in its way!
Rex

An aerial view of Minamisanriku - one of the devastated coastal areas of northern Japan.
The prime minister of Japan has said the country faces its biggest crisis since the

A woman and her dog walk among the debris.

Lesson Resources
Earthquake hits Japan, a Learnewsdesk
story:

Les s on plan

Fleeing Congo
Volcanic Threat in the Congo

After Japan after the quake and tsunami,

a Learnnewsdesk story,

Japan earthquake and tsunami - in pictures

Map of Japan Earthquake

Lesson on Earthquakes with photographs
and animation downloads
Richter Scale for Measuring Earthquakes
Building Volcanoes (with downloadable
animations on tectonic plates and
earthquake zones)
Physical and Human History of Japan
Gujarat Earthquake in 2001
Mount St. Helens Volcanic Eruption
Earthquake Eyewitness Report

Video Clips
We Lost Everything
Rescue Story
From NGOs
Red Cross exploring loss of life, damage
and personal suffering, and the dignity of
those who survived Japans earthquake and
tsunami
Haiti Earthquake 2010 - Powerpoint
presentation from ActionAid
Pakistan Floods 2010 PowerPoint
presentation from Action Aid
Pakistan Flood - lesson ideas to go with
Powerpoint