Lesson 6: Geohazards - Lesson 1

Lesson 6: Geohazards
What you need to know:
1. What is a geohazard?
2. Precautions authorities can take to help protect against the effects of geohazards.
A geohazard is any natural hazard that is caused by the Earth, for example
volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and cyclones. These and other
geohazards can cause great loss of life and damage to property when they occur
so governments are always looking for ways of reducing the impacts of
geohazards. Remember it is impossible to stop a volcano erupting or an
earthquake happening!
It is sometimes possible to predict when certain geohazards will occur, such as
volcanoes and cyclones. For example the eruption of a volcano can be predicted
when scientists observe the following warning signs:
1. The gases that volcanoes give off suddenly change.
2. Small earthquakes happen in the local area.
3. The volcano starts to get bigger as it fills with magma.
In your exam you may be asked to state what a geohazard is.
In countries where geohazards are common, governments can take a number of
actions to reduce the effect on their citizens, such as:
1. Teach people what to do if a geohazard occurs.
2. Have plans in place to evacuates the affected areas.
3. Train emergency services so they are ready for geohazards.
4. Make sure buildings are built to certain standards (building
regulations), so that they do not fall apart in the event of a geohazard.
In your exam you may be asked how governments can reduce the impact of
geohazards.
© Studydoctor 2009

Recap:
1. A geohazard is any natural hazard caused by the Earth.
2. Examples of geohazards include volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and floods
3. Warnings signs such as small earthquakes and gas emissions can tell us that a
geohazard might occur.
4. Governments can take action to reduce the impact of geohazards.
Further information:
1. An article from the Guardian newspaper that describes an early warning system in
Indonesia to help prevent the devastating effects of another tsunami:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/11/indonesia-tsunami-warning-system
2. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has an good site describing the impacts
of geohazards on people. http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/tectonics.html
© Studydoctor 2009