Homework 9

Tectonic Hazards• Mt Etna Volcano (Italy) • Montserrat Volcano• Haiti Earthquake• Christchurch Earthquake (New

Zealand)

Atmosperic Hazards• Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Sandy• Cyclone Nargis• Drought in Ethiopia (the Sahel)• Drought in Australia

Mt Etna Volcano (Italy)Summary : Mt Etna burst into life with a series of massive explosions in October 2002. There had been some warning the previous 48 hours with a series of earth tremors. The most recent eruptions happened in August 2014, however the damage caused was minimal.PLCs facts:• Pre-eruption tremors caused nearby land to subside by

2m• October 2002 eruption• In fact there have only been 77 confirmed deaths

directly related to Mt. Etna over the thousands of years of recorded volcanic activity

Montserrat (Volcano)Summary:Montserrat is a small island in the Caribbean. There is a volcanic area located in the south of the island on Soufriere Hills .PLCs facts:• Before 1995 it had been dormant for over 300 years.• The most intense eruptions occurred in 1997.• The population of the island (11,000 people) was

evacuated in 1995.

Haiti (Earthquake)Summary: Haiti is situated to the north of the Caribbean Plate, on a plate boundary with the North American Plate. The North American plate is moving west. This movement is not smooth and there is friction between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate. Pressure builds between the two plates until it is released as an earthquake. PLCs facts:• 220,000 people estimated to have died• 7.0 Magnitude Quake struck near Port au Prince• 12 January 2010

Christchurch (Earthquake)Summary:Residents of Christchurch were hit hard by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. The earthquake occurred on a conservative plate margin where the Pacific Plate slid past the Australian Plate in the opposite direction.PLCs facts:• February 22, 2011• The second-largest city in New Zealand • Resulted in the deaths of 185 people

Hurricane Katrina/SandySummary:Hurricane Sandy was a post-tropical cyclone that swept through the Caribbean and up the East Coast of the United States in October of 2012. The hurricane began as a tropical wave in the Caribbean and quickly turned into a tropical storm in just 6 hours.PLCs facts:• The total death toll reached 285• Over 7.5 million people were without power.• reached 74 mph winds.

Cyclone Nargis

Summary:Cyclone Nargis happened in May 2008. Little warning was given. It mainly affected Burma, a country south west of Bangladesh.PLCs facts:• nearly 200,000 people died.• $10 million damage occurred• Winds of 200 km per hour.

Drought in Ethiopia (Sahel)

Summary:The Sahel region of Africa has been suffering from drought on a regular basis since the early 1980s. The area naturally experiences alternating wet and dry seasons. PLCs facts:• Life Expectancy 53 years• It has a population of over 50 million• The annual average rainfall of the Sahel is low 100-

200mm

Drought in AustraliaSummary:

PLCs facts: