EARTHQUAKES

PREVENTION/PROTECTION FOR EARTHQUAKES

The impacts of earthquakes can be greatly reduced and prevented by

constructing buildings and roads that can withstand earthquakes eg in San
Francisco,USA.

Buildings designed to withstand earthquakes should have the following features:

Reinforced foundation in the bed-rock

Rubber shock absorbers
Building materials should be fire resistant
Open areas where people can assemble and wait to be evacuated
Automatic shatters over the windows to prevent pedestrians from being
showered with glass etc

NB

EACH CLASS TO GET CASE STUDIES RELATED TO EARHQUAKES IN LICs AND HICs.

The case studies should clearly outline primary and secondary effects and
reconstruction after the earthquake.

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

DEFINITION OF TERMS

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY

This is the eruption of molten rocks ash or and gases from a volcano

MAGMA

The molten material in the earths interior at very high temperatures and intense
pressure

VOLCANICITY

The process by which solid, liquid and gaseous materials are forced onto the
surface or forced into the earths crust

There are two types of volcanicity:

(a)Extrusive volcanicity

(b)Intrusive volcanicity

Extrusive volcanicity occurs when molten rock, ash and or gaseous materials
are forced onto the earths surface in an eruption.

Intrusive volcanicity occurs when molten materials solidify and get trapped
within the earths crust
LAVA

It is extruded magma. Lava can either be acidic or basic

Differences between acidic and basic

ACIDIC LAVA BASIC LAVA

Acidic lava contains much silica and
therefore solidifies faster ;It builds
steep sided and localised volcanic
mountains.
Acidic lava erupts violently because the
vent is sealed. It occurs at the
destructive margin
Basic lava contains less silica and
therefore cools slowly and may spread
out to form a low-lying volcanic
mountain (shield volcano)
Basic lava erupts quietly. It mainly
occurs at the constructive margin

VOLCANIC LANDFORMS

Volcanic landforms include:

Volcanoes
Craters/Caldera
Sub-marine volcanoes
Ocean ridges

VOLCANOES

Most volcanoes are cone-shape.However,the steepness of their slopes can vary

significantly. This steepness depends mainly on the type of lava erupted from the
vent.

Volcanoes can be classified into the following types depending on the type of
lava erupted.

Lava volcano(shield volcano)

Acid volcano
Ash volcano

Lava volcano

Runny, faster-flowing lava moves easily and is spread over a large area to form
gently sloping volcanoes.Eg Mount Mauna Loa (Hawaii)

Acid volcano

It is formed from thick, slow-flowing acid lava. Acid lava hardens quickly to form
localised and steep-sided volcanoes.Eg Mount St. Helens (USA)

The following materials are ejected during a volcanic eruption:

Pyroclastic flows (molten lava)

 Steam and various gases eg sulphur dioxide
Volcanic bombs (fragments of rocks)
Ash particles and dust particles

TYPES OF VOLCANOES

There are 3 types of volcanoes :

1Active volcanoes

2Dormant volcanoes

3Extinct volcanoes

Active volcanoes are those which erupted recently and show signs of activity or
eruption. Examples include Mount St. Helens ,Mount Mauna Loa (Hawaii),Mount
Etna and Vesuvius (Italy),Mount Pinatubo (Philippines),Mount Nyamlagira and
Nyiragongo (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Dormant volcanoes are those which are not active but show signs of activity or
eruption. Examples include Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Longonot,Mount Menengai
etc

Extinct Volcanoes are those which have not erupted in historic times. They do not
show signs of an eruption eg Mount Kenya, Mount Elgon etc