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88 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What is a disaster? |
Substantial event causing 1) physical damage 2) injury or loss of life 3)a drastic change to the environment |
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What is an element? |
A chemical element consists of identical atoms |
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What is in an atom? |
Protons (+), neutrons in the nucleus, Electrons (-) orbit |
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How can you tell the number of protons in an atom? |
Atomic # |
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What elements, in order of adundant mass, is the earth's crust made of? |
oxygen, silicon, aluminum |
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What elements, in order of adundant mass, is the earth's core made of? |
iron, nickel, oxygen? |
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What elements, in order of adundant mass, is the ocean made of? |
oxygen. hydrogen, chlorine |
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What elements, in order of adundant mass, is the atmosphere made of? |
nitrogen, oxygen, argon |
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What are the characteristics of each phase of matter? |
Solid: not very fluid, not very compressible Liquid: very fluid, not very compressible Gas: very fluid, very compressible |
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What is the formula and units for density? |
D=mass/volume kg/m^3 |
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Define stratification |
less dense materials float on top of denser materials, creating stratification |
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Give the stratification of the earth |
atmosphere, ocean, crust, mantle, outer core, inner core |
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What is a force? |
something that pushes or pulls, measured in Newtons |
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What is work? |
The force that pushes an object times the distance the object moves |
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What are the 4 types of energy? |
potential, kinetic, sensible, latent |
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What is potential energy? Give an example of an object with PE |
The work needed to raise an object of (m in kg) mass a vertical distance (z in meters) against the pull of gravity PE=g.m.z eg. holding a pineapple in the air |
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What is kinetic energy? Give an example of KE |
energy from moving KE=0.5 x m x v^2 eg. a car rolling on the road |
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What is sensible heat? Give an example |
heat energy we can sense, feel, or measure ie. when we measure temp we are measuring sensible heat |
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What is latent heat? Give an example |
"hidden" energy in chemical bonds stored between atoms sensible heat stored as latent heat during melting or boiling (sublimation) latent heat released as sensible heat hen condensing or freezing (depositing) |
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Describe what happens to latent heat when gas becomes liquid |
heat is transferred/released to its surroundings |
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Describe what happens to latent heat when liquid becomes gas |
heat is taken from the surroundings |
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What is an order of magnitude? |
powers of ten |
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What is the logarithmic scale |
steps by powers of ten, eg. "3" is 10^3 |
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Name 3 order of magnitude scales |
Richter Scale (Earthquakes)Moment Magnitude Scale (Earthquakes)Volcano Explosivity IndexBeaufort Scale (Wind and Waves)Saffir‐Simpson Scale (Hurricanes)Enhanced Fujita Scale (Tornadoes)Torro Scale (Tornadoes)Torino Scale (Impacts) |
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What is return period? |
average number of years between disaster events of the same magnitude |
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Calculate the RP of a category 5 hurricane that has occured 2 times in 70 years |
RP (5)=time span of data/number of times it has occured RP=35 |
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Name the time scale for energy and release time for earthquakes |
centuries/years --> minutes |
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Name the time scale for energy and release time for volcanoes |
centuries/decades --> days |
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Compare risk and hazard |
Hazard is any event that could cause human or economic harm and risk is the probability that a hazard will occur risk=hazard x vulnerability |
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Describe population growth and explain why it is important for natural disasters |
population exceeds carrying capacity,with more people infrastructure becomes more important nd vulnerable and people are less likely to be evacuated |
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what is carrying capacity |
the population that can be sustainably developed in a certain domain |
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What is vulnerability |
a weakness that could be affected by a disaster and or how badly it could be affected |
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True or false: our perception of risk is accurate and helpful |
false |
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List the components of the earth from outer to inner layers. Also give their relative temperatures |
Crust (cold), mantle (warm), Core (hot) |
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What component of the earth are tectonic plates made of? |
solid crust and upper part of the mantle, the lithosphere |
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What is the theory of plate tectonics |
theory developed by Alrfred Wegner, study of how the plates evolve and move on the surface. poposed that continents drifted through the ocean |
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Describe the Unifying theory of earth's dynamics |
the fundamental process that controls the earth's structure and evolution Direct cause of many hazards e.g. earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis Responsible for the topographic features such as continents, mountain belts |
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What controls plate tectonics? |
Physical properties: composition, density, temperature Force: gravity |
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What affect does temperature have on density? |
it causes density to decrease |
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What is rheology |
how a material deforms |
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Describe the 3 types of deformation |
ELASTIC: springs back and is reversible; DUCTILE: plastic flow and is permanent; BRITTLE: breaks and is permanent |
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Describe the rheology of the lithosphere |
Lithosphere (crust and uppermost mantle) Cool, solid, exterior shell Brittle….but sometmes ductle |
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Describe the rheoloy of the aesthenosphere |
Hotter and deeper, very ductile (geological time), almost melting but still solid |
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Describe the rheology of the mesosphere |
lower mantle, hotter but very high pressure, solid, stiff but ductile (geological time) |
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Describe the rheology of the outer core |
metalic, extremely hot, very high pressure, liquid |
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Describe the rheology of the inner core |
metalic, even hotter and even more pressure, solid |
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Where on a plate is an earthquake most likely to happen? |
on the boundary |
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What are the 2 types of crust? Describe each |
Continental crust: variable but felsic(granite), thick, relatively less dense Oceanic crust: Mafic, thin, relatively more dense, "floats low" |
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What are the 2 types of plates |
Continental Lithosphere: beneath yellowknife is the oldest and coldest Beneath vancouver it is hot and relatively thin Oceanic Lithosphere: at a ridgecrest, it is youngest and hottest Northeastern pacific is the oldest and coldest |
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Describe the convection cycle in the context of the earth |
Plate tectonics is the upper layer that floats on top of the convection cycle the mantle and the oceanic lithosphere rise and cool, then sink and heat |
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How much do plates move on average per year? |
3-4 cm |
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What are 3 forces acting on plates |
basal drag, slab pull, and ridge push |
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Define basal drag |
friction between rigid lithosphere and the more ductile asthenosphere drags the plate along |
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Define slab pull |
cold descending plate is denser thanthe hot mantle gravity pulls dense plate down |
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Define ridge push |
heating at the rift raises the ridge crest gravity pulls the elevated plates downand apart |
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What are the general plate boundaries, what action do they usually do, what forces typically act on them, and what fault are they usually associated with? |
1. convergent, two plates push together, compression, thrust/reverse 2. divergent, two plates pull apart, tension, normal 3. Transform, two plates slide past each other, shear, strike slip |
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Which way does the hanging wall slide in each type of fault |
Normal: down, reverse: up, strike slip: horizontal |
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Rate the boundaries based on strength from strongest to weakest |
convergent, transform, divergent |
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How can you link faulting and earthquakes to the different plate tectonic boundaries? |
a) Temperature, strength, and geometry are keys todetermining if or how ‘big’ a brittle fracture(earthquake fault rupture) will be. b) You can logically predict for any plate boundary:• The type of faulting that would dominate there.• Where the earthquakes would happen in/near thatboundary.• How ‘big’ the earthquakes would likely be. |
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Give the stats on divergent plate boundary earthquakes. Include Force/fault, depth range, max size, frequency of quakes, locations, and risk |
tension/normal, very shallow due to hot thin lithosphere, not very big quakes, frequent, mid ocean ridges (eg mid atlantic ridge), low risk |
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Name the types of convergent plate boundaries |
subduction and collision |
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Why do only oceanic plates subduct? |
continental crust is too buoyent |
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If two continental plates converge, which one subducts? |
the oldest one |
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Give the stats on subduction plate boundary earthquakes. Include Force/fault, depth range, max size, frequency of quakes, locations, and risk |
compression/thrust reverse, three zones (0 to 650km), biggest because the lithosphere is cold and strong and is under compression, max 9.7 Mw, very infrequent, occurs in 3 zones 1) plate interface (megathrust 25-40 km depth) 2) overriding plate (up to ~50 km depth) 3) Downgoing slab (up to 650 km depth), risk depends on pop density and distance from hypocenter
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What happens when there is continent-continent collision |
plates fuse building mountains, crust thickens, and very large earthquake occcurs |
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Give the stats on continental collision earthquakes. Include Force/fault, depth range, max size, frequency of quakes, locations, and risk |
compression, undr 200 km, high potential for mega earthquake, low frequency, broad width of zone well back into overriding plate, high risk |
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Where do subduction earthquakes occur?` |
3 zones 1) plate interface (megathrust 25-40 km depth) 2) overriding plate (up to ~50 km depth) 3) Downgoing slab (up to 650 km depth) |
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Give the stats on transform plate boundary earthquakes. Include Force/fault, depth range, max size, frequency of quakes, locations, and risk |
shear, shallow, narrow, potential for major earthquake 8Mw, can be infrequent, risk depends on location |
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Elastically, what is an earthquake |
the elastic rebound to the original shape (diff posiiton) after cool brittle rock breaks |
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Contrast the types of seismic waves |
body waves travel inside the earth and suface waves travel on the boundaries between materials |
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Discuss the 2 types of body waves |
P wave: • compression and extension of the solid (or fluid), like a sound wave • particles move in same direction wave propagates • fastest type of seismic wave: about 6 km/second in continental crust S wave: • shearing distortion of the solid • particles move perpendicular to direction wave propagates • slower than P wave: about 3.5 km/second in continental crust. Cannot pass through fluids! |
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True or false: surface waves are slower than body waves |
true |
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discuss the types of surface waves |
Rayleigh wave: vertical and horizontal motion parallel to wave travel direction (like an ocean wave) Love wave: horizontal movement perpendicular to wave travel direction |
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How can you use triangulation to determine the location of the hypocenter |
We can use the time between P and S waves using at least 3 seismometers to triangulate location |
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What is the difference betwen magintude and intensity |
magnitude: how much energy was released Intensity: how strong the ground motion was felt by the location |
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What are the two scales for measuring magnitude |
1) local or richter magnitude: based on the ground motion, usually the surface wave amplitude 2) moment magnitude: based on area of rupture and slip on fault, now the standard |
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For each increase on the magnitude scale, how much does the energy increase by |
32 times |
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What is the hypocenter |
point on the fault, usually below the surface, where the rupture starts |
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For each increase in magnitude, how much does the shaking increase |
10 times |
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What is the epicenter |
the point directly above the hypocenter on the surface |
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What scale is intensity measured on? |
Mercali scale, based on percetion not qunatitative data |
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Which is more damaging: horizontal or vertical shaking |
horizontal |
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Which waves are the most damaging? which are the least damaging? |
Surface waves:•Often the largest amplitudes•Rolling motion most destructive•Duration is the longest. P (compressional) waves:•Often the smallest amplitudes•Near-vertical ground motion is the least destructive•Duration is the shortest. |
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What type of ground is most destructive |
the wetter and looser the soil, the more problematic |
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What material is the most safe for houses |
wood |
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What type of building has the most resonance |
Short, squat, low mass buildings tend to be sSffer • Resonate at high frequencies, fast vibraSons with low amplitudes Tall, skinny higher mass buildings tend to be more flexible • Resonate at low frequencies, slow vibraSons with large amplitudes |
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What are some measures engineers can take to prevent resonance disasters |
• Tuned mass dampers Massive pendulum within a building is designed to counter the building sway and resonance from earthquakes or wind • Seismic base isolation systems Structural elements that decouple the building from its base |
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Why do water saturated sediments lose strength during an earthquake? |
During an earthquake: • The vibrations wiggle the grains around • Increasing the water pressure in the pore spaces • This pushes the grains apart • Contact forces decrease and the grains and water can move more easily • The sediment ‘liquefies’ |