GROUP 1

Buensuceso, Mary Mae

Gagui, Chriscia
Gutierrez, Jillian
Quijano, Crystel
Sajol, Christine Joy
Natural Disasters
(Formal Report)
SAJOL, Christine Joy

Natural Disasters are naturally occurring physical phenomena caused either

by rapid or slow onset events. These are events caused by environmental factors or
natural processes of the earth that injure people & damage property.
If a natural disaster occurred in an unpopulated island or an uninhabited place, it
would not be considered as a natural disaster for no one will be injured and the
damage on the place would not affect anyone.
The severity of a disaster is measured in lives lost, economic loss and the ability
of the population to rebuild itself.
There are five types of natural disasters: Geophysical (earthquakes, landslides,
tsunamis, volcanic activities); Hydrological (avalanche, flood); Climatological
(extreme temperatures such as drought, wildfires); Meteorological (cyclones,
asteroids, blizzard); and Biological (epidemics, insect/animal plague).

Avalanches
A hydrological type of natural disaster caused by forces on top of a hill or
slope that are too heavy for its foundation, melting from solar radiation, rain, icefall,
rock fall, or earthquakes. It contains air and snow but can accumulate ice, rocks, or
anything along its path.
Most common in the 24 hours right after a storm dumps 12 inches or more of
fresh snow and can reach speeds up to 80 mph within 5 seconds and kill more than
150 people worldwide each year, mostly skiers and snowboarders

Types of Avalanche:

1. Loose Snow
Also known as sluffs, are common in steep terrains and occur in snow that
has just fallen or in old surface snow moistened by heavy solar radiation. It starts at
the point of the slope and widens as it travels downhill.
2. Wet Snow
This type of avalanche is triggered by loose snow releases and consists of
water and snow. It is low in velocity suspension but can also cause great damage
because of the combined mass and large density of water. It occurs usually at the
end of winter season.
3. Powder Snow
It is a cloud of powder that lies over a dense avalanche (wet snow
avalanche). It moves faster than 300 kph carrying a mass of 10M tones and can
travel long distances on a flat surface for a short time.
4. Slab
Slabs are formed when snow is deposited or redeposited by wind. It looks like
a block of snow cut out from its environment by fractures. This type of avalanche
causes 90 % of avalanche-related fatalities.

Earthquake
A sudden movement caused by the breaking and moving of the rock in the
earths crust as it releases strained energy. It occurs at fault zones, where tectonic
plates giant rock slabs that make up the Earths upper layer collide or slide
against each other.
Types of shock:
1. Foreshock
These are shocks of smaller magnitude that occur before the main shock.
2. Main shock
Also known as the main earthquake, it has the largest magnitude in a series
of earthquakes.
3. Aftershock
These are shocks of smaller magnitude that occur after the main shock

Foreshocks and aftershocks can occur for days, weeks and months of a main
earthquake. It can also occur for years as long as it happens at the same area of the
main earthquake. Types of shocks can be replaced or interchanged depending on
the magnitude and the time that a certain earthquake happened.
For example, a certain place experienced an earthquake of magnitude 3.0,
after a few hours, an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 occurred at the same place, then
two other earthquakes of magnitudes 5.0, 2.0, and 3.0 follow. Therefore, the
foreshock is the very first earthquake with magnitude 3.0; the main shock is the one
with a magnitude of 7.0, since it is the highest; and the aftershocks are the three
earthquakes that followed after the main shock because they have lower
magnitudes. But if another earthquake of magnitude 8.5 happened right after the
magnitude 7.0 earthquake, then the foreshocks will be changed to the earthquakes
of magnitudes 3.0 and 7.0 while the 8.0 magnitude will then become the main
shock.
Terms related to earthquakes:
O Tectonic Plates
These are huge layers that make up the earths upper layers. Tectonic plates
continually stretch, move, slide, and collide against each other and are about 80
to 400 km thick.
O Faults
These are weak lines that can develop in the plates, usually on the surface of
the earth.
Types of Faults:
1. Divergent
Continental plates are forced apart from each other. It allows the crust
to sink as it forms a rift zone or rift valley.
2. Convergent
One plate is forced over another plate during movement. It forces rock
layers to fold and pile up into mountain ranges.
3. Strike-Slip
Also known as transform, wherein plates slip by each other and is more
destructive to mankind because of its nearer focus.
O Hypocenter
It is a location below the earths surface where the earthquake starts.

O Epicenter
It is a location directly above the hypocenter on the surface of the earth.
Measurement of Earthquakes:
1. Seismographs
It is a device that scientists use to record amplitude, frequency and duration
of seismic waves, vibrations from earthquakes that travel through earth.
2. Richter Scale
It is a scale or measure that is used to compare earthquakes, where each
level is 10 times stronger than the previous level. In this scale, earthquakes of
magnitudes 1.0 to 4.0 are described as small, 5.0 to 6.0 as moderate, 7.0 as major,
8.0 to 9.0 as great, and 10.0 are super.

Some 81% of the planets earthquakes occur along the rim of the Pacific
Ocean called the Ring of Fire where many volcanic activities occur for it contains
452 volcanoes. The Ring of Fire is a 25000 mile horseshoe shape and causes a
spontaneous series of faults, volcanic arcs, belts, plate movements and oceanic
trenches.
Types of Earthquake Waves:
1. Primary
Also known as compressional waves and P-wave, its vibrations are along the
same direction as the direction of travel. These waves are longitudinal in nature and
travel faster than S-waves.
2. Secondary
Also known as transverse waves and S-wave, its vibrations are perpendicular
to the direction of travel such as water waves.
Types of Earthquake:
1. Tectonic
Tectonic Earthquakes occur when the earth's crust breaks due to geological
forces on rocks and adjoining plates that cause physical and chemical changes.
2. Volcanic

These are any earthquake that results from tectonic forces which occur in
conjunction with volcanic activity.
3. Collapse
These are small earthquakes in underground caverns and mines that are
caused by seismic waves produced from the explosion of rock on the surface.
4. Explosion
Earthquakes of this type are the result of the detonation of a nuclear and/or
chemical device.

Earthquakes can cause several other disasters such as avalanches, tsunami,

fires, landslides, and floods. For highly measured earthquakes, buildings and
properties can be easily destroyed and its aftermath can cause different kinds of
disease and loss of basic necessities for people such as shelter, food and water.

Natural Disasters: Some of the most catastrophic events

O Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (2011)
-

March 11, 2011

Epicenter was 130 km off the east coast Oshika Peninsula of Thoku
near Sendai

triggered extremely destructive tsunami waves of up to 10 meters (33

ft)

led to about 15 million dead or injured,and 2,814 people missing

affected 18 prefectures and caused a near nuclear disaster when there

was a partial meltdown in 3 reactors of the Fukushima nuclear plant

O Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami (2004)

-

December 26, 2004

9.15 magnitude, lasted for 10 seconds

forced the United Nations to finally introduce a tsunami warning

system for the Indian Ocean

Caused a tsunami that killed 200,000 to 310,000 people along the

shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South India, and Thailand with one

death even occurring at Port Elizabeth in South Africa, 8,000 miles

away from the epicenter.
O Krakatau (1883)
-

August 26, 1883

two thirds of Krakatau collapsed in a chain of titanic explosions,

destroying most of the island and its surrounding archipelago

one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in recorded

history, with at least 36,417 deaths being attributed to the eruption
itself and the tsunamis it created

more recent eruption has since created another island called Anak
Kratatau (child of Krakatau).

O Vesuvius (AD79)
-

spewed a deadly cloud of volcanic gas, stones, ash and fumes to a

height
of
33 km
(20.5
miles),
ejecting molten
rock
and
pulverized pumice at the rate of 1.5 million tons per second,

towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum were obliterated and buried

underneath massive pyroclastic surges and ashfall deposits. An
estimated 16,000 people died in the eruption.

The cities were never rebuilt and lay forgotten under layers of ash and
pumice until they were accidentally discovered more than 1,500 years
later.

The excavation of the two cities well-preserved due to the lack of air
and moisture they were exposed to under the ash has since provided
the modern world with incredible insight into what life was like during
the Roman Empire.

O Bhola Cyclone (1970)

-

November 12, 1970

Reaching wind speeds of 185 km/h, the Bhola Cyclone in Bangladesh

led to over US $490 million in damages, destroying 85% of the homes
in the region. It also fetched storm surges that wiped out entire
villages, killing 45% of the population in Tazumuddin. Nearly 500,000
perished during the cyclone.

The government at the time was criticised for failing to handle relief
efforts and protests led to its defeat in the national elections a month
later.

O Typhoon Haiyan (2013)

-

November 3, 2013

Wind speeds (at landfall) of 195 mph (314 km/h).

Guiuan in Eastern Samar was the point of Haiyan's first landfall, and
was severely affected due to the typhoon's impacts

Condemnations of slow government action in the relief effort in

response to the typhoon mounted days after the storm had passed.

Media reports criticized the Aquino administration for apparent lack of

preparation and coordination among government agencies in the aid
operation.

O The Great Blizzard (1888)

-

March 11-14, 1888

Around 40-50 inches of snow fell in parts of New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut, completely paralyzing the East Coast. All rail and road
transport ground to a halt and took days to clear.

It is believed that the storm is one of the main reasons the Americans
created the first underground subway system in Boston, which opened
nine years later. Similarly, following the storm New York began placing
telegraph and telephone infrastructure underground to protect them in
the event of future storms.

O Spanish Influeza (1918)

-

January 1918 December 1920

infected 500 million people across the world, including remote Pacific
islands and the Arctic, and killed 50 to 100 million of themthree to
five percent of the world's populationmaking it one of the deadliest
natural disasters in human history

O Black Death (1348)

-

1348 - 1351

Killed an estimated 25 to 60% of Europes population, though some

estimates were higher which would mean somewhere between 75
million to 200 million people

it was the second plague pandemic of the Middle Ages, next only to the
Justinian plague in the 6th century

QUESTIONS:
By Maam Yesh
1. For example, you were caught in an avalanche, how many hours can you survive?
Stats show that 93% survive within 15 minutes. After 45 minutes, 20 to
30%of victims are alive when rescued; then, after 2 hours, only very few people
survive.
2. What are the sicknesses that you may develop when caught in an avalanche?
When caught in an avalanche, a person is exposed to severe cold
environment which may cause a potentially dangerous drop in body temperature
called hypothermia. Also, due to the heavy mass of snow, sometimes combined with
water, the person may experience suffocation or the inability to breathe.
By blockmates
1. Can humans cause earthquakes?
People can cause earthquakes is partially a fact. The injection of fluids into
deep wells for waste disposal can cause minor earthquakes, same goes for deep
mining and nuclear testing that cause small quakes in the immediate area
surrounding the test site. But earthquakes are a natural part of the global tectonic
process that generally occurs well beyond the control and influence of humans.
2. Can animals really predict earthquakes because of foreshocks?
No. Changes in animal behavior cannot be used to predict earthquakes, they
just have finely tuned senses and can often feel the earthquake at its earliest stages
before humans around it can but that does not mean that they can predict an
eathquake and it is not because of foreshock, which are earthquakes that already
happened but in lower magnitude than the main earthquake.

REFERENCES

www.basicplanet.com
www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0775896.html
environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment
eschooltoday.com/natural-disasters
list25.com/25-worst-natural-disasters-recorded
earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/megaqk_facts_fantasy.php