1.1.6

How Serious Are Natural Hazards?

Test yourself

How Serious Are Natural Hazards?

Some natural hazards can be very serious and threaten lots of people's lives. Some are less serious. 3 main factors affect how bad a natural hazard is:

Illustrative background for PredictabilityIllustrative background for Predictability ?? "content

Predictability

  • Some hazards are more predictable.
    • E.g. earthquakes are less predictable than tropical storms, so governments often can't prepare and evacuate the population.
  • In the 2020 Australia bushfires, forecasting the spread of the fires can allow the government to evacuate the population.
Illustrative background for FrequencyIllustrative background for Frequency ?? "content

Frequency

  • The frequency is how often something happens.
  • If a volcano erupted violently every day, that would be worse than a volcano that erupted once every 500 years.
Illustrative background for Magnitude (size)Illustrative background for Magnitude (size) ?? "content

Magnitude (size)

  • Magnitude is another word for size.
  • A volcano erupting violently is worse than one that erupts mildly.
  • Some hazards do more damage and injure more people than others.

Jump to other topics

1The Challenge of Natural Hazards

1.1Natural Hazards

1.2Tectonic Hazards

1.3Weather Hazards

1.4Climate Change

2The Living World

3Physical Landscapes in the UK

3.1The UK Physical Landscape

3.2Coastal Landscapes in the UK

3.3River Landscapes in the UK

3.4Glacial Landscapes in the UK

4Urban Issues & Challenges

5The Changing Economic World

6The Challenge of Resource Management

6.1Resource Management

6.2Food

6.3Water

6.4Energy

Go student ad image

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

  • Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

  • Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

  • 30+ school subjects covered

Book a free trial lesson