EARTHSC 2GG3 Study Guide - Summer 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Earth, Canada, Sediment
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
EARTHSC 2GG3
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
EARTHSC 2GG3 – June 19/17
Natural Processes and Energy Sources
• Processes are physical, chemical, and biological ways in which events affect Earth’s
surface
• Internal processes come from forces within Earth
o Plate Tectonics
o Result of internal energy of Earth
• External processes come from forces on Earth’s surface
o Atmospheric effects
o Energy from the Sun
Definitions
Hazard: probability that a specific damaging event
will happen within a particular period of time
Risk: a function of the hazard, exposure,
vulnerability, and coping capacity
Disaster: hazardous event that occurs over a
limited time in a defined area
Catastrophe: massive disaster that requires
significant amount of money or time to recover
Disaster Trends
• Recently, there has been an APPARENT increase in natural disasters
• The UN designated the 1990s as the International Decade for Natural Hazards
Reduction
• Mitigation – to reduce the effects of something; natural disaster preparation
Death and Damage caused by Natural Hazards
• Those hazards that have a great impact on human life may not cause the most
property damage
• Hazards vary greatly in their ability to cause catastrophe
Magnitude and Frequency of Hazardous Events
• Impact: function of magnitude and frequency
o Also influenced by other factors (e.g. climate, geology, vegetation, land-use,
population)
• Magnitude-Frequency Concept: inverse relationship between magnitude and
frequency
M = Fe-x
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
• History of an area gives clues to its potential hazards
o Maps, historical accounts, weather and climate data
o Rock types, faults, folds, soil composition
Geologic Cycle
• Geologic conditions govern the type, location, and intensity of natural processes
• Sub cycles: tectonic, rock, hydrologic, biogeochemical
Rock Cycle
• Rocks are aggregates of one or more minerals
• Recycling of 3 major rock types
• Different rocks are formed by different processes
• Rock types in a location give clues to the geological past and present
Igneous Rocks: form from crystallization of magma
Sedimentary Rocks: rocks are weathered into sediment by wind and water; deposited
sediment is converted into sedimentary rock by lithification
Metamorphic Rocks: rocks are changed through extreme heat, pressure, or chemically
active fluids
Hydrologic Cycle
• Solar energy drives movement of water between atmosphere and oceans and
continents
• Processes include: evaporation, precipitation, surface runoff, and subsurface flow
• Water is stored in compartments such as oceans, the atmosphere, rivers, streams,
etc.
o Residence time = estimated average time that a drop of water spends in any
compartment
o Only a small amount of water is active at any given time
Biogeochemical Cycles
• Transfer or cycling of an element or elements through the atmosphere – carbon,
nitrogen, phosphorous
• Elements and chemical compounds are transferred via a series of reservoirs
• Amounts of elements in each reservoir, and their rates of transfer between each, are
known only approximately
Fundamental Concepts for Understanding Natural Processes as Hazards
1. Hazards can be understood through scientific investigation and analysis
2. An understanding of hazardous processes is vital to evaluating risk
3. Hazards are linked to each other and the environment
4. Population growth and socio-economic changes increase the risk from natural
hazards
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Natural processes and energy sources: processes are physical, chemical, and biological ways in which events affect earth"s, external processes come from forces on earth"s surface surface. Internal processes come from forces within earth: plate tectonics, result of internal energy of earth, atmospheric effects, energy from the sun. Hazard: probability that a specific damaging event will happen within a particular period of time. Risk: a function of the hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and coping capacity. Disaster: hazardous event that occurs over a limited time in a defined area. Catastrophe: massive disaster that requires significant amount of money or time to recover. Disaster trends: recently, there has been an apparent increase in natural disasters, the un designated the 1990s as the international decade for natural hazards, mitigation to reduce the effects of something; natural disaster preparation. Reduction: those hazards that have a great impact on human life may not cause the most property damage, hazards vary greatly in their ability to cause catastrophe.
