GEOG 1350 Lecture 1: geog1350 lec1
15 Feb 2017
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Hazards affect millions of people around the world each year. Within north america, every location is at least one hazardous process. Natural hazards can arise from three main processes: Internal forces within the earth driven by the internal energy of the earth ex. plate tectonics. External forces on earth"s surface driven by the sun"s energy ex. atmospheric effects. Gravitational attraction driven by the force of gravity ex. downslope movements. De nitions ( ll in the blanks on exam) Natural hazard: a natural process that poses a potential threat to people and property. Risk: the probability of an event occurring multiplied by the impact on people and property. Disaster: a brief event that causes great damage or loss of life. Natural hazards differ in their potential to cause a catastrophe based on the size of the area affected. More likely to be catastrophic: tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, oods. Less likely to be catastrophic: landslides, avalanches, wild res, tornadoes.
