The management of tectonic hazards fit into 3 different categories...
Monitoring |
Protection |
Preparation |
Actions taken to try to predict an earthquake or volcanic eruption. |
Designing buildings so they don’t get damaged and engineering the landscape to avoid lava hazards. |
Actions taken to ensure the population respond safely. |
Here are examples of what can be done to monitor tectonic hazards:
Seismograph
A seismograph is the device that scientists use to measure earthquakes. The goal of a seismograph is to accurately record the motion of the ground during a quake.
You may have noticed that buildings in a city sometimes shake when a big truck or a subway train rolls by. Good seismographs are therefore away from cities and connected to bedrock (very deep rock) to stop it recording anything other than an earthquake. It collects the data as the earthquake happens, so can’t really be used for earthquake prediction yet. However, earthquakes are warning signs for volcanic eruptions so they can be used for prediction in that circumstance. |
Measuring PH Levels of water
As magma moves under the crust, it releases gases.
These gases can kill small animals like squirrels if they are produced in large enough quantities. These gases can also make bodies of water like lakes and rivers slightly acidic too. This is one of the ways that scientists can try to predict a volcanic eruption. |
Here are some examples of what can be done to protect a population from a tectonic hazards:
Building a Dam
Blocking the path of the lava flow with a dam or a wall has been tried lots of times – it stops the lava flowing fast , as it piles up behind the wall and then slowly dribbles over the top.
If the lava slows down, it cools off and turns into solid rock. However, walls are often melted and the lava can burst right through it and just keep flowing. |
Building a Trench
Digging a channel (like a trench) between the volcano and whatever needs to be protected
This means that the lava flows into the channel and then flows along the channel and away from the town. This works as long as the channel doesn’t overflow and it’s cheap and easy for rich and poor countries. |
Building Earthquake Proof Buildings
It is possible to make buildings and important structures like bridges earthquake proof.
One of the ways this is achieved is by building the structures out of flexible materials to make the building move with the movement of the earth. Weirdly, you actually want this to happen because even though it would be scary and you might fall over, the materials wouldn’t snap and make the structure fall down. Sometimes there are springs put in the foundations of buildings to enable the building to absorb the energy from the earthquake. This means that there will be less vibration through the structure and it will be less likely to fall down. Less damage = less deaths + less money to clear up! |
Here is an example of what can be done to prepare a population for a tectonic hazards: