Case Studies:

• Geographical hazards are natural events or processes that threaten people, property, and the environment.
• They become disasters when they cause large-scale damage, loss of life, and disruption to communities.

natural hazards

• A natural hazard is a natural event with the potential to cause harm to people, property, and the environment.
• When a hazard actually causes major damage, deaths, and social disruption, it is called a natural disaster.
• Natural hazards occur due to natural physical processes and can be grouped into different types:
  • Tectonic hazards – earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis
  • Atmospheric hazards – hurricanes, droughts, floods
  • Geomorphological hazards – landslides, avalanches, rockfalls

Factors Affecting Hazard Severity:

The impact of a hazard depends on several factors:

• Scale of the event – energy released, area affected, and duration
• Population density – more people means greater potential damage
• Level of development – wealthier countries often have better infrastructure and emergency services
• Preparation and early-warning systems – monitoring, evacuation plans, and education
• Quality of infrastructure and buildings – stronger buildings reduce damage and deaths

Prediction and monitoring are important for reducing risk, but some hazards (especially earthquakes) remain extremely difficult to predict accurately.

tectonic hazards

Structure of the Earth