Natural Catastrophic

events
volcanism

earthquake

Tsunami
 Geomorpho
complete sequence of processes of
creation and movement of magma +
creation of volcanic landforms Volcanism
Volcanism is not random
Reason associated with volcanism
is also not random
 Distribution of Volcanism

• 1st
• Pacific Ring of Fire
• O-O convergence
• O-C convergence
 Plate movements
O-O : Volcanic arc O-C :Volcanic mountains
 Mid Oceanic Ridge

2nd
• O-O divergence
• Basaltic – peaceful
eruption
 Mediterranean volcanism
3th
• Breaking up of
Mediterranean plates
into multiple blocks
• Andesitic eruption
• Frequent interaction
• Mt. Etna, Mt.
Vesuvius
History of Mediterranean sea

• Mediterranean sea is
residual part of Tethys
sea
• Tethys sea was located
between – Laurasia
and Gondwana
• Collision of Africa to
Laurasia – breaking up
of plates of
Mediterranean sea
 Hot Spot Volcanoes
• 4th
• Magma From deep
interior -Basaltic
• Fixed place - Plate
movement – Island
arc
• Direction of plate
• Hawaii, Reunion,
Kurile, Aleutian
Aleutian Islands
 comparison
Basaltic eruption Andesitic eruption

Occur at mid-oceanic Volcanic arcs, volcanic

ridge and hot spot
volcanism
Basalt highly fluid –
mobile
Spread across easily
Quite eruption
mountains
Andesite – less fluid – less
mobile
Solidifies at short
distance- intense pressure
develop inside –explosive
 comparison
Basaltic eruption Andesitic eruption
 Volcanic Landforms

Volcanic
plateau
Extrusive
Volcanic
Landforms cones

Intrusive Dykes etc.

Intrusive Landforms
 Intrusive Volcanic Landforms
Intrusive Landforms
Intrusion of Magma in sedimentary rocks
Sills (Horizontal)
Dyke (Vertical)
Laccolith – magma which could not come
out
Lopolith – saucer-shaped
Phacolith – shape like waves
Batholith – intrusive granitic rock
 Extrusive volcanic Landforms

Volcanic Shield
Plateau volcano
Extrusive
Volcanic
Cinder vol.
cones
Composite
vol.
Lava plateaus
• Hot spot volcano on
continental crust
• Cracks on continental
crust –Basaltic
eruption
• Spread across the land
• Layer over layer
• EX. Deccan lava trapps
Indian Deccan trap
• Indian plate passed
over a hot spot near
Reunion Island
• Basaltic eruption
• Layer over layers –
looks like steps =>
Deccan lava traps
• Soil – black soil ‘regur’
Spatial distribution of Lava Plateau
 List of lava plateaus of the world
• Columbia-snake Deccan plateau, India
plateau, USA • Arabian plateau
• Ozark plateau, USA • Balkan plateau, Europe
• Parana-Patagonia, S. • Siberian plateau,
America Russia
• Adamawa plateau, • Yunan Plateau, China
Africa
• Shan plateau, Myanmar
• Bie plateau, Africa
• Kimberly plateau,
• Katanga Plateau, Australia
Africa
 Extrusive volcanic Landforms

Volcanic Shield
Plateau volcano
Extrusive
Volcanic
Cinder vol.
cones
Composite
vol.
 Shield / Dome volcano

• Volcanic Islands (Hot

spot)
• Highly fluid lava
(basaltic) build dome
• Gentle slope
• Quite volcano
• Volcanoes of Hawaii
 Cinder cones
• O-C collision – volcanic
mountains
• Less fluid lava
(Andesitic) explode
violently
• Viscous lava solidifies
at short distance

• Mt. Paricutin, Mexico

 Composite Cones
Volcanic mountains
Each new eruption –
new layers of ash or
lava

Mt. Stromboli, Mt.

Vesuvius, Mt. Fuji
 Types of Volcanic cones
Shield/ dome Cinder Composite

Highly fluid Less fluid / highly Fluid + viscous

viscous
Silent flow Violent eruption Multiple and
violent eruption
Gentle slope Steep slope Highest
volcanoes
Small volcanoes Small volcanoes Large volcanoes
 Geysers
• Geysers
=fountains of Hot
water
• Ground water
heated by shallow
source of magma
• Old faithful
geyser, Yellow
stone park, USA
 Hot Spring
• Hot Spring:
• Water reach deep
enough – heated by
interior
• Locate any part of the
world
Difference between geyser and Hotspring
• Geyser – G/w heated by
shallow magma source
• Hot spring – g/w heated by
either magma source or
heated rocks
• Geyser – chamber in
interior – pressure –
comes out like fountain
• Hot –spring - quite
 comparison
geyser Hot spring

Geysers are rare Found anywhere

Hot water dissolved with They gets different colors
silica accumulated on from heat-loving bacteria,
surface – gives different like cyanobacteria
colours Medicinal values
USA, - Yellowstone park Can be helpful in harness
geo-thermal energy
Geo-thermal energy

• Heated water is
taken out – used
for moving turbine
– generation of
electricity
• Cooled water
flown back into
interior
 Limitations of geo-thermal energy
Difficult to locate a good source of
geothermal reservoir with current technology
Difficult to dig a deep well with hard and hot
bedrock
Harmful gases can escape from the earth
interior while exploration – GHG gases and
dissolved toxic elements
volcanism

earthquake

Tsunami
 Geomorpho
Sudden movement or vibration in
earth’s crust.
Earthquake

Release of the energy due to intense

pressure + active internal dynamism
of the earth
 Types of Earthquake
1) Shallow focus EQ
2) Intermediate
focus EQ
3) Deep focus EQ

Shallow focus –
destructive
 Earthquakes in Japan
At Junction of 3 plates Subduction of Pacific plate
 Reasons behind EQ
1st
Collision of Plate
boundaries
O-O collision
O-C collision
C-C collision
 Reasons behind EQ
2nd
Divergent Plate
boundaries

O-O divergence
MOR
 Reasons behind EQ

• 3th
• Transverse plate
boundaries
• Friction developed
between two plates
 Reasons behind EQ
4th
Mediterranean sea
region
Numerous small
plates
Frequent
interactions
 Reasons behind EQ
5th 6th
Craton = stable part of Human Induced
crust 1) RIS
Re-emergence of old 2) mining
fractures
3) Nuclear testing
Catastrophic events on earth
Their reasons and distributions
Volcanism
EQ
Geomorphology
Oceanography
volcanism

earthquake

Tsunami
 Geomorpho
Submarine EQ
Sudden disturbances of underlying Tsunami
plates transmit the shock waves to
surface waves
 comparison
Normal waves Tsunami waves

Speed – 100 kmph Speed – 700 kmph

Cover shorter distances Cover longer distances
Wavelength ~100 km Wavelength – > 150 km
wavelength
• Distance between two
crests of troughs =
wavelength

• Waves of Tsunami are

wider than normal
waves of the ocean
water
Phase 1
• EQ on ocean crust –
uplift the water upward
• Tsunami wave
generated
• Sea water recede at
the shore
• Vessels in the mid-sea
cannot recongnise the
tsunami waves
Phase 2
• At coast – depth
decrease – wavelength
decreases – wave
height increases
• A huge wall of water –
10-12 floor high
created
• Enormous energy
released at the shore
Phase 3
• Hit the coast
• Tsunami- not a single
wave but multiple
waves
• 4th and 8th waves are
the most dangerous
• Time lapse between
each waves – 15 to 50
minutes
Phases of tsunami
 Indian preparedness against Tsunami
Tsunami Early warning system- gives warning in
10 minutes of submarine earthquake
Indian National centre for Ocean Information
Sciences (INCOIS),Hyderabad
 To capture Tsunami wave amplitude on 24x7
basis
 real time sea-level sensors with bottom
pressure recorders
HF radars for coastal currents
Coastal tide gauge stations
Geomorphology
Interior of the earth
Continental drift – sea floor sprading-
plate tectonic theories
Mountains –plateaus –plains
Catastrophic events – Volcanism, EQ
and Tsunami