DIFFERENT

GEOLOGICAL
HAZARDS
KARL GABRIEL MENDOZA
RAENIEL TIMBANG
11 - DESCARTES
WHAT IS A
GEOLOGICAL
HAZARD?
A GEOLOGIC HAZARD IS ONE OF
SEVERAL TYPES OF ADVERSE
GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS
CAPABLE OF CAUSING DAMAGE
OR LOSS OF PROPERTY AND
LIFE. THESE HAZARDS CONSIST
OF SUDDEN PHENOMENA AND
SLOW PHENOMENA:
TYPES OF GEOLOGICAL
HAZARDS
SUDDEN PHENOMENA

EARTHQUAKES
Earthquakes are caused by stresses in the Earth’s
interior which built up by the movement of the
Earth’s crustal plates relative to one another. If these
stresses become too large then a fracture occurs,
whereby the rock masses suddenly jerkily move
past each other.
SUDDEN PHENOMENA

FOREST FIRE
A forest fire is an uncontrolled fire in an area of
combustible vegetation occurring in rural areas.
Depending on the type of vegetation present, a
wildfire can also be classified more specifically
as a brush fire, bushfire, desert fire, forest
fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, vegetation fire,
or veld fire.
SUDDEN PHENOMENA

AVALANCHE
An avalanche is an event that occurs when a
cohesive slab of snow lying upon a weaker
layer of snow fractures and slides down a
steep slope. Avalanches are typically
triggered in a starting zone from a mechanical
failure in the snowpack when the forces of the
snow exceed its strength but sometimes only
with gradual widening.
SUDDEN PHENOMENA

VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS
Volcanic eruptions happen when lava and gas are
discharged from a volcanic vent. The most
common consequences of this are population
movements as large numbers of people are often
forced to flee the moving lava flow. Volcanic
eruptions often cause temporary food shortages
and volcanic ash landslides called Lahar.
SUDDEN PHENOMENA

TSUNAMI
A tsunami or tidal wave is a series of waves in a
water body caused by the displacement of a large
volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large
lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other
underwater explosions above or below water all
have the potential to generate a tsunami.
 GRADUAL OR SLOW
PHENOMENA

ALLUVIAL FANS
Alluvial fans are triangular-shaped deposits of
water-transported material, often referred to as
alluvium. They are an example of an
unconsolidated sedimentary deposit and tend to
be larger and more prominent in arid to semi-arid
regions.
 GRADUAL OR SLOW
PHENOMENA

CALDERA DEVELOPMENT
A caldera is a volcanic feature formed by the
collapse of a volcano into itself, making it a large,
special form of volcanic crater. A caldera collapse
is usually triggered by the emptying of the
magma chamber beneath the volcano, as the
result of a large volcanic eruption.
 GRADUAL OR SLOW
PHENOMENA

LIQUEFACTION
Liquefaction is a phenomenon in which the
strength and stiffness of a soil is reduced by
earthquake shaking or other rapid
loading. Liquefaction and related phenomena
have been responsible for tremendous amounts
of damage in historical earthquakes around the
world.
CAUSES OF GEOLOGICAL
HAZARDS
 A TSUNAMI IS A LARGE OCEAN WAVE THAT IS
CAUSED BY SUDDEN MOTION ON THE OCEAN
FLOOR. THIS SUDDEN MOTION COULD BE AN
EARTHQUAKE, A POWERFUL VOLCANIC
ERUPTION, OR AN UNDERWATER LANDSLIDE.

CAUSES OF A LANDSLIDE IS ANY GEOLOGIC PROCESS IN

GEOLOGICAL WHICH GRAVITY CAUSES ROCK, SOIL,
ARTIFICIAL FILL OR A COMBINATION OF THE
HAZARDS THREE TO MOVE DOWN A SLOPE. SEVERAL
THINGS CAN TRIGGER LANDSLIDES,
INCLUDING THE SLOW WEATHERING OF
ROCKS AS WELL AS SOIL EROSION,
EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.
SIGNS OF IMPENDING
GEOLOGICAL HAZARDS
 LANDSLIDE WARNING SIGNS

SPRINGS, SEEPS OR SATURATED

GROUND IN AREAS THAT ARE NOT
LANDSLIDE USUALLY WET.

WARNING
NEW CRACKS OR UNUSUAL BULGES
SIGNS IN THE GROUND, STREET OR
SIDEWALKS.

SOIL MOVING AWAY FROM

FOUNDATIONS, OR THE TILTING OR
CRACKING OF CONCRETE FLOORS
AND FOUNDATIONS.
 SUNKEN OR DOWN-DROPPED ROAD
BEDS.

RAPID INCREASE IN CREEK WATER

LEVELS, POSSIBLY ACCOMPANIED
LANDSLIDE BY INCREASED SOIL CONTENT.

WARNING A SUDDEN DECREASE IN CREEK

SIGNS WATER LEVELS EVEN THOUGH RAIN
IS STILL FALLING OR JUST RECENTLY
STOPPED.

UNUSUAL SOUNDS, SUCH AS TREES

CRACKING OR BOULDERS
KNOCKING TOGETHER, MIGHT
INDICATE MOVING DEBRIS.
 BEFORE A VOLCANO ERUPTS, THERE IS
NORMALLY AN INCREASE IN
EARTHQUAKES AND TREMORS NEAR
AND UNDER THE VOLCANO. THESE ARE
CAUSED BY MAGMA (MOLTEN ROCK)
PUSHING UPWARD THROUGH THE
SIGNS OF A ROCK UNDER THE VOLCANO.

VOLCANA THE GROUND MAY CRACK OPEN AND

ALLOW STEAM TO ESCAPE. GASES SUCH
ERRUPTING AS CARBON DIOXIDE AND HYDROGEN
SULFIDE, A GAS THAT SMELLS LIKE
EGGS GONE BAD, FREQUENTLY ARE
PRESENT AND ESCAPE IN SEAMS
ALONG THE MOUNTAIN. HOT SPRINGS
IN THE AREA AROUND THE VOLCANO
MAY APPEAR OR CHANGE IN
APPEARANCE AND TEMPERATURE.