Theme 1: The World – Our Home

Tectonic Activity
Plate tectonics
The Alpide Belt, passes through the
Mediterranean region eastward through Asia
 and joins the Circum-Pacific Belt in the East
Indies.

This explains the seismic activity in the area,

together with Etna, Stromboli and mountain
regions in Italy, Turkey and Greece.
 Earthquakes
• They result from a slow build-up of pressure
within the crustal rocks. If this pressure is
released then parts of the surface may
experience a jerking movement. Within the
crust this is called the focus, above the surface
it is called the epicentre. The strength of an
earthquake is measured on the Richter scale.
 Dangers associated with earthquakes

• Liquefaction - the ground may no longer be solid, which puts

buildings and other foundations at risk.

• Tsunamis typically occur after an earthquake and may cause

massive waves due to the reverberations of the earthquake.

• Even after an earthquake ends, ground tremors may still

persist, causing even more harm to areas already damaged by
an earthquake. Portions of rock or ground can begin to slough
off and fall, causing landslides. Buildings might fall, fires from
broken gas pipes, etc providing danger to people.
 Hazards & benefits of volcanoes

Hazards
• Eruptions pose a direct & indirect threat to people.
• Pyroclastic flows, lava flows, falling ash & gas are deadly due to high
temperature & damage to property.
• Earthquakes, tsunamis, rainfall-caused debris flow are indirect hazards.

Benefits
• Fertile soils
• Pollution free source of thermal & electric energy.
• Tourism
• Volcanic rocks & magmatic rocks contain valuable ore deposits, pumice,
cinders & raw materials for the road-building, constructing, manufacturing &
landscaping industries.