GEOHAZARDS 

AND
MITIGATION OPTIONS
Dr. Adnan Khan
Assistant Professor
Department of Geology
University of Karachi
Cell No. 0300-3635848
Homosapiens (human being) evolved during recent ice
age –a period of harsh climates and environments.

NATURAL HAZARD/GEOHAZARD

“Geological and environmental hazards which involve

long-term or short-term geological processes”
Physical processes to cause geohazards
 Earth quakes
 Landslide
 Coastal flooding
 River flooding
Biological Process
 Bacteria
 Virus
• Natural hazards are nothing more than natural processes.

• These become hazardous only when people live and work in

areas where these processes occur naturally.

• Responsibility of environmental geologists

1. Identify potentially hazardous processes

2. Give this information to planners and decision makers for avoiding

or minimizing threats to human life and property
 Magnitude-Frequency Relationship
• Magnitude and frequency of geohazards depends on:

Climate
Geology
Vegetation

• There is inverse relationship between magnitude of

an event and its frequency
 SERVICE FUNCTION OF NATURAL PROCESSES

• FLOODING • VOLCANISM
1. Supply nutrients to flood plain 1. New land is created
2. Erosion on mountain slope 2. Nutrient supply to soil
3. Deliver sediments to beaches
4. Flush pollutants from estuary • EARTH QUAKE
• Groundwater barriers are created
• LAND SLIDES • Formation of new lakes
1. Formation of lake • Damming of river on up stream
2. Debris may form dam
3. Lake formation
 CATASTROPHE
“ Any situation in which damages to people and property
or society in general are sufficient that recovery and/or
rehabilitation is a long involved process”

Floods Hurricanes Tsunami

Landslides Volcanoes

Drought Tornadoes
End