The difference between a Natural Hazard and a Natural Disaster:
Natural Hazard:
A Natural Hazard is an event in the physical environment (such as a cyclone, bushfire, earthquakes and so on) that is destructive on humans and their properties.
Natural Disaster:
A Natural Disaster is any event or force of nature that has catastrophic consequences, such as avalanche, earthquake, flood, forest fire, hurricane, lightning, tornado, tsunami, and volcanic eruption.
An earthquake is very rare in Australia.
How does an Earthquake form?
Earth's outer layer is broken into pieces called tectonic plates. Each plate is about 100 kilometres thick. They are constantly moving towards, away or past each other. For example, the plate that Australia and India lies in is moving north at the rate of about 7cm a year. This well eventually cause an intracontinental collision with the Eurasian Plate in the Himalayas. This is why the Himalayan mountains are tall. This is what happens when the plates move into each other and cause an upward movement. Rocks break and move as a result of stresses caused by plate movements.
Most earthquakes occur on the boundaries between plates. When one plate is forced under another such things happen like, off island chains such as Japan, Indonesia or the Solomon Islands. Some regions have more earthquakes than others, the reasoning behind that is some countries lie close to or on the borders of tectonic plate; with 80 per cent of all recorded earthquakes taking place around the edge of the Pacific Plate, including New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Japan, Canada, USA and South America.
In areas where plates collide, earthquakes can occur down to depths of 700km. In areas where plates slide past each other, such as California or New Zealand, earthquakes are shallower. Shallow earthquakes also occur where plates are pulling away from each other along under sea ridges, and the oceans are growing bigger, like the plate margin between Australia and Antarctica.
Where do earthquakes form in Australia:
Adelaide has the highest earthquake hazard of any Australian state or capital. It has experienced more medium-sized earthquakes in the past 50 years than any capital, because South Australia is being slowly squeezed in an east-west direction by about 0.1 millimeters per year. Although earthquakes cannot be predicted accurately, measuring these changes and combining that information with Adelaide's past earthquake history helps to develop an understanding of when the next big earthquake might happen.
Natural Hazard:
A Natural Hazard is an event in the physical environment (such as a cyclone, bushfire, earthquakes and so on) that is destructive on humans and their properties.
Natural Disaster:
A Natural Disaster is any event or force of nature that has catastrophic consequences, such as avalanche, earthquake, flood, forest fire, hurricane, lightning, tornado, tsunami, and volcanic eruption.
An earthquake is very rare in Australia.
How does an Earthquake form?
Earth's outer layer is broken into pieces called tectonic plates. Each plate is about 100 kilometres thick. They are constantly moving towards, away or past each other. For example, the plate that Australia and India lies in is moving north at the rate of about 7cm a year. This well eventually cause an intracontinental collision with the Eurasian Plate in the Himalayas. This is why the Himalayan mountains are tall. This is what happens when the plates move into each other and cause an upward movement. Rocks break and move as a result of stresses caused by plate movements.
Most earthquakes occur on the boundaries between plates. When one plate is forced under another such things happen like, off island chains such as Japan, Indonesia or the Solomon Islands. Some regions have more earthquakes than others, the reasoning behind that is some countries lie close to or on the borders of tectonic plate; with 80 per cent of all recorded earthquakes taking place around the edge of the Pacific Plate, including New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Japan, Canada, USA and South America.
In areas where plates collide, earthquakes can occur down to depths of 700km. In areas where plates slide past each other, such as California or New Zealand, earthquakes are shallower. Shallow earthquakes also occur where plates are pulling away from each other along under sea ridges, and the oceans are growing bigger, like the plate margin between Australia and Antarctica.
Where do earthquakes form in Australia:
Adelaide has the highest earthquake hazard of any Australian state or capital. It has experienced more medium-sized earthquakes in the past 50 years than any capital, because South Australia is being slowly squeezed in an east-west direction by about 0.1 millimeters per year. Although earthquakes cannot be predicted accurately, measuring these changes and combining that information with Adelaide's past earthquake history helps to develop an understanding of when the next big earthquake might happen.