Lesson 5 Earthquake Hazards

Earthquake Hazards
 The Philippine archipelago is seated on the western corner or the Pacific
Ring of Fire, in which frequent seismic and volcanic activities happen

 The country is prone to earthquakes as it lies between two tectonic plates

– the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate

 An earthquake is the feeble shaking to violent trembling of the ground

produced by the sudden displacement of rocks or rock materials below the
earth’s surface.

 Tectonic earthquake – sudden displacements along fault fissures in the solid

and rigid layer of the earth.
 Volcanic earthquake – induced by rising lava or magma beneath active
volcanoes.
 Seismograph – an instrument that detects and records earthquakes
Magnitude vs Intensity
Magnitude – quantitative measure of the size and energy released at the source of
the earthquake. It is determined from measurements of the seismographs.
o Richter Scale – measures the amount of seismic energy released by an
earthquake
Intensity – measures the strength of shaking produced by the earthquake at a
certain location. It is determined from the effects on people, human structures, and
the natural environment.
 Modified Mercalli Scale – a descriptive scale used to assess to severity of the
earthquake shaking

Effects of Earthquake Hazards

Precautionary Measures Before, During, and After an Earthquake

Lesson 5 Volcanic Hazards

Volcanoes of the Philippines
The Philippines belongs to the Pacific Ring of Fire, meaning it has numerous active
volcanoes. The following are the ten most active volcanoes in the country.
1. Mt. Mayon (Albay) - erupted at least 51 times since 1616
2. Taal Volcano (Batangas) - erupted 33 times since 1572
3. Mt. Kanlaon (Negros Oriental) - erupted at least 30 times since 1886
4. Mt. Bulusan (Sorsogon) - erupted at least 16 times from 1852
5. Mt. Makaturing (Lanao Del Sur) - erupted 10 times since 1882
6. Mt. Calayo or Musuan Peak Volcano (Bukidnon) - erupted 2 times between 1866
and 1887
7. Hibok-Hibok (Camiguin) - erupted 5 times since 1827
8. Smith Volcano (Cagayan) - erupted 6 times
9. Mt. Banahaw (Quezon) - erupted 3 times since 1730
10. Mt. Pinatubo (Zambales) - erupted last 1991 which was known to be the 2nd
largest eruption of the 20th century. It had milder eruptions last 1992 and
1993.
Volcanic Hazards
 Pyroclastic Density Currents
 Lava Flows
 Lahar
 Volcanic Gas
 Tsunami

 Pyriclastic Density Currents – are gravity-driven, rapidly moving, ground-

hugging mixtures of rock fragments and hot gases
 Lava flow – the flow of hot molten rock
 Lahar – composed of mixtures of water and particles of all sizes, from clay-size
to gigantic boulders
 Volcanic Gas – The most abundant volcanic gas is water vapor; other
important gases are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides,
hydrogen sulphide, chlorine, and fluorine
 Tsunami – are long-period sea waves trains generated by a sudden
displacement of water
Measures Before, During, and After a Volcanic Eruption

Lesson 6 Landslide Hazards

The most common geological hazard present almost around the archipelago is
landslide. It is geological phenomenon wherein a large mass of rocks, earth, and
other materials move down the side of an elevation like a mountain or hill. It
involves a wide range of ground movements such as:

 Creep – the slow downslope movement of particles that occurs on every slope
covered with a loose, weathered material
 Slump – a form of mass wasting that occurs when a coherent mass of loosely
consolidated materials of rock layers move a short distance down a slope
 Rock fall – the falling of a newly detached mass of rock from a cliff or down a
very steep slope
 Rockslide – caused by rock failure in which part of the bedding plane of failure
passes through an intact rock and the material collapses in masses and not in
individual blocks
 Sturzstrom – made up of two German words: sturz meaning "fall" and strom
meaning "stream." It is a unique type of landslide that consists of soil and rock
which has a great horizontal movement when compared to its initial vertical
drop
 Debris flow – a moving mass of loose mud, sand, soil, rock, water, and air that
travels down a slope under the influence of gravity
 Mudflow – a mass of water and fine-grained earth materials that flows down a
stream, ravine, and canyon
Landslide can be rain-induced (after continuous raining) or earthquake-induced
(due to tremors of the earthquake).
Landslide, or landslip, happens if the driving force is greater than the resisting
force. It usually happens if the inclinations are steeper or composed of weekend
and loose rocks, rock degradation, and incursion of human activities along the
slopes.
Signs of Impending Landslides
Earlier Landslide Event
This means that the place already has history of having landslides in the where the
slope configuration is almost the place, on a nearby slope, or even somewhere. It is
also termed as reactivation landslide where a failure reoccurred after a heavy rain
or after an earthquake.
Change of Water Flow
The sudden arrival of water in a spring, seep, or wet ground that is usually dry
indicates that something has changed.
Tension Cracks
These are manifestations displayed on man-made structures like roads, path-
ways, and building walls which are located near or along the slopes. Because of the
stress from the moving part of the ground, the crack is manifested parallel to each
other after some time depending on the displacement speed of the slide.

Ground Movement
This happens in an immediately noticeable manner or in a very slow, subtle
movement like creep at few centimeters per year. The manifestations are ground
subsidence, damaged deformed walls or fences, tilted floors, doors or gates no
longer closing properly, broken utilities, or presence of trees along the angled forest
which have bent up in a J-curve as the ground slips out from under them.

Lesson 7 Hydrometeorological Hazards

Hydrometeorological hazards are caused by extreme meteorological and climate
events such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, landslides, or mudslides.
Types of Hydrometeorological Hazards
Storm – is a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually
rain, thunder, lightning, or snow. If the storm happens along the northwest Pacific,
it is called a typhoon; if in the Atlantic and northeast Pacific, the tropical system is
a hurricane; and if it is in the northern Indian Ocean, it is called a cyclone.
Tornado – is a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the
appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud and advancing beneath a large storm system.
Drought – is a protracted period of deficient or below-average precipitation in a
given region resulting in extensive damage to crops and loss of yield. It is an
insidious hazard of nature resulting in prolonged shortages in its water supply,
whether atmospheric, surface water, or ground water, which can even last for
months or years, or may be declared after 15 days.
Landslide – is the movement of rock, debris, or earth down a slope after heavy
rains. It results from the failure of the materials which make up the hill slope. It is
also driven by the force of gravity depending on the type of slope. Landslide is also
known as landslip, slump, or slope failure.
Typhoon – is a type of large storm system having a circular or spiral violent winds,
with hundreds of kilometers or miles in diameter.
Once the typhoon enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), it is given a
local name by the PAGASA, an agency which also gives public storm signal
warnings and other weather bulletins.
Flood – is an inundation of water (or with mud) especially on normal dry land,
usually caused by high flow or overflow of water in a watercourse such as a river, a
stream, or a drainage ditch; or ponding of water at or near the point where the rain
fell.
Types of Floods
Flash Floods – occur within six hours, mainly due to heavy rainfall associated with
towering cumulus clouds, thunderstorms, tropical storms or during passage of
cold weather fronts, or by dam failure or other river obstruction.
River Floods – caused by precipitation over a large catchment area, melting of snow
or both which feeds a river or a river system. Built up slowly or on a regular basis,
these floods downriver may continue for days or weeks. The major factors of these
floods are moisture, vegetation cover, depth of snow, size of the catchment basin,
etc.
Coastal Flood – usually caused by hurricanes, tropical cyclones, etc. and the
(during typhoon months), changing of tides on low-lying coastal areas.
Urban Flood – the inability of the soil to absorb water due to lack of drainage. As
land is converted from agricultural fields or woodlands to roads and parking lots, it
loses its ability to absorb rainfall.
Ice Jam - an accumulation of ice at a natural or man-made obstruction that stops
the flow of water thereby causing floods. Flooding, too, can occur when the snow
melts at a very fast rate.
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) – the failure of dam containing glacial lake.
This may be caused by the melting of glaciers, seismic activity, volcanic eruption
under the glacier, erosion or avalanche, and build up of water pressure.
Characteristics of Flood
Depth of water – Building foundations and vegetation have different degrees of
tolerance depending on depth
Duration – Damage to structures and vegetation; and even spread of water-borne
diseases are related to the duration of flooding.
Velocity – High velocities of flow create erosive forces, hydrodynamic pressure
which can cause death, and also destruction of foundation of structures and may
occur on floodplains or in the main river channel.
Frequency of occurrence – The frequency of occurrence measured over a period of
time determines the types of construction or agricultural activities on the flood-
plain.
Seasonality – Flooding during a growing season destroys crops.

Lesson 8 Fire Hazards

When using a fire extinguisher, you need to remember:

 P – ull
 A – im – base
 S – queeze
 S – weep