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Austin Myslinski
Professor Robert Adam Dastrup
Natural Disasters
2 March 2014
Plate Tectonics
1. What is the distance between Mount St. Helens in Washington State from the Loma
Prieta earthquake epicenter in California (the two points on the map)?
Between the indicated points on the image, there is roughly 760 miles between the
two.
1. What are the tectonic boundaries for each of these two points?
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(2. Continued) Mount St. Helens sits on a convergent plate boundary. The oceanic Juan
Fuca Plate is subducted beneath the less-dense continental North American Plate;
whereas the Loma Prieta earthquake (San Andres Fault) sits between the Pacific plate to
the west and the North American plate to the East - which is a transform plate boundary.
3. How could there possibly be a connection to these to catastrophic events even though
they were completely different and nearly 10 years apart? List reasons why there might
be a connection and why there might not.
A connection between Mount Saint Helen and the San Andreas Fault is that they
both sit on the American Plate. Furthermore, the San Andreas Fault is a transform
boundary with the Pacific and North American Plates, while Mount Saint Helen sits on a
convergent boundary where the Juan De Fuca Plate is subducting under the North
American Plate. With that said, there may not be a connection between the two.
4. Describe how these two events are different in regards to the human impact.
(Pin represents the epicenter of the Loma Prieta Earthquake)
Mount Saint Helen
Epicenter of the Loma Prieta Earthquake
As you can see from the two images above, Mount Saint Helen is not as close in
vicinity to residential areas compared the epicenter of the Loma Prieta earthquake.
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Moreover, if we look at the civilian casualties for both of the disasters, there are
similar death toll numbers. In the Mount Saint Helen eruption there was 57 casualties;
whereas the Loma Prieta Earthquake incurred 63 casualties. With residential areas
closer in vicinity at the Loma Prieta Earthquake, there are staggering numbers of
homelessness contingent upon the earthquake.
5. What is the most significant natural disaster that has occurred near where you live
or that might occur where I live?
I live in Cedar Hills, Utah near the base of the mountain (foothills). In May of
2005, there was a slow moving landslide that loomed over homes weeks before it
finally came crashing into several town homes. Subsequently, four families were
forced out of their homes due to this natural disaster.
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6. What are he factors that contribute to this hazard?
I don’t know the exact factors; however, I feel as if there are strong evidence that
points at but not limited to: slope angle, vegetation change, rapid snow fall (in the
winter), Excavations in the area that produce vibrations, and inevitably - seismic
activity/earthquake (which is another perilous disaster awaiting the area of which I
reside).
7. What can people in my region do to reduce the vulnerability to landslides?
As you can see in the picture, actions have already been taken to try to avoid this
natural hazard. There is now a park in the place where the landslide occurred.
However, I feel as if there should be more vegetation plated in the hills above.
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