Download A country`s wealth and the effects of an earthquake

A country’s wealth and the effects of an earthquake
Many factors affect the impact of an earthquake on a country. The distance from the
epicentre and the magnitude of the earthquake are two factors for example. The level of
the country’s economic development will also have a significant effect.
 Less economically developed countries (LEDC) have few resources, limited wealth
and usually less established economies.
 More economically developed countries (MEDC) usually have resources,
considerable wealth and established economies.
Student tasks
1. What would be the effects of an earthquake on San Francisco?
The north financial district of San Francisco, California, USA
© 2007 Danjahner
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_San_Francisco
2. What were the effects of the earthquake on Bam in Iran in 2003?
Two weeks after the Bam earthquake
© 2003 UNICEF Iran, Shehzad Noorani
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26438236@N08/3063411732
© www.teachitgeography.co.uk 2013
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A country’s wealth and the effects of an earthquake
3. Comparing your answers to the first two tasks, what is the biggest difference between the
effects of the earthquake in Bam in 2003 and a possible earthquake in the future in San
Francisco?
4. Investigate a range of earthquakes from around the world.
 Contrast the effects on people and property.
 Choose one LEDC and one MEDC to explain both the economic and social impacts
within country.
 Complete either a Venn or Rose diagram.
5. The table below shows the twenty largest earthquakes, by number of fatalities, in the world
since 1900. Identify which earthquakes were in LEDCs and which were in MEDCs. What link
can you see between the number of fatalities and the level of the country’s economic
development?
Year
Magnitude
Fatalities
Location
2004
9.1
227,898
Sumatra, Indonesia
2011
9.0
28,050
Honshu, Japan
1934
8.1
10,700
Bihar, India
1985
8.0
9,500
Michoacan, Mexico
1976
8.0
8,000
Mindanao, Philippines
1945
8.0
4,000
Coast of Pakistan
1906
8.2
3,882
Valparaiso, Chile
1933
8.4
2,990
Sanriku, Japan
1960
9.5
1,655
Chile
1950
8.6
1,526
Border between Tibet and Assam, India
1946
8.1
1,330
Nankaido, Japan
2005
8.6
1,313
Northern Sumatra, Indonesia
1944
8.1
1,223
Tonankai, Japan
1906
8.8
1,000
Border between Colombia and Ecuador
2007
8
650
Coast of Central Peru
1979
8.1
600
Coast of Ecuador
2010
8.8
577
Of the coast of Maule, Chile
2009
8.1
192
Samoa
1985
8
177
Of the coast of Valparaiso, Chile
1996
8.2
166
Irian Jaya, Indonesia
6. Explain how the wealth of a country will affect the impacts of a hazard.
Extension tasks
1. Produce a poster for a charity asking for funds after a named hazard event.
2. Produce an action plan for a country’s response to an earthquake.
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