Key Terms : HAZARDS
Key Term Definition
Acid/Dome Volcano Steep sided volcanoes with a convex cone
shape made from rhyolitic rock. Explosions are
usually explosive and unpredictable.
Acid Rain Volcanoes erupt sulphurous gases which result
in acidic rainwater
Asthenosphere the upper layer of the earth's mantle, below the
lithosphere, in which there is relatively low
resistance to plastic flow and convection is
thought to occur.
Caldera Large volcanic crater often formed following a
highly explosive eruption where the summit of a
volcano has been removed.
Composite Volcano (Stratovolcano) A common type of volcano found at destructive
plate boundaries, they are violent, explosive and
sometimes unpredictable.
Continental Shelf A section of seabed surrounding a continent
creating shallow waters.
Disaster Occurs as a result of a hazard and affects
people. Without people they are natural
processes.
Epicentre the point on the earth's surface vertically above
the focus of an earthquake.
Fatalism the belief that all events are predetermined and
therefore inevitable. People accept their
situation and do not do anything.
Focus the point of origin of an earthquake.
Gravitational Sliding Movement of tectonic plates as a result of
gravity.
Hazard A naturally occurring event/process that has the
potential to cause substantial impact on life, loss
of life or damage to property.
Hotspots Sites where mantle plumes rise up through
areas of thin crust causing volcanic activities in
areas away from the plate boundaries.
Lahar Destructive mudflow which occurs as a result of
a volcanic eruption.
Lava Slows A mass of flowing or solidified lava. The distance
it flows depends on its temperature and silica
content.
Key Term Definition
Acid/Dome Volcano Steep sided volcanoes with a convex cone
shape made from rhyolitic rock. Explosions are
usually explosive and unpredictable.
Acid Rain Volcanoes erupt sulphurous gases which result
in acidic rainwater
Asthenosphere the upper layer of the earth's mantle, below the
lithosphere, in which there is relatively low
resistance to plastic flow and convection is
thought to occur.
Caldera Large volcanic crater often formed following a
highly explosive eruption where the summit of a
volcano has been removed.
Composite Volcano (Stratovolcano) A common type of volcano found at destructive
plate boundaries, they are violent, explosive and
sometimes unpredictable.
Continental Shelf A section of seabed surrounding a continent
creating shallow waters.
Disaster Occurs as a result of a hazard and affects
people. Without people they are natural
processes.
Epicentre the point on the earth's surface vertically above
the focus of an earthquake.
Fatalism the belief that all events are predetermined and
therefore inevitable. People accept their
situation and do not do anything.
Focus the point of origin of an earthquake.
Gravitational Sliding Movement of tectonic plates as a result of
gravity.
Hazard A naturally occurring event/process that has the
potential to cause substantial impact on life, loss
of life or damage to property.
Hotspots Sites where mantle plumes rise up through
areas of thin crust causing volcanic activities in
areas away from the plate boundaries.
Lahar Destructive mudflow which occurs as a result of
a volcanic eruption.
Lava Slows A mass of flowing or solidified lava. The distance
it flows depends on its temperature and silica
content.
