7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico

Watch the video below and reflect on the following:
When did the earthquake occur?
Where are the areas affected?
What was the magnitude of the earthquake and how does this affect the extent of damage in Mexico?
How does the geology of Mexico city affect the extent of damage?
Why did the people have evacuation drills before the earthquake? *1985 earthquake
What are the responses immediately after the earthquake? (short-term responses)



 Aftershocks are expected - will there be greater destruction?


Do take note of the following when you evaluate the factors which affect the extent of damage as shown by the map above.
1. Proximity to epicentre - Which city is nearest to the epicentre? Why do areas closer to the epicentre experience greater damage and deaths?
2. Magnitude of the earthquake - What is the magnitude of the earthquake? Why does earthquake of higher magnitude results in greater damage and deaths?
3. Depth of focus - What is the depth of the focus? Is it shallow or deep? Why does a shallow-focus earthquake results in greater damage and deaths?
4. Population Density - Which city has a higher population density (no. of people living on a unit area)? Why do cities with high population density experience greater damage and deaths?

From the earlier videos:
5. Geology  - Mexico city is built on soft volcanic soil and clay.  Why would the geology of the area affects the extent of damage and deaths? What is liquefaction?
6. Time of occurence - The earthquake occured at 1.15pm (local time). How would this affect the extent of damage and deaths?
7. Level of preparedness - Just hours before the earthquake, many people went through an evacuation drill as it is the anniversary of a major earthquake which struck Mexico on 19 Seppt 1985. How does higher level of preparedness reduce the extent of damage and deaths?


Find out more about the earthquake:

Read the following article on why Mexico is prone to earthquake

You can read more about the 19 Sept 1985 Earthquake here:


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Typhoon Talim hit Japan

Another Typhoon - Talim  hit Japan  - compare this with the earlier posts on typhoon Haito as well as Hurricane Irma.

What are the impacts of the typhoon in Japan?


http://www.euronews.com/2017/09/17/typhoon-hits-japan-grounding-hundreds-of-flights

Has climate change leads to more extreme weather? Look at the number of typhoons from July to Sept 2017.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/c98dc39fffb401e0859aed1ae5abac58.png

Updates 20 Sept
Hurricanne Maria devastaing impact on the Carribean Islands.



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Hurricane Irma brought devastating impacts on the Carribean and Florida

Impact of climate change? More frequent and intense storm?

Watch this video on the impacts of Irma and how mitigation was carried out.


Where are the areas affected by Hurricane Irma?
When did Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean islands and Florida?
Who are affected?
What are the impacts?
How does Hurricane Irma impact on food shortage on Saint Martin, France*?
What are the preparedness measures taken in Florida?
Why is preparedness measures important? 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/irma-live-updates-florida-power-outages-09-11-2017/


 *Saint Martin is an island in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 300 km (190 mi) east of Puerto Rico. The is divided between the French Republic (France)  and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Watch the video below on the devatating impacts of Hurricane Irma.
Environmental, Social and Economic impacts.

 

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