UK Travesties

 Coastal Hazards When thinking about coastal hazards within the world the first thing that I think most people would think of is rising sea levels. Outside of that would be probably coastal storms such as hurricanes. The UK, as discussed last week, does not have that big of an issue when it comes to hurricanes, at least to the extent that other coastal countries that are closer to the equator do. The UK is far from a tropical climate and keeps hurricane-like storms relatively mild. The UK usually throughout the year has some runoff from hurricanes that hit off the east coast of the United States. Outside of that the UK does have concerns that come from rising sea levels.  There are two main causes for sea level rise, mountain glaciers and polar ice sheets melting and the warming of the ocean leading to an expansion in volume. According to the World Bank Group , the impacts of the rising ocean levels cause problems for not just the areas around the coasts but the entire coasta...

       The UK has a history of having some severe weather events in recent years, be that prolonged heavy rainfall, heavy snow in their winter months, extreme heat, or strong winds.  Although the UK has an issue with every one of these events every year, I will be mainly putting my focus on the heavy snow in the winter months.     The UK on average gets about 23.7 days worth of snow per year with some areas getting more snow on average, such as Scottland at about 38.1 days per year, and some areas getting less snow such as Cornwall with about 7,4 days on average. The UK had some of the coldest winters in its history in the mid-1700s as well as 1800'a as well as extreme weather in the 1970s and 1980s, with winters reaching down to below negative 10 to negative 30 degrees Fahrenheit. But in recent years there has been a shift in the cold winters, actually, this year the UK, as well as the rest of Europe, has had one of the warmest winters in their hist...

 This week we are discussing mass wastings. Also known as landslides, rockslides, and mudslides as well as a whole host of other things. These events can be triggered by other natural disasters such as earthquakes or flooding but they can also just happen out of nowhere. The largest landslide in the UK's history came in 1966 from a build-up of water at the tip of a mountain causing it to cascade down on Aberfan a small village in the south of Wales. (Image below) Landslides in the UK on average happen about 28 times per year and it is suspected that the cost to the UK government is equal to more than about 10 million pounds every year, with deaths being extremely rare. The map below comes from the British Geological Survey finding the 45 most prevalent landslides and mass wastings in the UK's History

 Week Five Volcanos The UK has a total of 0 active volcanos within its borders, not to say that there aren't any volcanos at all there are a few total volcanos that have had some activity in the past but are no longer in danger of erupting. Heritage daily has an interactive map that will show you exactly where all volcanoes are located within the UK, but they mainly exist within Queen Mary's Peak,  Soufrière Hills, as well as Mount Belinda and Mount Micheal. As for what to do if you are around a volcano eruption, you should try and evacuate as quickly as possible, follow the news of the pending eruption, and plan accordingly, avoiding being downwind because of the oncoming rubble and ash, As well as find shelter, if your supply allow, to avoid the ash.

Throughout week three we have been looking at Earthquakes and what to do in the event of them. To learn about UK earthquakes, I use the British Geological Survey . This gives up-to-date information on the magnitude as well as information such as the date, area, and comments on what it felt like for victims of larger quakes.  Most of the earthquakes felt within the UK are found within the northern side of the British mainland, as that is the closest to the nearest fault line. Outside of that portion of the UK, a large majority has very little earthquake activity as seen in this graphic from the British Geological Survey. As for what to do in the event of an earthquake, it's best to find as open an area as possible if you are outside. Stay away from buildings and trees as the biggest danger comes from falling debris. If you are inside then try and find a table or something that can at least protect your head from falling debris and sit until the shaking stops. Do not leave the and tr...

Geol9 Week Two: Plate Tectonics Throughout this week our class is exploring plate tectonics and how they affect other disasters around our geographic regions. In the UK, according to the NOAA map, on the mainland, there is really only one connected spot where there is earthquake activity and that is mainly along the South-Eastern part of the UK just below England. This earthquake activity comes from the Eurasia plate that sits within the Atlantic Ocean and continues around more of Europe in Asia. As it relates to the UK, the seismic activity that is created by this fault line is not exceptionally strong, it has the power to create earthquakes but those earthquakes are far to small to create tsunamis.