Disasters Management (18EE753)

Module 5
Earth quakes:
Interior Structure of the Earth, Plate Tectonics, Seismicity of India, Earthquake Forecast
and disaster management, Tsunamis, Landslides and Avalanches, Volcanoes

Hazards associated with Convective Clouds

Climatology of World Thunderstorms, Lightning, Some Effects of Electric Shock,
Favours and Frownings of Thunderstorms, Hailstorms, Tornadoes, Waterspouts,
DustDevils, Nowcasting, Summer Thunderstorms over India, Cold Waves and Heat
Waves - Cold Waves in India, Heat Waves in India.
Discontinuities in the layers of earth

Ocean Surface to Ocean Bed – Conard Discontinuity

Crust and Mantle - Moho Discontinuity

Upper mantle and lower mantle – Repetti Discontinuity

Lower mantle and Outer core – Guttensberg Discontinuity

Outer core and Inner core – Lehmans Discontinuity

Crust

• It is the outermost solid part of the earth – Brittle in nature

Mean Thickness
• Oceanic crust -5 km
• Continental crust – 30 km

Density

• Oceanic crust – 3 gm/cc

• Continental crust – 2.7 gm/cc
Mantle
• Upper mantle + Lower mantle
• Mantle extends from Moho’s discontinuity to a depth of 2900 km . The upper
portion of mantle is called astheno(weak)sphere- molten magma eruption
• Astheno(weak)sphere- Extending upto 400 kms. It is the main source of magma that
finds the higher density than that of crust.

• The mantle contains the weaker zone called - Asthenosphere- semisolid

• Density of mantle – 3.4 gm/cc

• Crust + upper part of mantle – Lithosphere –thickness varies from 10-200 km

• The lower mantle extends beyond the Asthenosphere

• Lower mantle - Solid state

Core
• The innermost layer of the earth
• The core mantle boundary is located at a depth of 2900km
• Outer core –liquid state
• Inner core – Solid state ( With extreme temperature and Pressure)

Density
At mantle core boundary – 5 g/cc
At center of the earth – 13 g/cc

Made up of nickel & Iron – Nife layer

• Tectonic plates (Lithospheric Plate)

It is a massive , irregular shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental
and oceanic lithosphere

Tectonic plate – Part of lithosphere (lithosphere includes crust and top of mantle)

How to identify weather a plate is continental or oceanic plate?

Pacific plate – Oceanic plate

Eurasian plate – Continental plate
Plate Tectonics
The earth’s lithosphere is divided into seven major and some minor plates

• Antarctica and the surrounding oceanic plate

• North American plate
• South American plate
• Pacific plate
• India –Australia- Newzeland plate
• Africa with the eastern Atlantic floor plate
• Eurasia and the adjacent oceanic plate

Minor plates
Cocos plate, Nazca plate, Arabian plate, Philippine plate, Caroline plate, Fuji plate
Plate tectonic theory provided a major argument regarding the
distribution of oceans and continents

Continent drift theory – It is not the continent that moves as believed by

Wegener.

Continents are part of a plate and what moves is the plate

Plates have moved in the geological past and shall continue to move in
future as well.
Plate Tectonics
Earthquake
Shaking of earth. It is a natural event. It is caused due to release of energy , which
generates waves( Seismic) that travel in all directions.

Earthquake mechanism
Zone V - Guwahati and Srinagar
Zone IV – Delhi
Zone III - Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai
Zone II - Bangalore
List of Indian standards dealing with Earthquake resistant
construction

IS 1893 (Part 1): 2002 'Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures : Part 1
General provisions and Buildings’

IS 1893 (Part 4): 2005 'Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures : Part 4
Industrial Structures

IS 4326:1993 Earthquake Resistant Design and Construction of Buildings - Code of

Practice
Tsunami
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that cause the sea-floor to move abruptly resulting in
sudden displacement of ocean water in the form of high vertical waves are called tsunamis
Landslides
A landslide or mudflow is a downward movement (in hilly region) of rock, soil or debris
flow under gravity. Landslides occur when the ground is stressed beyond its frictional
strength. The following main factors contribute to the landslides
Factors contribute to the landslides

•Soil Erosion
•Seismic zones
•Heavy rainfall
•Topography, Variation in ground water level
•Deforestation
•Man made causes like mining, terrain cutting and filling
•Accumulation or gathering of excess weight by rain,
snow, flood and waste piles.
Avalanches
An avalanche is the downward slide or descent of a large mass of snow/ice on slope having
considerable velocity and force. It is a natural destructive force. An avalanche consist of
snow, ice, air, water and soil impurities.
Volcanoes
A Volcano is a vent ( opening) in the earth’s crust through which molten material
(magma) erupts suddenly.

Volcanic eruptions are caused due to the

disturbances in the continental plates
( Converging and diverging plates), this
causes the magma to rise and crust is
ruptured due to intense force and finally
liquid form of magma which is called lava
flows outside, this is known as
volcanic eruption.
Hazards associated with Convective Clouds

The main hazards associated with these weather conditions are

 Heavy rain and poor visibility

 Thunderstorms

 Tornadoes

 Hailstorms

 Lightning discharges and Squalls

Thunderstorms are of short duration, occurring over a small area but are violent.
Thunderstorms are caused by intense convection on moist hot days.
 A thunderstorm is a well-grown cumulonimbus cloud producing thunder and lightening.
When the clouds extend to heights where sub-zero temperature prevails, hails are formed
and they come down as hailstorm.
If there is insufficient moisture, a thunderstorm can generate dust storms.
A thunderstorm is characterized by intense updraft of rising warm air, which causes the
clouds to grow bigger and rise to greater height

Thunderstorm Hailstorm Duststorm

Climatology of World Thunderstorms

World Recorded TS days

• Europe and Australia have the minimum frequency of thunderstorms about 20
thunderstorm days per annum

• In southeast Asia the frequency is about 60 thunderstorm days around Bangladesh

(Bangladesh, India and Myanmar).

• South America, Africa and Indonesia have maximum thunderstorm days

Lightning
Clouds develop electric charges due to the collision of particles.
Lighter positively charged particles form at the top of the cloud
Heavier negatively charged particles sink at the bottom of the cloud, this induces positive charge
on the earth
Lighting is a discharge of charges between clouds and between clouds and earth

Lighting can destroy the life and property

Effects of Electric Shock / Lightning
• Respiratory Arrest
• Ventricular Fibrillation
• Lightning causes death to human beings and animals and damages property
Favours and Frownings of Thunderstorms
Favours
• Thunderstorms, are also called atmospheric hot towers, are one of the main natural agency which
transports sensible and latent heat energy from the surface of the earth (ocean surface or water
bodies) to the atmosphere.
• Thunderstorms maintain the electrical field of the earth's atmosphere
• Fixation of atmospheric Nitrogen is mainly achieved by thunderstorms. atmospheric Nitrogen is
converted into nitrogen compounds which are brought down to earth by rain, which is utilized by
the plant kingdom and aids agricultural production.

Frownigs
Lightning , Thunder Squalls, Dust Storms , Heavy Rain and Flash Flooding, Aviation Hazard
Tornadoes and waterspouts
From severe thunderstorms sometimes spiralling wind descends like a trunk of an
elephant with great force, with very low pressure at the centre, causing massive
destruction on its way. Such a phenomenon is called a tornado.
The tornado over the sea is called waterspouts

Tornadoes Waterspouts
Summer Thunderstorms over India

 During hot weather period (March-May) rapid rise of surface

temperature, fall of pressure, intensification of southern Indian ocean
anticyclone, Northward movement of equatorial trough

 Norwesters, Dust storms, Dust raising winds, Hail storms are common
features over India neighborhood.

 Thunderstorm activity continues in monsoon season but less marked

The main thunderstorm activity observed during the period are

 The area from Northeast India to east Madhya Pradesh, east Vidarbha and
adjoining Andhra Pradesh.

 Southwest Peninsula (Kerala and neighborhood)

 Northwest India excluding Rajasthan

 Heat waves and cold waves in India

Heat waves
• According to IMD convention the 24 hr maximum temperature changes and departure from
normal (heat waves) defined as follows.
Cold waves In India
Thank You