Final HAZARDS Report

As I have Learned through the course of this semester every Country has a set number of problems for them and I can pretty much guarantee that not all of them are man made problems ether. There is this little thing called Mother Nature that plays a far greater role then we give it credit for.  Mexico is No different. If broken down Mexico has Two giant problems with Mother Nature and they are Volcanic Eruptions which is a surprise to no one but the next one might be to some people. The Second would center around Mexico's Shoreline. Yes I know that is not a specific problem but I think that the positioning that Mexico is in that it can be a major problem. First off lets get a little more depth with Mexico and its Volcano problem. Just inside the last 5 years Mexico has had two problems with Colima and Popocatepetl Volcanoes.  Now most people might only find the major problem with a Volcano being its lava which it is but there is much more things to worry about other then the lava. When dealing with Volcanic Eruptions you have to be aware of the lava but also the aftermaths of that lava and how if the Volcano is in the ocean it can cause a Tsunami. So what Causes a Volcano? Well the Volcanoes Mexico is dealing with comes from Two Tectonic Plates collide. In this case it would be the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate Colliding with each other. IF anyone who is reading has no Idea where those two are it is pretty much from Guatemala and Belize to pretty much the Gulf of Mexico. That is where Colima and Popocatepetl are located. This is also a reason for my number two problem with the shoreline which I will explain a little later. These Eruptions can seriously injury people and cause property damage. In the Grand scheme property damage dopes not seem to big like a big deal but things are measured nowadays on how much it costs to fix things that the disaster or hazard destroyed. Now on two Problem two. Shorelines. With The Gulf of Mexico being Right along the North American and Caribbean Plates that can cause another major problem. As Mexico has a problem with Volcanoes things like Tsunamis need to areas of caution as well. Tsunamis can bring a number of bad things into Mexico and any other Country with things like tornadoes and heavy rainfall as well as flooding. All of these will cause property damage but most importantly they can cause great bodily harm. I think it is important that I said Shoreline instead of Tsunamis because it allows me to talk about things like beach erosion and things of that nature because Mexico is known for their beaches and these things are slowly eating away at what they are known for. How I would help these parts of Mexico the lower parts closer to the Caribbean and South America would be to have  an easy way to evacuate because there really is no preventing these things there is just making the people aware of what needs to happen when they occur. Also I would have make them be aware that maybe living there is not the safest things to do. If I were constructing a home I would  place this home in the center of Mexico and yes I know this may seem like a generic answer but Its not here are my reasons. For starters As I previously stated I would stay away form the shorelines because to many bad things may happen by the shoreline like Tsunamis and I want to part in that. And though I might not want to live near those problems I would definitely want to live close enough where they are still an option for a quick vacation. Also in the center of Mexico because geographically speaking there are no Volcanoes there, though I have never seen one in person I cant say that I would ever want too ether. My recommendations to Mexico would be simple keep people away from the problem areas which sounds repetitively simple but Mother Nature has a funny way of turning things as ugly as sinkholes into things as beautiful as cenotes.

References

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/colima/news.html

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-26/volcano-ash-temporarily-closes-central-mexico-airport/7115324

http://classes.colgate.edu/s08/geol220/pcross/Location.htm

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/mexico.html

http://www.history.com/topics/mexico/colima

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/03/gulf_coast_not_immune_to_tsuna.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/hurricane-patricia-strongest-storm-ever-measured-hit-mexico-n449731

Mexico effort to Prevent Beach Erosion

BAAACK TO MEXICOOOO

Mexico is a country known for its beaches. It gains thousands of tourists a year just because of them. Mexico has three major issues which are oil extraction, fisheries and one of the majors ones I pointed out is Tourism. Along one of Mexico's most popular beaches, Cancun, it was developed erosion. This is a major problem along with Hotels being too close to shore. During Hurricane Wilma in 2005 this created some problems. Mexico has tried to launch a Beach restoration of Cancun and tat cost them 19 million dollars in 2006 and 70 million in 2009.  In other parts of Mexico They have placed these weird tube like objects in order to help with objects coming to shore and even major things like the waves getting too out of had and coming inland.

References

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08920758709362014

http://geo-mexico.com/?p=3107

http://www.jcronline.org/doi/pdf/10.2112/SI63-018.1

http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/problems/tourism/tourism_pressure/

Mass Wasting Hazard

Mexico is very susceptible to things such as landslides just like every other place but this is not their main problem. The main problem would be with Volcanoes. Mexico had been very open to things such as landslides because of how it used to get its water. Mexico used to get its water from things such as aquifers. That worked well for a while until the land that was on top of them started to sin a little. Now they use the aqueduct system and they import water as well.


References

http://www.miracosta.edu/home/MEggers/MRE%20MassWastingCh7.pdf

https://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/Unit/oea54e/ch11.htm

Mexico Volcano

Colima Volcano

Ohh Boy...Mexico's Volcanic Activity

So often we read things and do not really pay attention to them. Not because we do not care but because we think that they will not and could not happen to us. Well I was one of those. When I think of Volcano's I think of Hawaii and that is it. Well not anymore. Now I think of Mexico as well. Mexico has a major problem. Two very active Volcano's went off within the last 5 years. Colima Volcano and Popcatepetal were those two. Though they were not major eruptions, they were still eruptions. Mexico has a major problem but they are not really doing much to prevent it. I mean really one of the only things to do is to evacuate if the Volcano were about to erupt.

References

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/colima/news.html

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-26/volcano-ash-temporarily-closes-central-mexico-airport/7115324

Mexico

Mexico is one of the highest seismic activities.  Mexico is located near three Tectonic plates. One of Mexico's largest earthquakes was in 1985. It was a  magnitude 8. And killed 9,500 people. Mexico is backed by The World Bank which helps third world countries in times of destruction.


References:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1083/f/

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2012/11/20/strategy-to-prevent-and-manage-disaster-risks-Mexico

Mexico

Mexico is located near the North American Plate.

Divergent Boundary is when two Plate boundaries move away from each other. It can happen either in the ocean or on land. The main things to worry about with a Divergent Boundary is volcanic eruptions and small earthquake activity. Convergent Boundary is when you have two plates contacting each other and one of them has to go under the other. The smaller of the two Plates is the one that goes underneath. One of the main things to worry with a convergent boundary is Volcanic Eruptions. A Transform Boundary is probably the most Famous. In this boundary two plates are moving past each other in opposite directions. The most Notable of this is the San Andres Fault Line. Unlike the others, this one is has to deal with more earthquakes.

Keller, E. A., & Blodgett, R. H. (2006). Natural hazards: Earth's processes as hazards, disasters, and catastrophes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Dropping A Little Bit Knowledge

From My Understanding a Natural Hazard is something whether it is things like weather or different climates that have the potential to injury ether property and/ or life. Disaster I like to look at it as the next step above a natural hazard. It has some requirements like number of deaths that occurred and number of people it has affected. And a Catastrophe is the next step about that and two steps above a Natural Hazard. This would be like Hurricane Katrina. A state of emergency is a must and unlike the others, This takes years possibly decades to overcome.