Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Processes
- Part II Processes and applications of geomorphology to risk assessment and management
- 17 GIS for the assessment of risk from geomorphological hazards
- 18 Hazard assessment for risk analysis and risk management
- 19 Vulnerability analysis in geomorphic risk assessment
- 20 Geomorphological hazards and global climate change
- 21 Geomorphic hazards and sustainable development
- 22 Geomorphology and disaster prevention
- 23 Geomorphology and the international agenda: concluding remarks
- Index
- References
22 - Geomorphology and disaster prevention
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Processes
- Part II Processes and applications of geomorphology to risk assessment and management
- 17 GIS for the assessment of risk from geomorphological hazards
- 18 Hazard assessment for risk analysis and risk management
- 19 Vulnerability analysis in geomorphic risk assessment
- 20 Geomorphological hazards and global climate change
- 21 Geomorphic hazards and sustainable development
- 22 Geomorphology and disaster prevention
- 23 Geomorphology and the international agenda: concluding remarks
- Index
- References
Summary
Geomorphological hazards
The occurrence of a threatening condition derived from a natural phenomenon in a defined space and time can be considered as a natural hazard (Alcántara-Ayala, 2002). It is important to understand, however, that the damage produced by such hazards can extend beyond the exact moment when they occur. In other words, they could have a significant impact in the long term. The notion of natural hazards is very frequently associated with geological, geophysical and hydrometeorological processes; nonetheless, as they are mostly significant constituents of the Earth's surface dynamics, they should be also viewed and analyzed from a geomorphological viewpoint.
Physical phenomena, such as volcanic activity, seismicity, flooding and landsliding, turn into hazards when they pose a danger to landscapes, both cultural and natural. Cultural landscapes are shaped from a natural setting by a cultural group, where culture is the agent, the natural area is the medium, and the cultural landscape the result (Sauer, 1925). While geomorphology aims at the understanding and appreciation of landforms and natural landscapes (Bauer, 2004), from a practical point of view it also recognizes and understands the processes and landforms that are related to dangerous conditions.
Different conceptual terms have been addressed in order to define and comprehend the complexity of natural landscape evolution: endogenic–exogenic forces; destructive–constructive action; erosional–depositional forms; stress–strength relationships, and polygenesis and inheritance (Bauer, 2004). By virtue of their nature, geomorphological hazards can be understood by means of all those concepts.
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- Information
- Geomorphological Hazards and Disaster Prevention , pp. 269 - 278Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010
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