1. How do continents grow and how are they modified
Continents arise due to movement of plates causing boundaries within the earth surface. Plates move through the oceanic crust along narrow zones between each other leading to the development of plate-tectonic forces. As a result, this forces leads to development of boundaries between the plates. This plates becomes the continents. Generally, continents arise because of continental drift that forces a single land mass on the earth surface to split and drift hence forming a continent. Their modification arises due to various plate boundaries that develop within the earth surface. These boundaries include divergent, convergent and transform boundaries (Masters 108).
2. Geobiological interactions
Metabolism is one geobiological interaction that involves the interaction between biology and earth. For instance, during metabolism, some living organisms precipitate minerals by altering their chemical environments. Ideally, many organisms play a great role in influencing the earth. Outstanding examples are the worms that play a great role in irritating sediments through burrowing.
Another outstanding geobiological interaction is the carbon that exists as an element. Carbon has many influences in the earth crust. It may exist in different form that include carbon (IV) oxide, carbonic acid and carbonate. All this products arising from carbon have various effects on the earth. For instance, carbonate minerals found on the earth surface, sediment and on rocks. Volcanoes lead to addition of carbon (IV) oxide on the earth surface while biological processes such as photosynthesis lead to reduction of this product.
The final interaction between the earth and biological processes is influenced by elements such as nitrogen, sulphur and iron. Sulphur originates from the earth crust and it is extracted via frasch process. It links the earth with biological processes.
3. Reasons as to why some of the volcanic eruptions explosions are quiet while others are violent
Volcanic explosions can be quiet of violent depending on two important factors. First, viscosity is a key determinant of whether volcanic explosions will be violent or quiet. Low viscosity and low gas content leads to quiet volcanic eruptions. On the other hand, the gas content plays a great role in influencing the rate at which the eruption is taking place. Ideally, this to mean that volcanic eruptions accompanied by high gas content will automatically be very violent as compared to those which involve a low gas content. The speed at which the two factors behave determines whether the volcanic explosion will be violent or quiet. High rate among the underlying factors lead to violent volcanic explosions (Masters 116).
4. How earthquakes cause damage
Earthquakes cause’s waves that move through the earth surface thus causing shaking effects on the earth surface. As a result, the buildings on the earth surface are moved greatly by the shaking of the earth thus crumbling down to respond to the effect. When this happens, many damages on buildings and other properties arise. On the other hand, when Tsunami happens on the sea, it causes heavy waves that force water to go up hence splashed outside the ocean to the earth surface at a high speed and with a lot of strength. As a result, the water splashed due to its strength sweeps the people, buildings and other properties within the area affected thus causing damage to them.
5. Ways of reducing earthquake risk
We can prevent earthquake risk in several ways. First, earthquake risks can be reduced by increasing the awareness and preparedness efforts within the people living in the earthquake prone areas. Countries should make sure that they make their citizens who leave in the areas prone to earthquake about the possibilities of it happening. In so doing, it helps the people to develop strong buildings. In addition, this also plays a great role in helping the people develop essential facilities such as emergency response centers, hospitals and police stations. In addition, it is good to strengthen and enforce buildings in areas prone to this calamity (Masters 234).
At individual level, people living within the earthquake prone areas should develop an earthquake preparedness plan. The plan should focus on issues to do with keeping emergency food and water for a given number of days and to have household emergency kits. Earthquakes should not find people unprepared like it happened in Haiti in 2010. Besides, it is also good to buy earthquake insurance to compensate them incase of property damages.
6. Coastal Processes
Their a number of coastal process that includes waves, tides, and fluvial-deltaic systems.
Waves
Waves in the coastal region develop because of winding blowing over the ocean surface. The size of the wave is determined by the strength of the wind and the size of the fetch. For instance, strong winds and long fetch leads to development of large waves. The zone of sub-polar presents remains the world’s greatest wave factories.
Tides and tidal currents
Tides in the coast emerge because of gravitational pull of the moon and the sun that acts on the rotating earth. This pull leads to bulging of the ocean that is referred to as tide. The tides and their currents are responsible for the over 50% of the marine energy that arises in the coast. The tides lead to the shifting of the shoreline between the low and high tide. In addition, they also lead to generation of tidal currents in the coastal region.
Fluvial-deltaic systems
This are systems that carry sediments along the coast and deposit them in deltas and estuaries. The sediments may also move long shore thus depositing the sediments in beaches and barrier systems.
Work Cited
Masters, Nancy Robinson. Volcanic Eruptions. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Cherry Lake Pub., 2012. Print.
