Volcanic Activity near The Bahamas

The Bahamas at this time does not have volcanoes, however, the closest volcano is Momotombo, located in Nicaragua, not far from the city of León, only 5 hours and 15 minutes away in an aircraft. Momotombo is currently considered an active volcano as surprisingly it is erupting while I’m typing this blog. Gases being released are the most common factors of the Momotombo and are continuously released, the temperatures of certain parts of the volcano can exceed up to 500°C. You can visually see the Momotombos current eruption of gasses here, CLICK ME. Momotombo is located in a very active seismic zone. For example, nearly two years ago an earthquake of a magnitude of 6.2 damaged houses and caused several injuries on April 10, 2014, later then followed by an earthquake of a magnitude of 6.6 on April 11, 2014, and numerous strong aftershocks.

Momotombo is monitored by Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies. Nicaragua warn its people and tourists in the event of an earthquake or volcanic eruption, to follow the advice of local authorities, including possible evacuation orders, and monitor local news reports. Also to familiarize themselves with their hotel’s earthquake security measures.

 

Works Cited

"Momotombo Volcano Webcams - Interactive Viewer Including Live Seismograms." Volcano      Webcams of the World - Interactive Viewer Including Live Seismograms. N.p., n.d.       Web. 3 Mar. 2016.

"Momotombo Volcano, Nicaragua - Facts & Information / VolcanoDiscovery:."     VolcanoDiscovery: Volcanoes Worldwide - News, Info, Photos, and Tours to Volcanoes          and Volcanic Areas, Earthquake Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.

 "Travel Advice and Advisories for Nicaragua." Travel.gc.ca. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.

The Bahamas Seismicity and What It’s Doing To Prevent Any Disaster

The USGS website was really interesting due to the fact that I got to learn more about the different type of plate boundaries around The Bahamas. As it illustrates the type of boundary’s surrounding my entire area and what environments are currently being affected at the moment which is eye opening and cool. Looking through the map I noticed Guanica, Puerto Rico is the most seismicity The Bahamas has. The Bahamas currently is using an Early Warning System to warn islanders about catastrophes that can occur in the future. The Department of Meteorology has an early warning system linked to satellites that records the formation of storms, and then tracks them down. Therefore the developing storm area is clearly visible on the satellite pictures, and its progress is monitored. Furthermore, some other signals that can be used during the hurricane season, June through November, are Tropical Depression a weather front with sustained winds of less than 39 miles per hour, tropical Storm a cyclone where winds range from 39 to 73 miles per hour, and hurricane a tropical cyclone with winds of 74 or more miles per hour. Lastly, as a Tropical Depression forms, The Department of Meteorology begins to issue a series of warning based on the strength and location of an upcoming storm.

http://bahamasweather.org.bs/index.php?page=currentweather

What Plate Tectonic Is The Bahamas On?

The Bahamas is currently part of the North American Plate (the northern top purplish colored plate) which includes most of North America, Cuba, and parts of Iceland. The Bahamas can bee located right on top of the Caribbean Plate. The North American Plate experiences all three major types of boundary’s which are transform, convergent, and divergent boundary. Transform boundary is when the plates slide right past each other. In a convergent boundary the plates collide into one another. Lastly, divergent boundary is when the plates are pulled apart from one another. You can find the transform boundary in the North American Plate by the Pacific Plate as it divides California’s San Andres Fault, sliding right past each other. The convergent boundary can be found near Alaska where the North American Plate and Pacific Plate meet again. Other than convergent boundary, subduction is also happening, due to the fact that the Pacific Plate is getting pulled under the North American Plate. Moreover, the divergent boundary is happening in the Atlantic Ocean as the North American Plate occupiers the Eurasian Plate. Therefore, as they get pulled apart new layer on the sea floor is created. Overall due to the movement of these tectonic plates, The Bahamas experiences hurricanes, twisters, and other tropical storms which cause excessive flooding and high winds throughout the year.

"Geology and Earth Science News and Information." Geology and Earth Science News, Articles, Photos, Maps, and More. 2016. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. <http://geology.com/>.

What's The Difference Between a Hazard, Disaster, and a Catastrophe?

When we talk about hazards, disasters, and catastrophes they all have that one major similarity, causing danger or damage to mother earth and/or us individuals. When I hear the word hazard I envision a bright yellow sign that can illustrate a flame, poison, and even lightning. Moreover, these yellow signs give us a warning, therefore, a natural hazard is basically a minor warning that a disaster might be approaching. As stated in the book Natural Hazards by DeVecchio and Keller, "Natural hazards vary greatly in their potential to cause a catastrophe." So let’s say a non-minor nor major earthquake occurs, which is a natural hazard that can cause an excess of $1.5 billion in damage each year, what happens after that earthquake? Well here comes a tsunami, in this case a disaster. A disaster results in minimal major damage that could possibly need assistance from all over the country. Therefore, needing shelter, or food till the environment is A okay. Moreover, to be considered a disaster is must've killed atleast ten people or more, and have affected more than 100 individuals. Lastly, we have catastrophe, which can be a hurricane, blizzard, and even a tsunami if earthquakes keep reaching the sea floor at high levels. Catastrophes not only affect the individual, or environments, but affect homes and so forth for a long period of time costing roughly billions of dollars in damage. Just think of a catastrophe as a situation where the area won’t be able to live as they once were for a while until a long term recovery. which means, hundreds of billions of dollars in damages.

Keller, Edward A. "Introduction to Natural Hazards." Natural Hazards. Ed. Duane E. DeVecchio. Fourth Edition ed. 8. Print.