Environmental hazard Essay. Management Assignment.

Environmental Hazard
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Environmental Hazard
Liquification occurs in the earth’s surface when soil particles lose contact with each other due to sudden or rapid loads. In such cases, the loss of contact through which the particles naturally rested leads to a loss in their cohesive strength, which further leads to a reduction in its solid properties (Naik, Gwon, Park, & Kim, 2020). Consequently, the loss in strength further makes the solid particles unable to bear any weight hence causing them to flow in a liquid-like pattern. Liquification is thus mainly caused by vibrations in the earth’s surface or water pressure.
More so, the severity of liquification depends on a number of factors. Firstly, the magnitude of vibrations caused by the earthquake may increase the rate of liquification, hence multiplying the effect on soil particles. High magnitude earthquakes are likely to impact large areas, thus making them prone to liquification (Naik, Gwon, Park, & Kim, 2020). Apart from that, the slope of the earth’s surface affects the severity of liquification since the solid particles flow easily down a slope. Therefore, a greater slope on an area affected by liquification would likely have greater effects due to the increased rate of flow of solid particles. Furthermore, grain size distribution also affects the severity of liquification since areas with smaller grain sizes have higher liquification potential as compared to those with larger grain sizes (Naik, Gwon, Park, & Kim, 2020). Therefore, in this case the increased effective stress on the particles coupled with relative density makes the soil particles prone to liquification due to its reduced resistance levels.
Earthquakes have severe effects, especially in areas with large populations of people residing near an epicentre. Firstly, earthquakes cause destructio...