Eliana's Blog Geol9 SP23

In this week’s post, I will discuss mass wasting events and how they affect (or more so, don’t affect) the Netherlands. According to ThinkHazard, the chances of landslides are significantly low, making such a mass wasting event a very low level hazard. This means that rainfall patterns, terrain slope, geology, soil, land cover and (potentially) earthquakes that make localized landslides a rare hazard phenomenon.  Despite not having disastrous mass wasting themselves, the Netherlands has reached out to help other countries, such as Colombia, to prevent damage. When rivers burst their banks and caused devastating mudslides (which caused 90 deaths and considerable property damage) in Antioquia, the Netherlands utilized their expertise in flood prevention. Netherlands experts analyzed causes and drew up prevention plans, with Lilliane Plouman, development cooperation minister, saying “we want to prevent as much human suffering as possible. And at the same time we believe a safer living...

 There are a total of 5 volcanoes in the Netherlands, although most are inactive. The two volcanoes that are active are located in the Caribbean territories that belong to the Netherlands. “The Quill," a stratovolcano with a 760-m-wide crater, on St. Eustatius last erupted in 250 CE, and is estimated to have formed about 32,000 - 22,000 years ago. “Saba,” the north-most active volcano of the Netherland’s West Indies territory, last erupted in 1650 CE. According to De Zeeuw, chances of an eruption (from these volcanoes) in the near future are small, but if it does happen the consequences could be disastrous. The Quill Saba Nearer to the Netherlands are the volcanoes Mulciber and Zuidwal, which are both now extinct. Zuidwal was discovered in 1970, just off the coast of the Netherlands. In 2020, Mulciber was found 100 kilometers northwest of Texel through geologic data collected from the North Sea. Aged 150 million years, Mulciber was formerly active during the breakup of Pangea. Mul...

 Hello everyone! As I mentioned last week, there is a region to the southwest of the Netherlands that has notable earthquake activity, which I thought may affect the country on a smaller scale. However, according to ThinkHazard.org, earthquake hazards are classified as a medium-level concern in the Netherlands. As seen in the map below, earthquakes are most prevalent in the southeastern regions of the Netherlands. The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (also known as KNMI) has been measuring the country’s earthquakes since 1904. The strongest earthquake KNMI has on record dates back to April 13 of 1992 and measured 5.8 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was located several kilometers southwest of Roermond, which experienced significant damage, along with Maaseik and Heinsberg. The total damage was estimated to have cost the Netherlands 275 million guilders (approx. $150 million USD). This earthquake was also felt in the Czech Republic, Switzerland, France and England. At t...

 Hello everyone! Using the map provided by the NOAA, I found that the Netherlands is located on the Eurasian plate. The Netherlands are a fair distance away from the more active convergent and transforming plate boundaries near Africa, so it is highly unlikely that the Netherlands would have any volcanic activity. However, according to the map, a region to the southwest of the Netherlands has notable earthquake activity. It may be possible that these earthquakes affect the Netherlands on a smaller scale. Sources https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/tectonics.html

The Netherlands, also known as Holland, is primarily located in Northwestern Europe (see map below). Bordering Germany’s east and Belgium's south with a North Sea coastline from north to west, the Netherlands consists of twelve provinces. As well as sharing borders with Belgium and Germany, the Netherlands also shares maritime borders with them and the United Kingdom. It has a population of 17.7 million, making it the second-most densely populated country in the European Union and the 16th most densely populated country in the world. Amsterdam, the country’s most populated city, acts as the national capital. Recognized internationally, the Netherlands ranks among the highest in press freedom, economic freedom, human development, quality of life, and happiness. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands#Demographics https://www.worldatlas.com/maps/netherlands Class Terms Natural Hazard : A natural event that could cause damage to human life or property. Natural Disaster : ...