Mapping Seismic Activity with Population:Is your country prone to an earthquake or volcanic eruption
Mapping Seismic Activity with Population:Is your country prone to an earthquake or volcanic eruption?When a team of researchers map the active seismic regions on top of a population grid, a ton of information in the form of a cartogram becomes open for interpretation. A cartogram is used to show statistical information through a visual aid. They have a reputation of being particularly hard to decode because of their tendency to distort images in their overall effort to tell much larger concepts. In this map’s case, the distortion of the countries’ sizes provides us with information relating to their density, population, and overall risk of catastrophic seismic events. Although populations fluctuate and vary over time, the map indicates that seismic activity generally remains consistent, most commonly occurring over plate boundaries. Some highly active areas are not included because this particular cartogram puts focus on land mass, excluding seismic activity that occurs in the oceans.Also notice that some of the most highly-active seismic areas happen on the easternmost coastline of Asia and the westernmost coastline of North America and South America. These borders form a 40,000 km (≈25,000 miles) horseshoe around the Pacific Ocean referred to as the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire contains 452 volcanoes and most of the planet’s earthquakes. Some of the countries within the Ring of Fire include Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand, the Philippines, and the United States; all of which are within the the top 20 most populated countries in the world. With such a large population living in areas vulnerable to seismic activity, it is important to create and study maps like this one so we can get an idea of who is in harm’s way and who isn’t. In addition to this, huge strides can be made in the fields of plate tectonics and other earth sciences when statistical information is incorporated into scientific studies.–Pete DPhoto Credit:Benjamin D. Hennig, Sasi Research Group, University of SheffieldReferences:1. http://www.viewsoftheworld.net/2. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/aboutmaps.php3. http://www.worldpopulationatlas.org/4. http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/seagrant/ClimateChangeWhiteboard/Resources/Uncertainty/Mac1/boster08PR.pdf5. http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/world_population.htm -- source link
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