Skip to content

Ask an Academic

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us
Crowd of people

Mexico’s Susceptibility to Natural Disasters

September 25, 2019 by AskanAcademic.com

Natural disasters in Mexico: earthquakes and volcanoes caused by tectonic faults and storms and flooding caused by the hurricane belt.

Question

Why is Mexico so vulnerable to natural disasters and how could this change in the next 100 years?

Answer

Mexico has been hit by a number of devastating natural disasters throughout its long history. Tropical storms are common, sometimes resulting in floods and mudslides, and the area is also high in tectonic activity, resulting in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. These natural disasters are the result of Mexico’s unique placement on the Earth.

Mexico lies within the hurricane belt. Hurricanes propagate across the Atlantic Ocean, due to the warm seas between Northern Africa and Central America. These hurricanes then move across Central America, often hitting the eastern coast of Mexico and manifesting in strong winds and torrential downpours. High wind speeds can cause damage to buildings and plant life alike, but the real devastation is caused by floods that occur due to the excessive rain.

Mexico is also situated near to a number of tectonic fault lines. Mexico is located on the North American plate, which pushes towards the Cocos plate, which makes up Mexico’s southwestern sea bed. As the ocean floor is denser than the landmass, the Cocos plate is forced under the North American plate. This forms a deep trench to the southwest of Mexico, with mountains formed along the southern coast. The rocks that are forced down melt, and this molten material is forced up, forming volcanoes across central Mexico. The constant moving of these plates also causes regular earthquakes in Southern and Western Mexico.

In the next 100 years it seems unlikely that these tectonic conditions will change, and since advancements in engineering continue to be made, there is potential for infrastructure in Mexico to be made “earthquake-proof”, hopefully reducing the number of fatalities per occurrence. However, there may be unpredictable effects on the hurricane belt, caused by global climate change, which could result in stronger and more devastating tropical storms. The only way to reduce these risks would be a global commitment to reducing the damage done to the natural environment.

References

Post navigation

Previous Post:

Human Uses Of The Amazon River

Next Post:

What is the efficacy of economic order quantity in a small business?

Search Q&As

Categories

  • Art Media and Literature (74)
  • Business and Management (256)
  • Computing and ICT (14)
  • Construction and Engineering (35)
  • Education (90)
  • Environmental Sciences (2)
  • Finance and Economics (91)
  • Health (64)
  • Languages (12)
  • Law (88)
  • Mathematics and Statistics (2)
  • Medical Sciences (19)
  • Politics and International Relations (83)
  • Research Methodology (1)
  • Science (49)
  • Social Sciences (101)

Archives

Who We Are

Askanacademic.com is owned and operated by All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No: 4964706. VAT Registration No: 842417633. Data Controller No: Z1821391.

Registered office:
Venture House
Cross Street
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 7PJ

Main Navigation

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us

Legals

  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Popular Categories

  • Business and Management
  • Law
  • Finance and Economics
  • Health
An an Academic Logo
© 2023 Ask an Academic | WordPress Theme by Superb Themes
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Reject
Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT