• Question: how come the uk is less vulnerable to earth quakes and tsunamis compared to other countries

    Asked by to Edward, Ian, Mathew, Naomi, sakshisharda on 23 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Ian Stephenson

      Ian Stephenson answered on 23 Jun 2014:

      The earths crust is made up of tectonic plates. These are HUGE, but they move very slowly. In places where two plates meet (for example on the west cost of america, or japan) the plates rub against each other. This generates heat which can cause volcanoes.

      The plates also tend to stick together then move suddenly releasing that stored energy which causes an earthquake, and subsequent tsunamis.

      The UK is well away from any plate boundaries, so we’re pretty safe

    • Photo: Naomi Osborne

      Naomi Osborne answered on 23 Jun 2014:

      Here’s a map of the tectonic plates: http://worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/tectonic.htm

      You’ll see that places like Japan, the phillipines and Thailand lie on tectonic plate borders, which is why they get earthquakes and tsunamis. We’re very lucky in the UK!

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