Argentina's Main Natural Hazards

Argentina is at high risk to basically every natural disaster except for the exception of cyclones and hurricanes. The two main natural disasters that are the most destructive would have to be volcanoes and flooding. These two natural disasters are the most common and life-threatening to the civilians of Argentina.

There are many volcanoes on the border between Chile and Argentina. There is a total of 39 volcanoes in the country of Argentina, most are located near the Andes by the Chile border. This country is considered classified as high in volcanic activity. Most or all of the volcanoes are active, therefore when they are awaken it causes major destruction all over causing many problems. Meaning that many people living near one need to be evacuated. Argentina is located on the South American Plate yet it is still near the Nazca plate. These two plates are convergent boundaries, they move toward each other causing compressions, these compressions caused the Andes. Chile and Argentina are right next to each other, therefore, the compressions of the two plates have caused these two countries to have multiple active volcanoes.

Flooding is also one of the major problems in Argentina, this is caused by extreme weather and global warming. Global Warming has caused quite a few problems for Argentina it has increased the rate of extreme flooding. There is an increase in temperatures during winter, meaning that when it is supposed to be cold it is not. In Argentina, The Perito Moreno Glacier is about 121 square miles. This glacier in Argentina is slowly melting which would mean that there would be much more flooding in Argentina. There is also a high hazard for Coastal floods. Sea levels have increased very rapidly, this is due to the increase in temperature. Extreme weather has a lot to do with this too. Severe weather would be flooding, there is often very extreme rainfall. This rainfall causes mass flooding in Argentina.

I would recommend having a better evacuation plan for volcanic eruptions, as well as maybe more drainage in the cities for when it does flood. Another recommendation I would have would be to not have houses near the mountains. Another thing would be to try to have early warnings so that people may not lose their lives.

The places where I would target on the most for help would be near the close to the border of Chile and near the coast. The reason for this is near the border is where all the volcanoes are this is due to the convergent boundaries forming mountain ranges where the volcanoes are. I would also target the coastal region because this is where the water is rising. When severe weather comes with very rainfall then there is mass destruction due to flooding.

The locations I would for sure not recommend living next to the mountain ranges near Chile and not near the coast either. The reason for this is because this is where the most dangerous natural disasters for civilians. For this reason, I would recommend living somewhere in the middle inland south Argentina. I would not recommend up north because there once was a cyclone near the Northern Argentina from another country

Refrences:

https://www.dw.com/en/locals-demand-action-as-extreme-weather-ravages-argentinas-cities/a-17457619

http://www.thebubble.com/climate-change-in-argentina-what-you-need-to-know/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/perito-moreno-glacier

https://americastectonics.weebly.com/south-american-plate.html

http://thinkhazard.org/en/report/12-argentina/CF

https://agu.confex.com/agu/18chapman1/webprogram/Paper328286.html

http://thinkhazard.org/en/report/12-argentina/VA

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/38763/rare-cyclonic-storm-over-nothern-argentina

Coastal Hazards

Argentina has a high hazard for Coastal floods, the reason why it is considered high because there is a high possibility of there being a hazard of this sort in the next 10 years. For this reason there projects that are being put in place to prevent a lot damage to the land and the civilians. Sea levels have increased very rapidly, this is due to the increase in temperature. Extreme weather has a lot to do with this too. Floods have a costed the country around 3 billion a year because of all the damage.

https://www.gfdrr.org/argentina

http://thinkhazard.org/en/report/12-argentina/CF

Extreme Weather 

Argentina is at high risk for many natural disasters therefore, it is not surprising for there to be a red flag when it comes to severe weather. One of the most threatening with severe weather would be flooding, there is often very extreme rainfall. This rainfall causes mass flooding in Argentina, this causes many difficulties for the civilians living there. Agriculture is especially affected by rainfall, this is very dangerous for the economy and the civilians due to the shortage of surplus in Argentina. Flooding also makes civilians have to evacuate their homes because the floods destroy many buildings. These floods also have taken the lives of many, which is very devastating because these innocent lives were lost due to severe weather which all leads back to global warming.

The picture above shows just how much rainfall there is. It also demonstrates how the civilians are living due to these extreme weather.

https://www.climatescorecard.org/2017/04/argentina-extreme-weather-event/

https://www.dw.com/en/locals-demand-action-as-extreme-weather-ravages-argentinas-cities/a-17457619

http://www.thesurfchannel.com/news/20130403/surfing-the-streets-of-buenos-aires-flash-flooding-kills-35/

Mass Wasting in Argentina

Mass wasting is the event in which soil, rock, and regolith create a continuous movement that is controlled by the large force of gravity, much greater than a landslide. Argentina has been at high risk for many natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and mass wasting is no exception is also a factor that can be included in this category. Given Argentina's landscape, it is at a much higher risk for an event of mass wasting. In winter there's snow so when spring comes there ice begins to melt which can cause these large landslides due to avalanches. Mass wasting is commonly followed after an earthquake, these earthquakes have cause the country to have vast mountain range which are also a risk factor for these events.

Argentina’s main plan of action is to evacuate the town or city affected, however, when these events occur is often caused by rain so there is also a lot of flooding. Meaning that most cities or towns are in crisis at around the same time. In this case, the local authorities help those who have been affected by natural disasters.

Volcanos

Argentina's Volcanos:

There is a total of 39 volcanoes in the country of Argentina, most are located near the Andes by the Chile border. This country is considered classified as high in volcanic activity. Most or all of the volcanoes are active, therefore when they are awaken it causes major destruction all over causing many problems.

Volcano warning: 

The Argentine Observatory of Volcanic Surveillance (OAV) has a system in place that helps provide warning signs for possibles eruption threats. They use a device that monitors the volcano system which helps this organization detect when an eruption might take place and inform the population of Argentina.  The last major eruption in Argentina was the Copahue volcano in 2013, those who were evacuated lived 15 miles away from the volcano.

https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/argentina.html

http://thinkhazard.org/en/report/12-argentina/VA

https://agu.confex.com/agu/18chapman1/webprogram/Paper328286.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-22684322

EarthQuakes

The city of San Juan is the area with the highest seismicity risk in Argentina. This place is known to have very strong earthquakes every fifty years. Knowing this you expect there to be a well thought out plan for earthquakes, however, there is no actual plan. A few students from the National University of San Juan joined together to create a system that applies to different age groups. This allows for everyone to learn what to do in case of an earthquake, even children.  There is also an option for families to create a family plan. The reason why there is a risk of earthquakes in Argentina is that tension between the South American Plate and the Nazca Plate cause major earthquakes in Chile. In the Chile-Argentina Border, there is high seismicity rick as seen in the map below.

http://ds.iris.edu/seismon/eventlist/index.phtml?region=S_America

http://www.eird.org/eng/revista/no_13_2006/art21.htm

https://www.tes.com/lessons/rddiB5p1tnp6Wg/biggest-earthquake

Argentina is located on the of South American Plate but is still near the Nazca Plate. The South American Plate is surrounded by the Caribbean Plate, the Nazca plate, the Antarctic Plate and the African Plate. These two plates are convergent boundaries this is where the plates are moving toward each other causing compression. These compressions cause large mountain ranges and volcanoes. Argentina is near Chile which has the Andes mountains which are a result of these compressions.

Martin, Erin.“Plate Tectonics in the Sierras Pampeanas, Argentina with Erin Martin.” TravelingGeologist. http://www.travelinggeologist.com/2017/08/plate-tectonics-in-the-sierras-pampeanas-argentina/. Accessed 31 August 2018

Keller, A. Edward, and Duane E. DeVecchio. Natural Hazards, Earth's Processes as Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes. 4th ed., Pearson Education, 2015. Print. Accessed 29 August 2018

Shin, Edward. “South American Plate.” Americas: Tectonics. https://americastectonics.weebly.com/south-american-plate.html. Web 2017. Accessed 31 August 2018

http://ideamia.co/map-of-us-west-coast-states-us-map-with-east-and-west-map-maps-usa-middle-west-east-coast-new-england-states-florida-canada-a8bjdd/map-of-us-west-coast-states-us-map-with-east-and-west-map-maps-usa-middle-west-east-coast-new-england-states-florida-canada-a8bjdd-valid-map-the-west-coast-us-us-map-with-east-and-west-map-maps-usa/