Geohazard

A geohazard can be defined as a "geological state that represents or has the potential to develop further into a situation leading to damage or uncontrolled risk" [ [http://www.geohazards.no International Centre for Geohazards] ] . This definition implies that geohazards are widespread phenomena that are related to geological and environmental conditions and involve long-term and/or short-term geological processes. Geohazards can thus be relatively small features, but they can also attain huge dimensions (e.g. submarine or surface landslide) and affect local and regional socio-economy (e.g. tsunamis) to a large extent. In addition, human activities - for example drilling through geohazards like overpressured zones - could result in significant risk, and as such mitigation and prevention are paramount, through improved understanding of geohazards, their preconditions, causes and implications. In other cases, particularly in montane regions, natural processes can cause catalytic events of a complex nature, such as an avalanche hitting a lake causes a debris flow, with consequences potentially hundreds of miles away, or a lahar released by volcanism.

The continued and multi-disciplinary investigation into the occurrence and implications of geohazards, in particular offshore geohazards in relation with the oil and gas exploration, lead to specific mitigation studies and establishing relevant prevention mechanisms [Nadim, 2006. "Challenges to geo-scientists in risk assessment for sub-marine slides". Norwegian Journal of Geology, 86(3), 351-362.] [Solheim A., et al., 2005. Ormen Lange - An integrated study for the safe development of a deep-water gas field within the Storegga Slide complex, NE Atlantic continental margin; executive summary. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 22(1-2), 1-9.] .

Geohazards lie at the heart of the research activities at the International Centre for Geohazards, hosted at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo, Norway.

Examples of geohazards

*(Submarine) Landslides
*Debris flows
*Shallow gas accumulation
*Overpressured zones (including gas and shallow water flows)
*Naturally occurring gas hydrates and their climate-controlled meta-stability
*Mud flows, diapirism and mud volcanism/mud volcanoes
*Earthquakes and seismicity
*Tsunamis from tectonics and landslides
*Rock falls and landslides

Known geohazards

*The Barrier, Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia

References

External links

* [http://www.geohazards.no International Centre for Geohazards (ICG)]