Earthquake

Earthquake is a movement of the crust. About 150, 000 earthquakes can be sensed yearly without instruments, these movements are the macro seismic quakes (makroszeizmikus rengés). And there are 1 million, which is only detectable with instruments, these are the micro seismic quakes (mikroszeizmikus rengés). 90% of the earthquakes are connected with the margins of plates, similarly to active volcanoes. And because of this, on a map the epicentres show these lines. The other 10% are caused by eruption of volcanoes, and the collapse of underground cavities (üreg). The hypocentre is the underground site, from which earthquakes waves originate. The epicentre is the area of the surface directly above the hypocentre /focus/ o fan earthquake. We can make a difference among three types of the earthquakes: shallow-focused (sekély fészkű) /0-70 km/, mid-focused (közép fészkű) /70-300 km/, and deep-focused (mély fészkű) /300-700 km/ earthquakes. We can measure the strength of the earthquake by seismograph. There are two scales to express the power of an earthquake. 

a)      Richter scale: It contains 10 grades:

Micro (less than 2.0), Very Minor (2.0-2.9), Minor (3.0-3.9), Light (4.0-4.9), Moderate (5.0-5.9), Strong (6.0-6.9), Major (7.0-7.9), Great (8.0-8.9), Rarely Great, (9.0-9.9), Meteoric (10+)

b)      Mercalli scale: It contains 12 grades:

I, Instrumental, II, Feeble, III, Slight, IV, Moderate, V, Rather Strong, VI, Strong, VII, Very Strong, VIII, Destructive, IX, Ruinous, X, Disastrous, XI, Very Disastrous, XII, Catastrophic

-The strongest earthquake in Hungary was in 28. 06. 1763. in Komárom.

-The strongest earthquake on the Earth since 1900 was in 2004 in Sumatra, Indonesia, its magnitude was 9.0, and there 289.000 people died.

Characterisation of the centres and peripheries of world economy from the economical and social point of view

The centres and peripheries are the 2 opposite poles of world economy. The centres of world economy contain those areas in which the most important elements of capitalist economy (the capital, the technical- and social knowledge) accumulate. Developed countries belong to the centre, they have a leading role in the most modern and the fastest developing economical branches, in the economical system of the world and in the organization of regional integrations. They have influence on international trade, and on the movement of capital and money. Due to their leading role in world economy, their national economy is also integrated on a high level. It means that the connection system between their ecomical branches and the proccesses of their national economy is multilateral ^sokrétű. The infrastructure is also highly developed. 

Outside  the centre, there is a semi-peripheric zone whose countries provides resource, market and expanding area for the central states.

 The next zone is the periphery which is the outskirt of the world economy from both economical and territorial point of view. It contains the group of developing countries.They have a passive role in world economy or they are very dependent on the global economical processes directed by developed countries.But for these countries it is possible to rise. ^{felemelkedni (gazdasági értelemben is)}          
 

Nowadays three centre pole of growing ^{növekedési pólus} move ^mozgatja the world trade. The status of several countries and regions are determined by their relationship to the centre poles of growing. The 3 centre pole of growing are: the European Union, the U.S.A and Japan. Their common name is Triad. In today’s world economy actually the Triad takes up ^{teszi ki, alkotja} the centre. The flow of capital, technology and goods take place here, it possesses the 80% of all functioning capital. The other economical regions are only hinterlands^hátország of the Triad.

 The main engine and haszonélvező of world trade has been the U.S.A since the 1990’s. Its functioning capital import and export is the largest in the world, and it accunulates the largest commercial deficit.

Japan’s economical output^{teljesítmény} has stagnated since the 1990’s, but it has the most significant commercial activity of the three poles of growing. Its functioning capital export is much more than its import.

The profit of the European Union’s commerce is quite mild. The 1/3 of the world’s functioning capital export and import is conducted ^lebonyolít by the EU.

           

Social point of view:

The food production of the world – despite the population boom – exceeded ^meghaladta the increase of all population. As a result of the modern agrotechnics of the developed countries the overproduction of food is characteristic to the entire world, even some countries suffer from crisis caused by the overproduction. In these areas there is overconsumption that is an exacerbating ^súlyosbodó impact^ártalom on civilization. The unhealthy alimentation (that contains too much carbohydrate and protein) and the lack of training endangers the health of the population living in prosperity.

In a larger proportion of world population the main problem is the lack of food. The agricultural production of developing countries is not in proportion with the rapid increase of population that is why the lack of food is constant^állandó in these territories. The most cruel consequence of overpopulation is malnutrition. ^éhezés

The feature of the third large group of people is „hidden malnutrition”. Their problem is not the quantity of the food, but its quality. This food misses vitamins and microelements.

In countries suffering from malnutrition infant and child mortality is high and low life expectancy and pathologic ^kóros decrease of body weight of children are characteristic. The income of the population of developing countries is so low that they cannot appear on food market as a consumer. Consequently the main reason for malnutrition is poverty.             

Changes in the Energy Policy of the World from the late 20th century

OPEC: Organiztaion of Petrol Exporting Countries
1973: OPEC decided that the exporters increase the price of oil significantly

• It is called „oil price explosion” (olajár-robbanás) and the economical crisis that evolved due to this is called „oil crisis” (olajválság).
• As the price of oil increased it brought about general increasing of the price of energy
• The production of all goods needs energy, consequently the increase of oil’s price led to a general increase of prices

It led to: 
- bankruptcy (csőd) of companies
- unemployment
- inflation
- decrease of economical increase (this is called recession)
(=gazdasági növekedés csökkenése, amit recessziónak nevezünk)

The crisis was exacerbated by that the world economy at that time was in a period when the demands of the consumers’ market determined the production (not conversely) and the consumers were interested in unique products, not in goods producted en masse (tömegesen).

Companies had to change, had to research the demands of the consumers, evolve (kifejleszt) the product, organize its production and put it on the market as fast as possible

It made production expensive, because the budget of raw-material and energy increased

They had to find solution in order to remain able to compete
They turned towards renewable energy resources, because they are cheaper and by the usage of these resources, producers depended less on the fluctuation of the prices of oil than before

Renewable energy resources:
1.) hydroelectric power: power of rivers
dams (e.g. Norway and Scandinavia) & reservoirs (e.g. China)

2.) solar energy:
- comes from the sun used by solar collectors  provides small amount of energy  private houses use this kind of resource
- uneven energy resource

3.) wind energy:
- uneven
- can be used along seacoasts and at places where there is constant wind
(e.g. seacoasts, plains, high mountains)

4.) geothermal energy: steam
5.) waves tides  tidal energy (waves and tides are the biggest at the bay of Fundy /60m/)

America

America lies on the Northern, Southern and Western hemisphere of the Earth. Asia lies the closest to it at the Bering Strait.

The two main parts are North America and South America which are joined by the narrow isthmus of Central America.

The huge North-Southern extension of America is shown by the fact that it is crossed by the Northern Polar Circle, the Tropic of Cancer, the Equator and by the Tropic of Capricorn. The Southernmost part of the continent lies close to the Southern polar circle.

The continent is bordered by the Arctic Ocean (North), the Atlantic Ocean (East) and by the Pacific Ocean on the West. The two oceans are connected under the narrow Southern part of the continent. Due to the fact that they lie extremely close to each other at Central America, the Panama Canal was built at the narrowest part of the isthmus.

East from Central America, the archipelago of the Caribbean Sea is located with the Lesser Antilles, the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas.

Because of the numerous peninsulas, islands and gulfs the coastline is said to be indented.

Greenland, the greatest island of the world, belongs to the islands of the Arctic Ocean. The islands of the Eastern part: Florida and the Labrador Peninsula. On the West, we can find Alaska and California which run out far into the sea.

The two largest gulfs are the Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

The coastline of South America is unindented.

America is the second largest continent after Asia in size: 42.1 million km².

The relief of land and the mineral resources of North America

The oldest part of it is the Canadian Shield which embraces the Hudson Bay. Towards the West and South-west the shield can also be found under the sediments of the neighbouring regions. It is actually built up of granite and has been created by destruction which consumed many hundred millions of years. That is why its minerals are close to the surface now. Its current surface got created thanks to the Ice age. The ice cap planed its surface by its sliding motion. The soft rocks were excavated, the harder ones were smoothed and the debris was deposited. After the continuous melting of the ice cap the continent started to elevate. The basins were filled up by lakes and the rivers also contributed to the further creation of the relief of North America.

The Appalachians, which lie on the Eastern side of the continent, elevated in the Paleozoic. Between the ranges of the block mountains, there are fertile plateaux and river valleys. On the terraced slopes rivers flow with several waterfalls. Their powers are utilized by hydroelectric power plants. The most important mineral resource is the black coal.

The youngest and the highest mountains of the continent are the Cordilleras and they got created in the tertiary period as a part of the Pacific mountain system. The orogenesis still hasn’t come to and end due to the closing Pacific plate and North American plate. An obvious proof of this was the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.

The ridges of the Pacific mountain system can also be found in South America and even in Asia on the coasts of the Pacific Ocean.

The Western ridges of the Cordilleras are young mountains that are separated by trenches.

The innermost arch of the Cordilleras are the Rocky Mountains which blocks have been arised by Pacific movements again. Its ice-capped peaks make the mountain similar to mountain chains.

The ranges of the Cordilleras embrace several plateaux, such as the Colombian Plateau, the Colorado Plateau and the Mexican plateau.

On the area of Central America the ranges continue with frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

On the slopes of The Rockies can be located the tables of the Preri which is covered by loess.

The lowest and youngest region of North America is the Mississippi Plain. Once it was flooded by the ocean. Its horizontally deposited layers of sediments hide oil and natural gas. On the thick layers the Mississippi and its tributaries deposited debris.

The relief of land and the mineral resources of North America

South America has two shields: The Guyana shield and the Brazil Highland. Both were parts of the Gondvanaland on the Southern hemisphere. Their pieces, which are connected deeply under the land, are actually connected by the Amazonas Basin on the surface which is mainly built up of the sediments of the sea and deposits.

The ridges of the Western part of the continent elevated because of the folding of the oceanic and the continental plate. The deposits of the oceanic plate and the rocks of the plate themselves went deep and melted, and intensive volcanic activity started: this is how the volcanic ridges were formed. The folded sediments elevated on the Eastern part.

The Andes, which are the longest mountain chains all over the world, formed in this way as part of the Pacific mountain system. In front of it, under the Pacific Ocean, there is a trench because it is a subduction zone where the oceanic plate goes under the continental plate.

This process, which started in the Mesozoic, has not yet come to an end. Because of the colliding plates, volcanic activities and earthquakes are still very frequent. The Southern part of the Andes is the second in the row of the most seizmic parts of the Earth after Japan.

The Andes have many magmatic rocks – such as the andesite which name is similar to the name of the mountain itself.

Over and above the factors mentioned above – because of the height above sea level -, the surface was formed by the ice as well.

The ranges are North-Southern in orientation. They surround plateaus. The greatest one of them is the Bolivian Plateau which is covered by a thick layer of debris and lava.

The mineral resources of the Andes got close to the surface during volcanic activities and they are ores of non-ferrous metals and precious metals such as copper, tin-stone and silver.

The youngest regions of the continent are the plains. The plain of the Northern part of South America is the Orinoco Basin which is rich in oil. The Parana Plain is located on the Southern part of the continent. In the basin of the Amazon River not only the largest plain of the continent but that of the Earth is lying as well. In the Tertiary period there was a gulf but the accumulation of the debris of the Amazon River created a plain on the area of it. Its slope faces the Atlantic Ocean.

Last but not least, we have to mention Patagonia which is built up of tables and on which the accumulated volcanic debris and the debris of the glaciers are originated from the Andes.