Safest region on Earth from natural disasters

[Solid Snake]

Safest region on Earth from natural disasters...

My question is simple but may require a complicated answer. What region on Earth is safest (note the word "safest") from natural disasters?

In the United States, there are plenty of tornadoes and hurricanes, along with the threat of earthquakes on the west coast (and east coast too!). Not to mention that the supervolcano in yellowstone is the bomb waiting to explode and finish off North America.

Europe also has it's supervolcano in Italy that could blow up soon and finish off Europe as we know it.

So apart from our sun blowing up and the ultimate death of the universe, what region (or area) on Earth seem safest from mass natural disasters? I'm not much of a geology guy (I'm a math guy) so please have mercy when answering! Thanks.

 

[jedishrfu]

building wise:

http://www.riskmanagementmonitor.com/the-10-safest-places-on-earth/

 

[Pasha582]

My question is simple but may require a complicated answer. What region on Earth is safest (note the word "safest") from natural disasters?

In the United States, there are plenty of tornadoes and hurricanes, along with the threat of earthquakes on the west coast (and east coast too!). Not to mention that the supervolcano in Yellowstone is the bomb waiting to explode and finish off North America.

Geologists would look for level places (no mountain building, faults or fissures, etc) where they might find the oldest surface rock. This would indicate little weathering. The Canadian shield satisfies these criteria--Precambrian basement rock around which much of the North American plate is wrapped. It extends from Lake Superior towards the Arctic.

The one drawback for this area are the episodic periods of glacial ice which scour it, occasionally dropping erratics. These episodes tend to be widely spaced in time.

 

[Evo]

No blizzards, no floods, no droughts, no insect crop infestations, no earthquakes, no storms, no volcanoes, no sinkholes, no temperature extremes. Can crops be grown, cattle raised?

Then if you find such a place, is it habitable for humans?

Or are you just looking for a safe place where humans can't live?

 

[SW VandeCarr]

No place is perfect, but Ireland comes close. Flooding is a usually a local phenomenon. Stay away from rivers, creeks or low lying ground near the sea. The climate is milder than the UK except close to the west coast where winds off the ocean can be strong.

 

[Evo]

No place is perfect, but Ireland comes close. Flooding is a usually a local phenomenon. Stay away from rivers, creeks or low lying ground near the sea. The climate is milder than the UK except close to the west coast where winds off the ocean can be strong.

But the potato famine all but destroyed them.

 

[jedishrfu]

The luck of the Irish.

We were there last year the west coast is amazing, incredibly windy. We went to the Cliffs of Mohr in a rainstorm and nearly got blown off the observation platform. Great trip, great place.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

But the potato famine all but destroyed them.

True, but depending on one crop to keep the population from starving is asking for trouble. I think the OP is asking about the current situation.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

The luck of the Irish.

We were there last year the west coast is amazing, incredibly windy. We went to the Cliffs of Mohr in a rainstorm and nearly got blown off the observation platform. Great trip, great place.

Yes, it's a great place to visit. I'm not saying the climate is ideal. It's too cool and damp for many, but in terms of natural disasters, the risk for heat waves, severe cold waves, drought, blizzards, tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes and forest fires (not many trees), to mention a few, is minimal to nil afaik. I don't think any part of Europe is considered to be at significant risk for famine in the foreseeable future, but I could be wrong.

 

[jedishrfu]

As an aside the Irish Potato Famine was part of a larger European Potato famine that hit Ireland and Scotland particularly hard. The famine was made worse in Ireland by the absentee landlords who wanted crops grown and exported rather than kept in Ireland to feed the starving.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Potato_Famine

 

[SW VandeCarr]

As an aside the Irish Potato Famine was part of a larger European Potato famine that hit Ireland and Scotland particularly hard. The famine was made worse in Ireland by the absentee landlords who wanted crops grown and exported rather than kept in Ireland to feed the starving.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Potato_Famine

Thanks. I was not aware of this. In any case, the situation in Ireland was apparently aggravated by the actions of absentee landlords. It appears from the chart that Ireland had a much larger percentage of arable land (32%) than the other affected nations. Perhaps if so much of its product had not been exported, possibly the Irish famine might have been less severe or not occurred at all? This goes to the question of whether the potato famine in Ireland was less of natural disaster and more of a human-made one.

 

[ImaLooser]

My question is simple but may require a complicated answer. What region on Earth is safest (note the word "safest") from natural disasters?

In the United States, there are plenty of tornadoes and hurricanes, along with the threat of earthquakes on the west coast (and east coast too!). Not to mention that the supervolcano in yellowstone is the bomb waiting to explode and finish off North America.

Europe also has it's supervolcano in Italy that could blow up soon and finish off Europe as we know it.

So apart from our sun blowing up and the ultimate death of the universe, what region (or area) on Earth seem safest from mass natural disasters? I'm not much of a geology guy (I'm a math guy) so please have mercy when answering! Thanks.

In peninsular Malaysia there is jungle that has existed continuously for 100 million years.

 

[ImaLooser]

Thanks. I was not aware of this. In any case, the situation in Ireland was apparently aggravated by the actions of absentee landlords. It appears from the chart that Ireland had a much larger percentage of arable land (32%) than the other affected nations. Perhaps if so much of its product had not been exported, the Irish famine might have been less severe or not occurred at all? This goes to the question of whether the Irish potato famine was less of natural disaster and more of a human-made one.

I thought the problem was a monoculture crop. When the blight hit there was no alternative.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

I thought the problem was a monoculture crop. When the blight hit there was no alternative.

Yes. That was part of the problem. Who decided that only one monoculture crop would be used to feed the population? According to the link above posted by jedishrfu, Ireland also produced oats. With 32% of its land being arable, it should be have been self sufficient if it had a diversified crop, not to mention producing some animal sourced protein. Where were the decisions being made in terms of what to plant and what to export?

My point is that the blight was a natural phenomenon, but need not have been a disaster; at least in Ireland.

 

[Andre]

In peninsular Malaysia there is jungle that has existed continuously for 100 million years.

That claim is widespread indeed, as a quick google confirms. However, I could not find any scientific source with scholar google that supports it.

Maybe that this impression comes from some paleo biological studies and the tectonic history, as it has always being on lower lattitudes in that period. By the same token, however, we could have thought that of the Sahara, had we lived ten thousand years ago.

So, with the apparent absence of a continuous fossil record of the last million years, it's equally likely that Malaysia also has been spending some time in the arid subsidence zones of the hadley cells, that forms deserts like the Sahara. Maybe only a few thousend years, which would only seem a negliblible hiatus on 100 million years.

 

[Symptm]

I think the scandinavian region is the safest.

Sweden for example, never any really harsh weather and never any earthquakes, and faar from vulcanos.
The air is always fresh and dry and the climate is not harsh.

What do you say?

 

[atyy]

No place is perfect, but Ireland comes close. Flooding is a usually a local phenomenon. Stay away from rivers, creeks or low lying ground near the sea. The climate is milder than the UK except close to the west coast where winds off the ocean can be strong.

http://www.newstalk.ie/Ireland-on-shaky-ground-with-earthquakes-and-tsunamis- links to http://www.gsi.ie/Programmes/Bedrock/Projects/Tsunami+warning+system+for+Ireland.htm .

 

[SW VandeCarr]

I think the scandinavian region is the safest.

Sweden for example, never any really harsh weather and never any earthquakes, and faar from vulcanos.
The air is always fresh and dry and the climate is not harsh.

What do you say?

No harsh weather? I could do without this:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...0b0ad5a-3fb5-11e2-bca3-aadc9b7e29c5_blog.html

No earthquakes?

http://www.thelocal.se/42440/

http://www.thelocal.se/16374/

 

[meBigGuy]

antartica is pretty stable (but I hear the weather is a bit harsh)

How about Paraguay?

 

[SW VandeCarr]

antartica is pretty stable (but I hear the weather is a bit harsh)

How about Paraguay?

Antarctica is fine if you're a penguin. Otherwise it's uninhabitable in the usual sense. Obviously with technology humans can even live in outer space for a while.

Paraguay: drought, extreme heat, floods, tropical diseases, wildfires, storms. It's generally safer than Bolivia, Chile and Argentina (earthquakes).

http://www.preventionweb.net/english/countries/statistics/?cid=133

 

[SW VandeCarr]

http://www.newstalk.ie/Ireland-on-shaky-ground-with-earthquakes-and-tsunamis- links to http://www.gsi.ie/Programmes/Bedrock/Projects/Tsunami+warning+system+for+Ireland.htm .

As I said, no country is free from the possibility of a natural disaster. However the stats for Ireland are pretty good. On average, only one person per year has died in one of the set of listed natural disasters over the past 30 years, compared to 24 for the UK. After adjusting for population, it's still about 2.4:1 in favor of the Republic of Ireland.

http://www.preventionweb.net/english/countries/statistics/?cid=83

http://www.preventionweb.net/english/countries/statistics/?cid=183

 

[Truenorthnatur]

As a geologist I would say the northern part of The Canadian Shield. Most stable geology. Climate stable. Cold weather tends to limit biological issues.

Just remember your mitts.

 

[Chronos]

There is no 'safe' place on this planet. Certain regions are safer than others from local events, but, death from above, and cataclysmic geological events are an omnipresent threat to the entire planet. One lousy asteroid, nearby energetic cosmic event, or supervolcano eruption are just examples that could render the Earth virtually uninhabitable. Its called a mass extinction event. Temporary safety is offered by locations remote from tectonic stress and large bodies of water. However, a favorable location offers no protection from human hubris and indifference.

 

[msrlasky]

I interpret "natural disasters" as including the propensity of human civilizations, nations, cultures to implode (see the historical record) - so a location that is sparsely inhabited, sufficiently above sea level to avoid tsunamis, far away from active volcanos, and likely to have decent rainfall for agriculture even after global warming (think coastal mountain ranges), doesn't have many visitors (less likely for a new plague to infest the region) - not sure anywhere on Earth meets all criteria.

 

[Gaz]

Well we have it pretty good here in England. No earthquakes, tornadoes or any weather problems.
we are protected on both sides from tsunamis.

No place is perfect, but Ireland comes close

No offence VandeCarr but when there's a tsunami in the Atlantic ocean Ireland is going to take the hit for us =)
No dangerous animals (we already killed them all =) no poisonous snakes or spiders.
And no crazy gun laws =)

 

[Movadobgd]

Serbia ( Under mountain regions), Bosnia, Hungary
Central part of Balkan Peninsula
No major earthquakes ever
Great for crops and livestock

And this is my reasoning

It's not close to the sea or ocean
No earthquakes in history that did any major damage
No gas leakage that could poison the air
No animals that could kill you within 1 day
No wildfires ever
4 seasons
Never too hot, never too cold

Yellowstone would kill US and Canadian people instantly, it would get to Asia pretty fast as well
Siberian craters are also full of gases and poison, if those blow up same scenario, Serbia is in the Middle - again center Serbia, northern Serbia used to be Panonian sea, so it might flood

Africa is just one heat Owen waiting to happen

Most of Asia is really a potential time bomb - Tsunamis, Earthquakes (even the Himalayas are active, moving and dangerous)

Americas are also on constant move and there is a lot of threats there as well (Yellowstone is more then enough for the continent but there are a lot many potential dangers)

Europe - well Icland would really disappear if the volcano went wild, but the good thing with the rest of the Europe is that Icland is surrounded by water, so lava would soon die off after melting underwater
Same with Italy - Pompey happened and the good thing was that the water is all around, so super volcano might not be as dangerous if there is water all around, yeah the air would be polluted but you could still survive if you use the gas masks. Plants and animals could survive indoors, and plants would flourish with all the ash afterwards.
Italy, England, Spain, Ireland (which a lot of people mentioned), Holland, Sweden, Denmark ... etc ... would all drown if all the ice melted super fast, which is not likely to happen, but if it started the water would rise anywhere from 5-10 cm and up, meaning they would be underwater (as a lot of the countries are on the sea level or a bit below right now)

 

[davenn]

Well we have it pretty good here in England. No earthquakes, tornadoes or any weather problems.
we are protected on both sides from tsunamis.

are you serious ? ... You must live in an England on a different planet ?

I have records of earthquakes and tornadoes in England. . there's even been a few deaths
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_the_British_Isles

The weather there can be pretty harsh in the winter
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wea...her-deaths-soar-as-winter-takes-its-toll.html

LOTS and lots of tornadoes
opening statement ...

Tornadoes are five times more likely to hit Britain than the United States, research has revealed. A geographer who describes himself as a "fair-weather scientist" has discovered that Britain is in fact a tornado hotspot - receiving more of them per unit area than the US or Europe

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/britain-turns-into-a-tornado-hotspot-with-100-twisters-a-year-6167818.html

No offence VandeCarr but when there's a tsunami in the Atlantic ocean Ireland is going to take the hit for us =)

A significant tsunami in the Atlantic would happily curl around Ireland and hit the nthrn and southern coasts of England

No dangerous animals (we already killed them all =) no poisonous snakes or spiders.

really ??
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipera_berus

many poisonous spiders ... maybe just not lethal to a healthy person ...
http://home.bt.com/news/science-news/britains-most-poisonous-spider-revealed-11363930209761yup, me thinks you are from a different planet

Dave

 

[rootone]

Maybe central Australia?
Mostly flatland semi/desert in the middle of a fairly small tectonic plate that isn't interacting or moving very much relative to other plates.
Kangaroo stampedes could be a problem though.

 

[davenn]

Kangaroo stampedes could be a problem though.

you keep my roos out of this hahaha ... the "dropbears" are much more of a menace
They steal our women ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_bear
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2013/04/drop-bears-target-tourists,-study-says/



Dave

 

[Jax Dax]

under my feet :)
I would say Africa

 

[davenn]

under my feet :)
I would say Africa

hmmmm don't know about that

many wild and poisonous animals ... not to mention the extremely dangerous natives, war lords etc
Huge numbers of the population are aids infected, then there's the ebola and other highly contagious diseases

no thanks

D

 

[rootone]

Quite a lot of Africa has volcanic and significant Earthquake activity too.
The Atlas mountains seem quite nice though.

 

[jim mcnamara]

#29 is great. Other than the 'science of costuming' it really is not science. But it looks like the Science content of this thread has evaporated. So it fits. We should move this thing into the discussion forum. I'd hate to lose the "dropbear" picture. That alone is worth keeping this thread alive in a more reddit-oriented place.

 

[Gaz]

A significant tsunami in the Atlantic would happily curl around Ireland and hit the nthrn and southern coasts of England

So Scotland and Wales get hit that's not England. As for tornadoes and spiders come on seriously it might rain al ot but we ain't all dying of getting wet here.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

are you serious ? ... You must live in an England on a different planet ?

I have records of earthquakes and tornadoes in England. . there's even been a few deaths
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_the_British_Isles

The weather there can be pretty harsh in the winter
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wea...her-deaths-soar-as-winter-takes-its-toll.html

LOTS and lots of tornadoes
opening statement ...

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/britain-turns-into-a-tornado-hotspot-with-100-twisters-a-year-6167818.html

A significant tsunami in the Atlantic would happily curl around Ireland and hit the nthrn and southern coasts of England
really ??
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipera_berus

many poisonous spiders ... maybe just not lethal to a healthy person ...
http://home.bt.com/news/science-news/britains-most-poisonous-spider-revealed-11363930209761yup, me thinks you are from a different planet

Dave

I reckon it's all a matter of degree.

I live in the south of England. Never noticed an earthquake and never heard of one big enough around here to do anything more than shake the dust off something. Rarely see ice or snow, sometimes four or five years without going below freezing (although when it does, travel gets really messed up because there isn't much in the way of snow clearing equipment or similar). We have lots of little "whirlwinds" scattered around the country which at worst rarely do more than remove a few roof slates, although in the 1950s my mother's sailing dinghy was destroyed when a waterspout hit land and inverted the boat house complete with contents. We do have adders (also known as vipers) which are poisonous, but bites are rare and the last time someone died from one appears to have been in 1975. We don't have any native spiders which cause anything worse than a wasp sting, although people occasionally get bitten by visiting species arriving in fruit etc.