GEOL 9 Belgium

Coastal Erosion in Belgium: Belgium is a small country with a normally slightly small coastline. Belgium faces lots of environmental challenges like coastal erosion. This event is natural and has been accelerated by human activity and climate change which poses a growing threat to coastal lands and infrastructure around the world. What is Coastal Erosion: Coastal erosion is when the land along the coast is damaged or removed due to waves or currents. These natural processes are being accelerated by climate change which furthers the erosion of coasts. The Belgium coast line is about 65 kilometers long form the French border to the Dutch border. This area is popular for tourism but its also a natural coast which is being damaged by coastal erosion. Reasons for Coastal Erosion in Belgium: Sea-Level Rise: Climate change is causing global sea levels to rise which is increasing the amount of coastal erosion around the globe. For Belgium, the North Sea has been rising approximately 1-2 mm p...

Wk10: Extreme weather                This week I will be discussing extreme weather cases of flooding in the country of Belgium. Flooding has escalated in Belgium because of the average temperature rise since 1830-1010 of 2°C. As early as it is in 2024 Belgium is already facing serious flooding issues. Referring to the charts below provided by iea.org we can see the gray bars being the world averages and the left bars being Belgium's levels of extremes weather cases. This country's vulnerability to flooding is increased by the amount of densely populated regions with lots of urbanization. Without the right procedures set in place for a flood urbanization can lead to more devastating effects. The second bar chart is used to show the rate at which Belgium is warming compared to the rest of the world. This is relevant to the chart above because when the average temperature increases Floods, Droughts, and Cyclones increase as well. The need to ad...

This week I am going to dive into he topic of mass wasting events like landslides, mudslides, rockslides, and there relationship between flooding and rain. In Belgium it is not discussed as frequently as other regions despite this mass wasting events still pose a big risk. While the country does not experience high rates of seismic activity heavy rainfall and periods of drought can trigger landslides and mudslides. Using Belgium's topography its varied terrain with hilly regions and valleys make certain areas more likely to experience these hazards especially those close to slopes or mountain ranges.  Belgium has experienced small scale landslides in the past specifically in areas with mountain ranges or mining and construction sites that reshape the environment. These landslides cause local damage but typically do not reach the magnitudes that are seen in countries with more geological features. To further protect themselves from hazards Belgium should focus on increasing awarenes...

  Volcanic activity in Belgium: Belgium is considered to have a medium amount of volcanic activity in the region while there is not actual volcanos inside the country of Belgium. While researching this topic I was not able to find when the last volcanic event happened that effected Belgium and there is a surprising lack of articles related to volcanic activity in Belgium. Despite this Think hazard classifies Belgium as a medium hazard level relating to volcanic activity because the closest volcano is 50 kilometers away. This is referring to the Laacher See volcano in Germany. Laacher See is a caldera lake volcano located in the Eifel region of Germany, and it's approximately 50 kilometers away from the Belgian border. This volcano is considered dormant but has been active in the past therefore it is under monitoring for signs of reawaking. Volcanic eruptions can be seen in advance most of the time therefore granting a window of time to start safety measures. Safety measures to thin...

 Week three: Earthquakes As seen in the map below Belgium does not have high levels of seismic activity when compared to other tectonic plate boundaries like the Pacific Ring of Fire. Although Belgium does experience some seismic activity that is usually of a low magnitude and not very common to the area. Belgium is positioned within the Eurasian Plate which is far from any important plate boundaries where the tectonic activity is more intense. If you are a citizen of Belgium most of the time when there is a seismic event you wouldn't even feel it. According to the Royal Observatory of Belgium there were 267 earthquakes in 2021 which is staggeringly low to other countries in the world.  The key point to remember is that there is little to no earthquakes in the country of Belgium so there is no reason to be scared. Despite this it is always important to remember the safety measures for earthquakes which are to drop, cover, and hold on. Drop meaning to drop to the ground than co...

What tectonic plate is Belgium in?           Belgium is a country in western Europe. It is not located on the Eurasian plate boundary but in the middle of the Eurasian Plate. The Eurasian plate forms the majority of the continent and shapes the country of Belgium. For instance the Eurasian Plate creates environments like the Ardennes Mountains in the southern area of Belgium. Belgium is not accustomed to high seismic activity but the tectonic plate influences the landscape inside the country. The Eurasian plate also affects the countries temperature and precipitation by effecting the wind around the country making it so the precipitation and moister from the Atlantic ocean seeps into the atmosphere of Belgium. Fun fact!           The Ardennes Mountains are located in the southern area of Belgium as mentioned above and are a result of the Eurasian plate activity. The Ardennes Mountains during the Hercynian orogeny which was a te...