The risk from natural hazards, while it cannot be eliminated, can, in some cases be understood in a such a way that we can minimize the hazard to humans, and thus minimize the risk. Then, we can develop an action to take to minimize the risk. Such minimization of risk is called hazard mitigation.

Disasters threaten development, just as development creates disaster risk. Hazard, vulnerability and exposure are influenced by a number of risk drivers, including poverty and inequality, badly planned and managed urban and regional development, climate change and environmental degradation.

Natural disasters are a naturally occurring event that causes damage to human life, but human activity can increase their frequency and intensity. Deforestation is wiping out trees, causing increased risk for flooding, soil erosion, and drought.

We cannot prevent natural earthquakes from occurring but we can significantly mitigate their effects by identifying hazards, building safer structures, and providing education on earthquake safety. By preparing for natural earthquakes we can also reduce the risk from human induced earthquakes.

Theoretically, the tectonic weapon functions by creating a powerful charge of elastic energy in the form of deformed volume of the Earth’s crust in a region of tectonic activity. This then becomes an earthquake once triggered by a nuclear explosion in the epicenter or a vast electric pulse.

Induced seismicity refers to typically minor earthquakes and tremors that are caused by human activity that alters the stresses and strains on the Earth’s crust. Most induced seismicity is of a low magnitude.

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake is only equivalent to about 6 tons of TNT explosives, but because the Richter scale is a base-10 logarithmic scale, the amount of energy released increases quickly: A magnitude 5.0 earthquake is about 200 tons of TNT, magnitude 6.0 is 6,270 tons, 7.0 is 199,000 tons, 8.0 is 6,270,000 tons.

A combination of local stress and ground water saturation within the fault line shook up by a nuclear explosion could cause a cascading release along a substantial section of a fault that would result in a major earthquake.

The tests revealed that a single explosion would not produce a tsunami, but concluded that a line of 2,000,000 kg (4,400,000 lb) of explosives about 8 km (5.0 mi) off the coast could create a destructive wave.

A detonated nuclear bomb produces a fireball, shockwaves and intense radiation. A mushroom cloud forms from vaporized debris and disperses radioactive particles that fall to earth contaminating air, soil, water and the food supply. When carried by wind currents, fallout can cause far-reaching environmental damage.

Although tsunamis occur most often in the Pacific Ocean, they can be generated by major earthquakes in other areas. The most frequent cause of tsunamis…is crustal movement along a fault: a large mass of rock drops or rises and displaces the column of water above it.