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Hazard Assessment

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Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonyms

Danger assessment; Threat assessment

Definition

Hazard assessment is the procedure to characterize and map the location, magnitude, intensity, geometry, and frequency or probability of occurrence, and other characteristics of a given threat, event, phenomenon, process, situation, or activity that may potentially be harmful to the affected population and damaging the society and the environment.

Definition of frequency or probability is a complex endeavor that includes the causes of threats (state of territory, predisposing factors, triggering mechanisms), long-term evolution, and present-day trends (monitoring and geoindicators ), resulting in the frequency/probability of occurrence of certain phenomenon over time (or the susceptibility that an area may be affected by specific perils).

Definitional Uncertainties

Risk assessments require hazard assessment, exposure identification , and vulnerability analysis data at the appropriate scale as...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Survey of Italy, Italian Institute for Environmental Research and Protection – ISPRA, Rome, Italy

    Claudio Margottini

  2. Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy

    Scira Menoni

Authors
  1. Claudio Margottini
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  2. Scira Menoni
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claudio Margottini .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada Natural Resources Canada, Sidney, Ontario, Canada

    Peter Bobrowsky

  2. London, United Kingdom

    Brian Marker

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Margottini, C., Menoni, S. (2018). Hazard Assessment. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_154-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_154-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

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