Geohazard Assessment

Geohazard assessment is a very important service that can be offered by a number of specialist individuals who have the appropriate skills. A Geohazard is best described as a hazardous geological state that has the potential to develop further into something much more serious such as a natural disaster. A Geohazard can be relatively small scale, or have much larger implications many hundreds of miles away. For this reason it is important to maintain an appropriate level of Geohazard assessment to ensure maximum safety.

Governments will ensure that Geohazard assessment is performed in areas where a potential hazard is known to exist. For example, The Barrier in Canada, which is a lava dam which retains Lake Garibaldi, is a well known Geohazard. Tectonic activity in that area could case The Barrier to give way and release the contents of Lake Garibaldi. Geohazard assessment has found the area immediately around the barrier to be unfit for human habitation due to the risk posed by the instability of the barrier.

Geohazard assessment is usually performed by highly qualified individuals that have a high level of specialist knowledge about the subject. A number of geologists are involved with Geohazard assessment.

The International Centre for Geohazards is an institute in Norway that has been set up with the intended purpose of furthering research into Geohazard assessment. There are a great deal of Geohazards that exist that we are currently unaware of and Geohazard assessment could potentially save lives in area that are at risk.