AQA GCSE Geography · 3.1.1

Natural hazards and tectonic hazards

50 revision questions with answers for 3.1.1 Natural hazards and tectonic hazards in AQA GCSE Geography (spec 8035). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1 · Spec 3.1.1.1
What is a natural hazard?
Answer:
A natural event that threatens people or property, such as an earthquake, volcanic eruption, tropical storm, flood or drought.
Question 2 · Spec 3.1.1.1
Name the main types of natural hazard.
Answer:
Tectonic hazards (earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis) and weather hazards (tropical storms, floods, droughts, heatwaves, blizzards). Landslides and wildfires are others.
Question 3 · Spec 3.1.1.1
What does 'hazard risk' mean?
Answer:
The probability that people or property will be affected by a hazard. It rises with the hazard's frequency and size and with how vulnerable people are.
Question 4 · Spec 3.1.1.1
Give a simple formula for hazard risk.
Answer:
Risk = (hazard x vulnerability) / capacity to cope. More exposure raises risk and a stronger capacity to cope lowers it.
Question 5 · Spec 3.1.1.1
List the factors that increase the risk from a natural hazard.
Answer:
Poverty, rapid urbanisation, high population density, living on unstable land or coasts, weak governance, poor building quality and climate change.
Question 6 · Spec 3.1.1.1
How does poverty increase hazard risk?
Answer:
Poor people often live in weak buildings on dangerous land, have little warning or insurance, and the country has fewer emergency services and money to recover.
Question 7 · Spec 3.1.1.1
How does urbanisation increase hazard risk?
Answer:
More people and buildings are packed into cities, often in hazard zones. Rapid growth creates informal housing on unstable slopes or flood plains.
Question 8 · Spec 3.1.1.1
How can climate change increase hazard risk?
Answer:
It may make weather hazards more frequent or intense (stronger storms, heavier rain, droughts) and raises sea level, which increases coastal flood risk.
Question 9 · Spec 3.1.1.1
Why does population density affect hazard risk?
Answer:
The more people living in a hazard zone, the more can be killed, injured or made homeless when an event happens.
Question 10 · Spec 3.1.1.1
Which factors reduce the risk from a natural hazard?
Answer:
Wealth, good governance, strong building codes, monitoring and warning systems, education and drills, and effective emergency services.
Question 11 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Describe the structure of the Earth.
Answer:
Inner core (solid), outer core (liquid), mantle (hot, semi-molten rock that slowly flows) and a thin, brittle crust on the outside.
Question 12 · Spec 3.1.1.2
How do oceanic and continental crust differ?
Answer:
Oceanic crust is thin (5-10 km), dense and young. Continental crust is thick (30-70 km), less dense and much older.
Question 13 · Spec 3.1.1.2
State the theory of plate tectonics.
Answer:
The Earth's crust is split into rigid plates that move slowly (a few cm a year) over the mantle. Most earthquakes and eruptions happen where plates meet.
Question 14 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What drives plate movement?
Answer:
Convection currents in the mantle and slab pull, where a cold, dense plate sinks into the mantle and drags the rest of the plate behind it.
Question 15 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What is a plate margin?
Answer:
The boundary between two tectonic plates. The three types in the specification are constructive, destructive and conservative.
Question 16 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What happens at a constructive plate margin?
Answer:
Plates move apart. Magma rises to fill the gap and cools to form new crust, giving gentle eruptions, shield volcanoes and small earthquakes (e.g. Mid-Atlantic Ridge).
Question 17 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What happens at a destructive plate margin?
Answer:
A denser oceanic plate is forced down beneath a lighter plate (subduction). Friction causes earthquakes, and melting rock rises to form violent composite volcanoes.
Question 18 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What happens at a conservative plate margin?
Answer:
Plates slide past each other or move in the same direction at different speeds. Friction builds up then releases suddenly as powerful earthquakes. There are no volcanoes.
Question 19 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Give an example of each type of plate margin.
Answer:
Constructive: Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Iceland). Destructive: Nazca plate under South America (Andes). Conservative: San Andreas Fault, California.
Question 20 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Describe the global distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes.
Answer:
Mostly in narrow belts along plate margins, such as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the mid-ocean ridges and the Alpine-Himalayan belt. Few occur in plate interiors.
Question 21 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What is the Ring of Fire?
Answer:
A horseshoe-shaped belt of volcanoes and earthquakes around the Pacific Ocean, where several plates meet. It holds roughly three quarters of the world's active volcanoes.
Question 22 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Why do earthquakes happen at plate margins?
Answer:
Plates get stuck and pressure builds up. When the rock finally breaks, the stored energy is released suddenly as seismic waves.
Question 23 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What is the focus and the epicentre of an earthquake?
Answer:
The focus is the point underground where the rock breaks. The epicentre is the point on the surface directly above it, where shaking is usually strongest.
Question 24 · Spec 3.1.1.2
How is the size of an earthquake measured?
Answer:
Magnitude is measured with the Richter or moment magnitude scale, which is logarithmic. Intensity of damage is shown by the Mercalli scale.
Question 25 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Why do volcanoes form at destructive margins?
Answer:
The sinking oceanic plate melts as it descends. The magma is lighter than the rock around it so it rises through the crust and erupts at the surface.
Question 26 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Compare composite and shield volcanoes.
Answer:
Composite volcanoes are steep, made of ash and thick lava, and erupt violently. Shield volcanoes are wide and gentle with runny lava and calmer eruptions.
Question 27 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What is a tsunami and how does a tectonic event cause one?
Answer:
A huge sea wave. A sudden movement of the sea floor, usually at a subduction zone, displaces a column of water that spreads out and rises as it nears the coast.
Question 28 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What is a primary effect of a tectonic hazard?
Answer:
The immediate damage caused by the event itself, such as collapsed buildings, deaths and injuries, broken roads and bridges, lava flows and ash fall.
Question 29 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What is a secondary effect of a tectonic hazard?
Answer:
Problems that follow from the primary effects, such as fires, tsunamis, landslides, disease, food and water shortages, homelessness and job losses.
Question 30 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What is an immediate response to a tectonic hazard?
Answer:
Actions in the first hours and days: search and rescue, emergency medical care, temporary shelter, food and water supplies, and evacuation.
Question 31 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What is a long-term response to a tectonic hazard?
Answer:
Actions over months and years: rebuilding homes and infrastructure, better building rules, restoring the economy, trauma support and improved monitoring.
Question 32 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Nepal earthquake: when, where and how big was it?
Answer:
On 25 April 2015, magnitude 7.8, with its epicentre near Gorkha, north-west of Kathmandu. Nepal lies on a collision zone where the Indian plate meets the Eurasian plate.
Question 33 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Give the main primary effects of the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
Answer:
Nearly 9,000 people died and about 22,000 were injured. Over 600,000 homes were destroyed, along with schools, health posts, roads and historic temples in Kathmandu.
Question 34 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Give the main secondary effects of the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
Answer:
Landslides blocked roads, an avalanche hit Everest base camp, and millions lost homes or water. Tourism income fell and the damage was a large fraction of GDP.
Question 35 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Describe the immediate responses to the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
Answer:
Rescue teams and aid arrived from India, China, the UK and others. Tents, food and medical supplies were flown in, but remote villages were hard to reach.
Question 36 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Describe the long-term responses to the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
Answer:
A National Reconstruction Authority gave grants to rebuild homes to earthquake-resistant standards. Progress was slow and many families lived in temporary shelters for years.
Question 37 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Why was recovery slow in Nepal?
Answer:
Nepal is a low income country with limited money, few emergency services, poor roads and remote mountain villages, so it relied heavily on foreign aid.
Question 38 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Chile earthquake 2010: when, where and how big was it?
Answer:
On 27 February 2010, magnitude 8.8, off the coast of central Chile near Concepcion. It happened at a destructive margin where the Nazca plate is subducted under South America.
Question 39 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Give the main effects of the 2010 Chile earthquake.
Answer:
About 525 people died. Hundreds of thousands of homes were damaged, bridges and roads collapsed, and a tsunami hit coastal towns and caused extra deaths.
Question 40 · Spec 3.1.1.2
How did Chile respond to the 2010 earthquake?
Answer:
The army and emergency services were deployed, shelters and supplies were organised, and a national reconstruction plan rebuilt homes, hospitals and roads.
Question 41 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Why were deaths far fewer in Chile than in Nepal, despite Chile's quake being much stronger?
Answer:
Chile is wealthier, with strictly enforced building codes, better emergency planning, education and drills, and stronger infrastructure and services.
Question 42 · Spec 3.1.1.2
How do effects and responses vary between areas of different wealth?
Answer:
In poorer areas deaths are usually higher, damage is worse and recovery depends on aid. Wealthier areas suffer more economic cost but fewer deaths and recover faster.
Question 43 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Why do people continue to live in areas at risk from tectonic hazards?
Answer:
Fertile volcanic soils for farming, jobs in tourism or geothermal energy, family ties, being unable to afford to move, and a belief that the risk is low or managed.
Question 44 · Spec 3.1.1.2
How does monitoring help to reduce the risk from tectonic hazards?
Answer:
Scientists use seismometers, ground tilt and gas measurements and satellites to spot warning signs, so people can be warned and evacuated in time.
Question 45 · Spec 3.1.1.2
Can tectonic hazards be predicted?
Answer:
Volcanoes can often be predicted from warning signs such as small earthquakes and swelling ground. Earthquakes cannot be predicted accurately, only forecast as a probability.
Question 46 · Spec 3.1.1.2
How can buildings be protected from earthquakes?
Answer:
Use deep foundations, cross-bracing, flexible materials, shock absorbers and base isolators. Automatic gas shut-offs and sprinklers reduce fire risk.
Question 47 · Spec 3.1.1.2
How can planning reduce the effects of a tectonic hazard?
Answer:
Hazard maps, land-use zoning, building codes, evacuation routes and exclusion zones, emergency kits and regular drills, and public education.
Question 48 · Spec 3.1.1.2
How can the effects of a tsunami be reduced?
Answer:
Warning systems and buoys, evacuation routes to higher ground, coastal sea walls, mangroves, and avoiding building on low-lying coasts.
Question 49 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What is liquefaction and why is it dangerous?
Answer:
In an earthquake, wet loose soil behaves like liquid. Buildings tilt or sink into it, which is a secondary hazard on flat, sandy or reclaimed land.
Question 50 · Spec 3.1.1.2
What are the limits of managing tectonic hazards?
Answer:
Protection and monitoring are expensive, earthquakes cannot be predicted, and poorer countries often cannot afford them, so risk stays high.

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Natural hazards and tectonic hazards

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