Student Name:

IGCSE Geography
Course Notes

Tectonics
 Topic Breakdown Happy Unsure
It’s a
Problem
  
Know the global pattern of plate
distribution
State the differences between oceanic and
continental plates
Explain the movement of tectonic plates
Describe the different plate boundaries Know the names of two plates
for each plate boundary
Explain how fold mountains form Name a fold mountain range
and the two tectonic plates at
that boundary

Describe the global distribution of

volcanoes and earthquakes
Explain the global distribution of volcanoes
and earthquakes

Describe the main features of a volcano

Describe the appearance of two different

types of volcano
State where different types of volcanoes
are likely to form
Describe and explain how volcanoes
present hazards to people
Describe the causes of volcanic eruptions

Describe and explain their effects on

people and the environment
Explain what can be done to reduce
impacts from volcanoes
Describe the opportunities volcanic areas
provide for people
CASE STUDY
Location, cause and impacts on people and
the environment of a volcanic eruption

Know the features of an earthquake and

how earthquakes are measured
Describe the causes of an earthquake
Describe and explain how earthquakes
present hazards to people
Explain what can be done to reduce
impacts from earthquakes
CASE STUDY
Location, cause and impacts on people and
the environment of an earthquake
 Exam Question Summary

Question Mark To improve I need to ….

Distinguish between Continental and

Oceanic Plates
/3

What type of plate boundary runs

through the Red Sea?
/1

Explain why plate movement, such as

that shown in figure 4, occurs.
/4

Explain why earthquakes occur close to

plate boundaries
/3

Explain how the Himalayas were

formed as a result of plate movement
/5

Explain why some volcanoes erupt on

constructive (divergent) plate /3
boundaries

For a named example of a volcanic

eruption you have studied, describe its /7
effects on people and the environment

Explain how earthquakes impact on

people and the environment
/5

Describe how the impacts of

earthquake can be reduced
/5

End of Unit Assessment / 25

Plate Tectonics
 Continental Plate Oceanic Plate

Age

Density

Thickness

Life span

Breakdown the question

1. Command word
Distinguish between Continental and Oceanic Plates 2. Focus of the question
3. Simplify the question
(3 marks)

Assessment Comments

DIRT - How could you improve your answer?

225 million years ago all the continents are believed to have been joined together in one
supercontinent called Pangaea. Over millions of years, convection currents started moving
the continents apart until there were two continents; Laurasia and Gondwanaland.
Today the continents have moved even further apart, creating the land masses that we
know today. The continents have not stopped moving so in the future the world will look
different again, for example Europe and North America are moving apart at up to 10cm a
year, but North America and Asia are moving closer together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwfNGatxUJI

Exam Technique Advice

When answering questions, it is a good idea to use the wording of the
question in your answer. This is certainly the case for 5 and 7 mark questions.
 Plate Boundaries (Margins)
 A plate boundary is…

 There are four different plate boundaries…

1)
2)
3)
4)
 Two factors determine the type of plate boundary…
1)
2)

 Tectonic features and events that occur at plate boundaries

1)
2)
3)
Use pages 68-69 Cambridge Textbook and complete the following tasks for each plate boundary
1. Draw a labelled diagram of each boundary
a. Identify the types of plates involved
b. Identify the direction of movement of the plates
c. Identify the tectonic features that occur at each plate boundary
2. Explain how each feature is formed / occurs

Destructive Boundary
Explain the formation of composite cone volcanoes & fold mountains, and the cause of earthquakes
 Constructive Boundary
Explain the formation of shield volcanoes
 Collision Boundary
Explain the formation of fold mountains and causes of earthquakes
Conservative Boundary
Explain the cause of earthquakes
 Summary of Plate Boundaries

Constructive Destructive Collision Conservative

Types of
tectonic
plates
Direction of
plate
movement

Earthquakes
(Y or N)

Volcanoes
(Y or N)

Fold
Mountains
(Y or N)

Constructive Boundary Destructive Boundary

Collision Boundary Conservative Boundary

 Breakdown the question

1. Command word
2. Focus of the question
3. Simplify the question

Feedback

Feedback
 Volcanoes

A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a tectonic plate, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to
escape from a magma chamber below the surface. Whilst there are a number of different types of
volcanoes, we will be focusing on two volcanoes – shield volcanoes and composite cone volcanoes (also
known as stratovolcanoes).

Skill – Drawing a sketch diagram

Drawing sketch diagrams of specific geographical features is an important skill. Below is a
sketch profile of a volcano showing various features. Note that the volcano sides are less
than 45o and are not near vertical, and that the magma chamber is below the surface of
the ground and not inside the volcano – these are common mistake made by students in
exams.

Add the following labels to the sketch above

Main vent Crater Secondary cone

Magma chamber Alternating layers of ash & lava
Ground surface Secondary vent
Describe the appearance of the volcanoes in the two photos below

Volcano Type: _________________________

Volcano Type: _________________________

Compare the characteristics of…

Shield Volcano Composite Cone Volcano
 Composite Cone Volcano
Use the handout provided to help answer the following questions
1. How steep are the sides of composite cone volcanoes?

2. Why are the sides so steep?

3. What are the eruptions usually like?

4. Why are the eruptions quite violent?

5. Why are there alternate layers of ash and lava?

 Shield Volcano
Use the handout provided to help answer the following questions
1. Where do they form?

2. How steep are the sides of the shield volcanoes?

3. Why are they less steep than the composite cone volcano?

4. What happens when the volcanoes erupt?

5. Why are they less violent than the composite cone volcanoes?
 Tectonics Glossary

Dormant volcano

Earthquake

Extinct volcano

Focus

Subduction

Viscosity

Convection current

Tectonic plates

Magma

Lava

Conservative
boundary

Constructive
boundary

Destructive
boundary
 Where in the world are the volcanoes?
When a question
requires you to
describe from a world
map you should…
1. Refer to specific
regions
(Continents)
You
should know the Describe
name and locations of
the 7 continents.
1. General pattern
2. May refer
Explain thetoglobal distribution of volcanoes 2. Specific details
specific 3. Exceptions
countries
(provided you
are very
Explain
confident of Reasons why this
your accuracy!) distribution occurs
3. Use
appropriate
geographical
Describe
terms for the global distribution of volcanoes
locations
Draw a
compass next to the
map and mark
NSEW
to ensure you give
specific locations
 Volcanic Hazards
What are the five volcanic hazards in the anagrams below?

clovacin placycorist
alva has ralah
mobbs wofls

https://www.youtub https://www.youtu https://www.youtu https://www.youtub https://www.youtub

e.com/watch? be.com/watch? be.com/watch? e.com/watch? e.com/watch?
v=6J6X9PsAR5w v=5ltIdIIi7z0 v=Qgih2TL-9As v=Cvjwt9nnwXY v=kznwnpNTB6k

What is a volcanic hazard?

https://www.youtube.com/e
mbed/BCm6xTZj-vk

Breakdown the question

1. Command word
Explain why some volcanoes erupt on constructive 2. Focus of the question
(divergent) plate boundaries (3 marks) 3. Simplify the question

Comments
 Describe the effects of volcanic eruptions on people and the environment

Turn this list of effects into a paragraph of connected sentences:

People Environment
Positive  Tourism opportunities
 Creates fertile land for farming
 Increase yields for farmers
 Creates new land
 Geothermal energy

Negative  Economic loss (property damage)  Destroy buildings

 Health, injury and/or loss of life  Damage roads, railways, power lines
 Prevent people from travelling  Destroy animal habitats

Try to include some of these details within writing:

1.8 million tourists visited

The Hawaiian Islands are Iceland in 2016 to
The foothills of Mt Etna
entirely volcanic and Iceland meets 25% of its experience the
(Sicily, Italy) are famous
support a population of electricity demand. hydrothermal pools (Blue
for the wine produced.
1.4 million. Lagoon), the lava tunnels
and volcanoes (Hekla)
 Connecting Hazards and Impacts
Create a mindmap that links the possible impacts of each of the eruption hazards.
Use one colour for negative impacts and another for positive impacts.
Look back at your previous notes to remind yourself of the impacts of volcanic eruptions
 Reducing the Impacts of Volcanic Eruptions
The 3 P’s of Management Can we predict eruptions? Justify

Predict
Prevent
Prepare
Can
Can we
we prevent
prepare eruptions?
for eruptions?
Justify
Justify
Choose three of the management techniques outline on the handout. For each technique,
describe the action that is being taken, list the main impacts that it aims to reduce and
explain how it should reduce each impact.

Technique How it works Impacts reduced Benefits of technique

Example
Cooling lava Water is sprayed on the lava to Property damage Reduces disruptions to
cool it and prevent it travelling Damage to infrastructure transport and cost of repairing
as far

Volcanic Eruption Case Study

Use the resources to complete a Wikipedia Page for your case study https://padlet.com/geogalong/nevadodelruiz
 For a named example of a volcanic eruption you have studied, describe
its effects on people and the environment (7 marks)
1. Named case study _________________________________________
2. Impacts

Impact Linked to Case study detail

Feedback
Geog Your Memory
Earthquakes

List four steps that explain why earthquakes occur Draw a cross section that shows an earthquake
occurring
1.

2.

3.

4.

Define the following

Focus…

Epicentre…

Shockwaves…

Based on the knowledge you have about earthquakes and plate tectonics, describe and explain where
earthquakes are most likely to occur.

Describe – where? General locations, specific locations – refer to geographical locations (continents, oceans),
use points of the compass to be more specific
 Earthquake Magnitude
Earthquakes are detected and their
strength, or magnitude, measured by
a seismometer. During an earthquake
the seismic waves, or shockwaves,
will cause the needle on the
seismograph to move which produces
a series of spikes on a piece of
scrolling paper. The stronger the
earthquake, the more powerful the
shockwaves, the longer the spikes on
the printout.

Complete the table below using what you know about the locations and the above
information telling you about the Richter Scale.
No. of Estimated Actual
Where When Other facts
deaths? strength strength
 Earthquake Investigation
Is there a relationship between earthquake magnitude and its
impacts?
Hypothesis – What relationship would you expect?

Method – How could we investigate this question?

Results – How could we present these results? Why is this method appropriate?
Analysis of results – Describe the trend shown by the results (remember to include evidence from the graph)

Analysis of results – Explain why this trend occurs and offer reasons for any anomalies (exceptions)
Teacher Comments

Reflection and improvements

Why do some earthquakes

cause more deaths and
damage than others?
 How do earthquakes cause damage?

We can categorise impacts depending on whether they have occurred directly because of an event, a
primary impact, or whether they are a knock on impact, a secondary impact, i.e. they have occurred
because of the effects of a primary impact.

Looking at the impacts on the diagram above, decide which are primary and which are secondary and add
them to the table below.

Primary Impact Secondary Impact

Whilst we watch the

YouTube video of
various earthquake
events, add any further
impacts to the correct
column (primary or
secondary) in your table.

Primary Impact
These occur as a direct
result of the event
Secondary Impact
These occur as a result
of a primary impact
 Making connections and creating
sequences in your writing
Using the impact notes on the
previous page, construct sequences of impacts in an order at which they are likely to have occurred. An
example is below:

This may make

People may
it harder to get
have to live
Buildings are People are to work,
elsewhere
damaged or unable to live attend school
whilst their
collapse in their homes and will create
home is
considerable
repaired
stress
 Breakdown the question

4. Command word
Explain how earthquakes impact on people and the 5. Focus of the question
environment (5 marks)
6. Simplify the question

Assessment Comments
 Can we predict earthquakes? Justify

Can we prevent earthquakes? Justify Can we prepare for earthquakes? Justify

Reducing the Impacts of Earthquakes

The 3 P’s of Management How can we prepare to an earthquake?

Predict 1.
Prevent
2.
Prepare
3.

4.

5.

which helps
to / by

Describe how the impacts of earthquake can be reduced (5 marks)

Identify and explain the design features of this earthquake proof building
Earthquake Case Study Factfile
Additional Resources