Geography Flashcards
Name the earth structures in order
Crust
Mantle
Outer core
Inner core
Describe each layer
Crust- Solid rock, plate tectonics are found here
Mantle- Solid rock that can flow, semi-molten
Outer core- Liquid state, it is magnetic
Inner core- Very dense, solid rock due to high pressure
Who discovered Pangea, and what is it?
Alfred Wegner, Pangea is the theory that all continents were once one.
Name 2 pieces of evidence that Wegner found to support Pangea
Jigsaw fit (coastlines match)
Convectional currents (lava moving in circles)
Fossils (Ancient animals found on beaches of South America and Africa)
Patterns (Types of rock found in both continents)
What is continental drift?
Continents ‘drifting’ apart from eachother over time
What are convection currents?
Drive the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates due to the mantle.
Name 2 plates
Eurasian
Nazca plate
Where are most volcanoes and earthquakes found?
Along plate boundries
Convergent plate boundaries
Where 2 plates collide into eachother until 1 slides under the other (subduction)
What is a composite volcano?
A cone shaped volcano built up of masses of dried lava.
Conservative plate boundary
2 plates slide past eachother
How are fold mountains formed?
When 2 plates collide into eachother and rise.
Divergent plate boundary
When 2 plates move apart.
What is an earthquake?
Vibrations in the earths crust (seismic waves) caused by moving plate boundaries. Earthqukaes usually occur at Convergent and Conservative boundaries.
Speeds of secondary and primary shockwaves?
Primary- faster (across)
Secondary- slower (upwards and downwards)
What is liquification?
When the earthquake pushes the water out of the ground and creates wet mud.
What does the Richter scale measure?
The shaking of the earth
What does the Mercalli scale measure?
The intensity of an earthquake
Pyroclastic flows?
Fast moving currents of hot gas and rock. Close to the ground.
Lava flow?
Magma is pushed out the volcano and burns things.
Ash?
Fragments of lava and travel at great distances, can start fires.
Volcanic bomb?
Mass of molten rock ejected from volcano, can be thrown many kilometers
Lahars?
Violent type of mudflow made of rocks and water, travels at around 30mph
What is a volcano?
Openings or cracks in the earths lithosphere where magma from inside the earth escpaes the surface.
What is a supervolcano?
A volcano 1000x bigger than regular volcanoes, cna chnage ecosystems and climates if erupted.
What is the caldera and magma chamber?
Caldera- A large depression formed when a volcano erupts
Magma chamber- Where motlen rock is stored before an eruption
What caused the Indian ocean tsunami?
Earthquakes and grinding plates across 12,000 km, Magnitude 9. Indo-Australian plate subducting under Eurasian plate
Name 3 warning signs of an eruption?
Common for earthquakes to occur prior
Temperatures near the volcano often rise
Sulphur dioxide is emitted in large quantaties
why are earthquakes and volcanoes often found at plate boundaries?
Lots of plate movement occurs here as this is where 2 plates subduct, slide past or collide witheachother.
Impacts from the Haiti Earthquake?
- More than 220,000 people were killed and over 300,000 injured.
- 1.5 million people went homeless
- 70% of inferstructure was destroyed
Responce to the Haiti earthquake?
- Governments donated tens of millions to help
- Foreign rescue teams came to help
- Civillians were moved to less destroyed areas
Explain why the impacts of the Haiti earthquake were so bad.
- Caused great financial loss the the country
- Could not have a working government
- Very poor hygiene which caused a widespread of diseases and deaths
What is nuclear power?
Nuclear power is electric or motive power generated by a nuclear reactor/reaction.
How does nuclear power work?
Nuclear power reactors use heat produced during atomic fission to boil water and produce pressurized steam. The steam is routed through the reactor steam system to spin large turbines blades that drive magnetic generators to produce electricity.
Reasons why Nuclear power is sustainable?
- It produces zero carbon emissions
- Doesn’t produce other noxious greenhouse gases
Reasons why Nuclear power is not sustainable?
- Genetares huge amounts of toxic waste
- The cost to build is very high
Name at least 3 impacts of the Chernobyl disaster.
- Severe Radiation cauing a health crisis
- Impacts to agriculture
- Impact on wildlife (extinction, mutation)
Why are volcanoes and earthquakes found on plate boundaries?
As plates move due to convectional currents, some may collide (divergent) and then move apart where magma rises and formes a volcano, snd some may also collide (convergent) but one will subduct underneath the other one causing immense friction and energy, which is then rapidly released, therefore causing seismic waves and an eartgquake.
Name some examples of plate boundaries, and their location
- Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Divergent), in the middle of the Atlantic
- Andes mountains/Nazca plate (Convergent), in South America/Chile
- San Andreas fault (Conservative), in California
What were the causes and impact of the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004)?
Causes:
- Undersea earthquake, by the Sunda trench
- Subduction zone, Indo-Australian plate subducting under Eurasian plate
Impacts:
- Widepsread destruction, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and Indonesia (Sumatra) worst affected
- Loss of lives, 230,000 dead
- Destroyed economies, fishing industry and tourism, like maldives was completely destroyed
3 famous plate boundaries?
-Ring of fire
-Mid-Atlantic ridge
-San Andreas fault
Why are so many volcanoes found on the ring of fire?
Has the highest concentration of Plate boundaries, which are all diverging.
PPP?
Predict, prepare, protect
How can PPP reduce tectonic hazards?
Predict- Measure sulfur dioxide in the air, measure temperaure, Seismographs
Prepare- Be in a safe building, take cover
Protect- Cross bracing to provide stability, counter weights to keep the building stable
What is a superpower?
A superpower is an extremely powerful nation, capable of influencing international events and less less powerful countries through their, wealth, power and size. Its power can be felt all over the world.
What factors make a country a superpower
-Size
-Population
-Resources
-Military power
-Economic power
-Cultural (soft) power
-Political power
Why is geographic size important?
Countries with a large land area are important:
* Tend to have greater natural resources
* Extend influence over a larger number of neighbours
Why is population important?
Countries with large populations are considered important for several reasons:
- They can provide cheap labor, fostering economic growth as seen in China and India.
- Larger populations create expansive markets, stimulating economic activity, exemplified by the European Union.
How important are Resources?
Countries with crucial resources like Russia (gas) and the Middle East (oil) often hold significant power, but not all resources, like Australia’s iron ore, are as valuable. Multinational corporations such as BP and Shell also wield considerable influence, as seen in Nigeria.
Why is Military power important?
Military force can be used to put pressure on other nations. Countries with a large military could be viewed to be more powerful.
What are the top 5 largest militaries in the world in 2024?
- China - 2.2 Million
- India - 1.5 Million
- United States - 1.4 Million
- North Korea - 1.3 Million
- Russia - 1 Million
Why is Military power important?
The kind of weapons a country has matters more than how many soldiers it has.
For Example, the most equipped armies in the World come from Finland and Germany. Countries with nuclear weapons include the USA, Russia, (Germany), UK, (Netherlands), France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. Having military bases and aircraft carriers helps countries exert power globally.
Why is economic power important?
Countries with the largest economies have a big influence over global
economies.
The top 10 economies around the world:
* Have around 2/3 of world GDP
* Control investment
* Use the world’s most powerful currencies ($, € and £)
* Determine economic policies which affect the globe
Who are the Top 5 wealthiest countries?
- USA
- China
- Germany
- Japan
- India
What is Cultural Power?
Sometimes called a “Soft Power”, which means how much people like a country’s way of life, like its movies and food. The USA has a lot of soft power because we can find, for example, many fast food restaurants around the world.
How do superpowers have Political
power?
Only five countries hold permanent seats on the UN Security Council, the primary decision-making body, granting them the power to veto any resolution.
What are the 5 countries that have a permanent seat in the UN council?
USA, UK, Russia, France, China
What are the emerging superpowers(BRIC)
Brazil🇧🇷,Russia🇷🇺,India🇮🇳,china🇨🇳
What is Colonialism
The act of one nation controlling another for economic gain. An
example of colonialism was Britain’s control over India.
State 6 reasons for the fall of the british empire
Factor #1
- WW2
- Britain was no longer the
ruler of the world as it had been.
-USA and ussr had more weapons and money
Factor #2
New superpowers
Factor #3
Money
- britain was no long super rich compared to other powers
Factor #4
nationalism
- people had love for their own traditions
Factor #5
indian independence
-India was the largest, most profitable British
colony and held around 75% of the population
of the Empire!
Factor #6
opinion at home
- people wanted rights
- spent more money on the NHS
Cultural imperialism
The practice of promoting
and imposing a culture,
usually that of a politically
powerful nation, over a less
powerful society
Recall the 8 steps of nuclear power creating energy
- The reaction is triggered
- Water heated
- Hot water is circulated
- Steam is created
- Steam energy is converted to electrical energy
- Electrical energy is passed to national grid
- Electricity is sent through power lines to homes
- The steam is cooled and recycled
State the pros of using nuclear power
- No greenhouse gas emission
-Fuel effcient - Resilient in times of extreme weather
- job intensive
- Low operating costs
State the cons of nuclear power
- Accidents could emit radioactive materials
- No good solution for disposing of radioactive waste
- Not a renewable fuel source
How did the chernobyl disaster start?
In the early morning of 26 April 1986, one of the four reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear power station ran out of control while engineers were running safety tests. Within four seconds, a power surge of 100 times normal output led to a violent explosion and fire. The 1,000 tonne concrete top of the reactor building was blown off and huge chunks of blazing, radioactive material were blasted into the air like a volcanic explosion. The reactor burned furiously and highly radioactive debris was scattered around and inside the reactor building.
What is a migrant?
A migrant is a person who moves from one place to another, in order to find better work and living conditions
What is an immigrant
An immigrant is a person who comes to live perminantley in another country.
What is voluntray migration?
When you choose to move to another country
What is forced migration?
When you are forced to move to another country becuase of war and threats and issues.
What challenges to asylum seekers and refugees face?
-Language barrier
-Securing work
-Raising children and helping them succeed in school
What are IGO’s?
A group of forgein states that work together towards a certain goal
Give 3 examples of IGO’s
-U.N
-NATO
-EU
How do IGO’s impact security, trade, the environment, economics and health?
By setting new standards and policies, to act up things. Through this, IGO’s have been able to, flr example, maintain a Western capitalist market throught the world, being able to grow the economy through democracy and trade, acting quickly upon heath issues, like COVID-19 in 2020, help to maintain security like NATO securing threats from Russia, allowing free trade snd improving the environment through policies like Carbon Neutrality within this time period.
What is inequality?
Inequality is the state of not being equal in terms of rights, status and opportunity.
How do peoples’ lives differ across the world?
Peoples’ loves differ across the world through language, religion, social norms, values, customs, and traditions. This is also caused by Inequality as some poeple ahve more rights than others, especially the USA.
How do governments contribute to globalisation?
free-market liberalisation, privatisation and encouraging business start-ups and International trade agreements
What is development?
Development is any improvement in the standard of living of people in a specific country.
How do TNCs and Globalisation increase development?
By increasing the number of countries with manufacturing positions, it enables more people globally to have jobs.
What is Maternal mortality?
People who die during of following pregnancy
What HDI shows high development?
0.700+
What is a biome?
Biomes are areas of the planet with specific climates and landscapes, where specific animals and vegitation live.
What is the biosphere?
Areas or regions of the Earth in which living organisms are found. Therefore, the biosphere consists of all the ecosystems of the planet Earth.
Name the global biomes
-Polar
-Tundra
-Temperate deciduous forest
-Tropical rainforest
-Savanna grassland
-Desert
-Temperate grassland
-Coral reefs
What is the biome of most of Europe? (U.K, Germany, France, Switzerland, Ukraine, Poland etc)
Temperate deciduous forest
How do biomes differ?
A biome is an area classified according to the species that live in that location. Temperature range, soil type, and the amount of light and water are unique to a particular place and form the niches for specific species allowing scientists to define the biome.
What are collision plates and give examples and location of one.
They collide into eachother creating fold mountains. Examples are the indo-australian plate in india
What is the focus point?
The area were the earthquake originates, the exact area in the crust
What is the epicenter point?
The point on the earth’s surface exactly above the focus point.
