Tectonics Content Along With Spec And Case Studies

Question 1

Explain the distribution around the world of Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis

Answer 1

• Most Earthquake zones are found at tectonic plate boundaries
• volcanic eruptions occur at or close to plate boundaries except hotspots
• tsunamis associated with activity at a plate boundary

Question 2

Two facts about the distribution of volcanic eruptions or tsunamis

Answer 2

• 70% of earthquakes fall around ‘ring of fire’ due to the plate boundary
• 90% of tsunami events happen within the pacific basin

Question 3

What volcano hotspot example will you use? And facts

Answer 3

Hawaii
Hawaii has 15 volcanos

Question 4

What example do you have of a divergent plate boundary (oceanic to oceanic)

Answer 4

Mid Atlantic ridge at iceland

Question 5

Example of a divergent plate boundary (continent to continent)

Answer 5

African rift valley

Question 6

What is an example of a convergent plate boundary (oceanic to oceanic)

Answer 6

Alaska

Question 7

What is an example of a convergent plate boundary (continent to continent)

Answer 7

The Himalayas

Question 8

What is the cause of a Tsunami?

Answer 8

Tsunami are generated when a sub-marine earthquake displaced the sea bed vertically as a result of movement along a fault line at a subduction zone

Question 9

What is an example of convergent (oceanic to continent)

Answer 9

The Andrean mountains

Question 10

What is an example of a conservative (oceanic to continent)

Answer 10

San Andreas fault

Question 11

How are hotspot Volcanoes made?

Answer 11

Isolated plumes of converting heat, called mantle plumes, rise towards the surface, generating basaltic volcanoes that tend to erupt continuously

Question 12

What is a mantle plume

Answer 12

Mantle plumes are concentrated areas of heat convection. At plate boundaries they are sheet-like, whereas at hot spots they are column like.

Question 13

What is subduction?

Answer 13

The process of one plate sinking beneath another at a convergent plate boundary.

Question 14

What is gravitational sliding

Answer 14

Constructive margins have elevated altitudes because of the rising heat between them, which creates a slope down which oceanic plates slide

Question 15

What is slap pull?

Answer 15

Cold, dense oceanic plate is subducted beneath less dense continental plate; the density of the oceanic plate pulls itself into the mantle

Question 16

What are transform zones?

Answer 16

Conservative plate boundaries consist of transform faults. These faults ‘join up’ sections of constructive plate boundary as they traverse the Earths surface in Zig-Zig pattern

Question 17

What physical processes have an effect on the magnitude?

Answer 17

Destructive margins have larger magnitudes of up to 9.0.

Question 18

What are the 3 types of Earthquake waves? Spec 1.3A

Answer 18

Primary
Secondary
Love

Question 19

What are the characteristics of a P-wave? Spec 1.3A

Answer 19

-The fastest wave so they arrive first
-cause the least damage
-they are vibrations caused by compression

Question 20

What are the characteristics of S-waves? Spec 1.3A

Answer 20

-Arrive next after primary waves
-shake ground violently, causing damage

Question 21

What are the characteristics of Love waves? Spec 1.3A

Answer 21

-They arrive last
-they have a large amplitude and cause significant damage, including fracturing the ground surface

Question 22

How do waves frequency and amplitude affect an Earthquake? Spec 1.3A

Answer 22

The overall severity of an earthquake is linked to the amplitude and frequency of these wave types

Question 23

What is Crustal fracturing? Spec 1.3A

Answer 23

Earthquakes cause crustal fracturing within the earth but also buckle and fracture the ground surface

Question 24

What are some physical examples of secondary hazards after an earthquake ? Spec 1.3A

Answer 24

-Landslides
-liquefaction

Question 25

What is an example you would use in your exam about landslides after an earthquake? Spec 1.3A

Answer 25

30% of deaths in Sichuan, China 2008 were caused due to landslides

Question 26

What main damages does Liquefaction cause and give an example? spec 1.3A

Answer 26

Lots of damage to roads and bridges aswell as telecommunications because of the surface material losing strength.
60 degrees of tilt was recorded in Japan 2011

Question 27

What are the 4 primary hazards caused by volcanoes? Spec 1.3B

Answer 27

-lava flow
-Pyroclastic flows
-ash fall
-gas eruption

Question 28

What are the 2 secondary hazards caused by volcanos? Spec 1.3B

Answer 28

-Lahars
-Jökulhlaups

Question 29

What is a lava flow? Spec 1.3B

Answer 29

Extensive areas of solidified lava, which can extend several kilometres from volcanic vents.

Question 30

Where do lava flows occur at? Spec 1.3B

Answer 30

-Subduction zone volcano (composite)
-Hot-spot volcano (shield type)

Question 31

What is a Pyroclastic flow? Spec 1.3B

Answer 31

Very large, dense clouds of hot ash and gas at temperatures of up to 600C

Question 32

Where do pyroclastic flows occur at? Spec 1.3B

Answer 32

Subduction zone volcano (composite)

Question 33

What is ash fall? Spec 1.3B

Answer 33

Ash particles, and larger tephra particles, can blanket large areas in ash, killing vegetation, collapsing buildings and poisoning water sources

Question 34

Where does Ash fall occur at? Spec 1.3B

Answer 34

-Constructive plate margin volcanos (cinder cone, fissure eruption)
-Hotspot volcano

Question 35

What is a Lahar? Spec 1.3B

Answer 35

Volcanic mudflows, which occur when rainfall mobilises volcanic ash. They travel at high speed down river systems and cause major destruction

Question 36

What is a Jökulhlaup? 1.3B

Answer 36

Devastating floods caused when volcanoes erupt beneath glaciers and ice caps, creating huge volumes of meltwater.

Question 37

How are tsunamis created? Spec 1.3C

Answer 37

They can be generated by large landslides, volcanic eruptions, but most are generated by sub-marine earthquakes at subduction zones.

Question 38

How do sub marine earthquakes create Tsunamis? Spec 1.3C

Answer 38

The earthquake displaces the sea bed vertically as a result of movement along a fault line at a subduction zone. The violent motion displaces a large volume of water in the water column which then moves outwards from the point of displacement