GEOGRAPHY AQA PAPER 1,
LIVING WITH THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, NOTES.
I attained 86/88 in Paper 1 solely through this self made resource of mine. I have
painstakingly gathered information from every AQA specific resource I could lay my hands
on (including seneca, coolgegraphy, internetgeography, videos and the AQA textbook itself)
in order to create this incredibly precise document. It meets every single specification point
in meticulous detail, including diagrams and lengthy explanations where needed. It is the
boiling pot of absolutely every single thing you need to know to seize your 9 in GCSE
geography.
Key:
- Underlined sentences: Subsection's key ideas directly from the specification
- Boldened: Specification point itself
Paper 1: Section A: The challenge of natural hazards
Natural hazards: Key idea: Natural hazards pose major risks to people and property.
Definition of a natural hazard:
A natural event that threatens people or has the potential to cause damage, destruction
and death
Types of natural hazard:
GEOLOGICAL - Hazards created by tectonic movement in the earth’s crust ie earthquake
HYDROLOGICAL- Hazards created by rivers, seas or oceans ie flooding and tsunamis
METEOROLOGICAL/ATMOSPHERIC- Hazards created by the atmosphere ie movement of
air and water which affects the climate and weather of places
BIOLOGICAL HAZARD: Hazards posed by living things ie disease and pests
Factors affecting hazard risk:
GEOLOGY: The geology of the land in an earthquake ie if there are softer sediments
earthquakes tend to be larger and longer compared to “hard rock” sites, the shape of a
coastline in a tsunami, the height of the land hit by a tsunami ie a gently sloping coastline will
suffer more damage than a steeper coastline.
MAGNITUDE: The size of the event matters, every step up the logarithmic Richter scale
represents a 10x increase in damage and a 30x increase in energy release.
FREQUENCY: How often a hazard occurs. The more often a hazard occurs, generally more
prepared people are, as they are used to coping with it. For example, flooding is often a
regular event in parts of Bangladesh every year, so people would adjust their buildings i.e.
with stilts therefore they are more prepared and the effects of the hazard would be lessened.
POPULATION DENSITY: The amount of people living in an area, the more people there are,
the greater potential for higher risk as more people would be affected. People may be more
inclined to be in an area due to job opportunities and services available.
,LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT - The ability to fund preparations and responses to an event
which both determine how badly the event affects the country. Level of development is
dependent on finance because:
- Government - The more economically stable a country is, the more stable and democratic it’s
government is, the more it can focus on agencies etc to help during an emergency and in
making planning laws i.e. preventing building in hazardous locations. Being democratic
means the public can put pressure on the government to have safe buildings etc.
- Technology - The more better technology affordable, the better ability they have to predict
events ie seismometers as well as have safer infrastructure ie earthquake-resistant buildings
MANAGEMENT: The 3 Ps:
- Predict - Some natural hazards are easier to predict than others, ie hurricanes can be
identified by satellites and tracked while earthquakes have little tell signs until a few minutes
prior. The better the prediction, the more time the government have to evacuate, thus
reducing the death toll.
- Preparations - If a country is well prepared it can limit a hazardous event, regardless of level
of development. In India for example, rounded wooden huts have been designed to be
earthquake proof thus limiting the impact of hazards.
- Prevent - Strict building codes can stop building in hazardous areas
-
EDUCATION: People need to be educated on how to survive a natural event. Japan has natural
event drills annually on September 1st.
Tectonic Hazards: Key ideas: Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are the result of physical
processes + The effects of, and responses to, a tectonic hazard vary between areas of
contrasting levels of wealth + Management can reduce the effects of a tectonic hazard.
Plate tectonics theory:
This is the theory that explains how the earth is structured and what it is made up of.
There are 3 layers of the Earth:
CORE - It is in the centre and is the hottest part of the earth and its split into 2 layers, the
inner metallic core (solid) and the outer core (liquid)
MANTLE- This surrounds the core and is made of semi molten rock
CRUST - Very thin outer shell of the earth, between 5-100 km thick. It floats on the semi
mantle rock and is broken into large pieces called tectonic plates.
There are two types of tectonic plates:
CONTINENTAL PLATES: Thicker, older and lighter so they do not subduct/do not sink under
another plate.
OCEANIC PLATES: Thinner, younger and denser so they can sink under another
plate/subduct.
—> Convection currents happen in the upper mantle. The core is hot and heats rock above it
to cause it to become molten rock. This heated rock rises towards the crust and once it gets
there, it parts. Some goes to the left, some goes to the right, causing the tectonic plates to
move with the motion of the molten rock underneath it.
Global distribution of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and their
relationship to plate margins
> Earthquakes are found along all types of plate margins. About 70% of all earthquakes are
found in the Ring of Fire in the Pacific ocean. The most powerful earthquakes are associated
with convergent or conservative boundaries.
,> Volcanoes only occur at constructive and destructive plate margins. A lot of volcanic
activity occurs in the “ring of fire”, which is a group of volcanoes located around the Pacific
plate margin. It is an example of an island arc.
Physical processes taking place at different types of plate margin
(constructive, destructive and conservative) that lead to earthquakes and
volcanic activity.
There are divergent and convergent plate boundaries where they either move apart or move
towards each other.
There are 3 types of plate margins which is where plates meet:
CONSERVATIVE - Plates slide past each other. The plates are made of rock that has jagged
edges so they catch and snag against one another. Friction and pressure builds until the
plates can't take the stress. They slip past each other, which can cause both plates to move
and as a result the ground may shake = earthquake but no volcano as there is no magma.
DESTRUCTIVE: OCEANIC AND CONTINENTAL - The denser oceanic plate slides beneath
the continental plate. This is the subduction zone. As the oceanic plate moves downwards it
melts causing magma to rise up. The pressure causes cracks/vents to form in the
continental plate. The magma breaks to the surface through these cracks. This can create
composite volcanoes which are very explosive and earthquakes and even tsunamis.
DESTRUCTIVE: CONTINENTAL AND CONTINENTAL - There is no subduction here,
instead the two plates collide and the crust becomes crumpled and uplifted. This forms fold
mountains such as the Himalayas as well as ocean trenches and earthquakes. No
volcanoes as there is no magma.
CONSTRUCTIVE - Plates diverge/move apart. The convection currents diverge/push them
apart, creating outward pressure and cause a gap to form between the plates. Magma rises
up to fill the gap resulting in shield volcanoes as it cools. They can also result in ocean
ridges where a new ocean floor is created when between two oceanic plates, but can also
result in rift valleys on land between two continental plates.
Magma plumes, aka hotspots, are areas under the rust where the magma is running hotter
than surrounding magma. Heat from this extra hot magma causes melting and thinning of
the crust and leads to volcanic activity once the magma breaks through onto the crust
above. The Hawaiian islands are an example of this.
Primary and secondary effects of a tectonic hazard.
Volcanic eruption products:
Lava: molten rock/magma above the surface.
Gases: Emits CO2 and sulphur
Tephra: Defines all pieces of all fragments of rock ejected into air
Ash: Tiny pieces of burnt rock fragments that are blown into the atmosphere, usually at the
same force. These pieces can float in the air, causing a volcanic winter by blocking out the
sun.
Pyroclastic flows: currents of hot ash, lava and gas that can move downhill at speeds of up
to 500 km/h during eruption. The can reach 1000 degrees and can cover distances of up to
30 km from the volcano.
, Lahar: Hot or cold mixture of rock and water fragments that flow quickly down the slopes of a
volcano.
PRIMARY EFFECTS OF VOLCANOES:
- Lava and hot ash can damage houses and start fires, leaving people homeless.
- Ash can cover fields of crops and kill livestock, leading to famines and starvation.
- Death can be resulted from the pyroclastic flows and mudflows that are destructive and the
ash that can suffocate and the toxic gases like sulphur.
SECONDARY EFFECTS OF VOLCANOES:
- Increased soil fertility: Once ash is broken down, it can make fields more fertile and better
for growing crops.
Infrastructure damage: Buildings and roads and train lines may be destroyed/blocked,
disrupting jobs/ tourism and affecting the economy.
- Volcanic winter can occur, causing temperatures to drop causing famine as crops cannot
grow/ripen
- Tsunamis can happen as a result of tectonic activity, causing flooding and salination
(increasing salt content) of land. This happens because seas flood the land causing more
damage and famine.
- Lahars: mudflows can destroy everything in their path
Immediate and long-term responses to a tectonic hazard.
IMMEDIATE RESPONSES: These happen before or very soon after the disaster:
- Warnings and monitoring: If there are warning signs, people are evacuated. Some things
like Google Crisis Response or Facebook Mark Yourself as Safe can help record damage
and let people confirm their whereabouts.
- Aid: lots of charities and foreign governments have money and support that they can send
to a nation that has suffered disaster.
- Rescue by helicopters or firefighters for those trapped, dead bodies should also be
removed to prevent disease spreading etc
- Temporary infrastructure, people who are evacuated should be provided with
accommodation, food and water. Governments may find temporary supplied of electricity,
energy etc
LONG TERM RESPONSES: These happen later on, relative to immediate responses.
- Relocation, many people relocate after a volcanic eruption, governments may help using
resettlement programmes
