Natural hazards
AQA GCSE Geography revision on Natural hazards. Aligned to the AQA GCSE Geography 8035 specification. This bank has 50 practice questions on this topic.
Sample questions (3 of 50)
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Question 1
A constructive plate margin is where two plates...
- A) Move towards each other
- B) Move apart and new crust forms
- C) Slide past each other
- D) One subducts under the other
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Answer: Move apart and new crust forms
Magma rises into the gap to form new oceanic crust — most famous example is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Compare with destructive (one plate subducts, destroyed in the mantle, e.g. Andes) and conservative (slide past each other, e.g. San Andreas Fault, USA).
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Question 2
The Richter scale measures the ___ of an earthquake.
- A) Depth
- B) Magnitude
- C) Death toll
- D) Duration
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Answer: Magnitude
The Richter scale is logarithmic — each whole number is 10× the amplitude and ~32× the energy. Compare with Mercalli scale (measures impact / what people felt, 1-12). Magnitude is what the rock did; intensity is what humans experienced.
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Question 3
At a DESTRUCTIVE plate margin, the typical hazard is...
- A) Mid-ocean ridges and gentle volcanoes
- B) Powerful earthquakes and explosive volcanoes
- C) Hurricanes and tsunamis only
- D) Glaciers and ice sheets
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Answer: Powerful earthquakes and explosive volcanoes
Oceanic plate subducts under continental (denser oceanic sinks). Friction builds → released as massive earthquakes (Japan, Chile). Subducted plate melts → magma rises through cracks → explosive andesitic eruptions (Mt St Helens). Distinguishes from constructive (effusive basalt eruptions, e.g. Iceland).
Want to test yourself on the remaining cards for this topic?
47 more questions on Natural hazards — plus mistakes tracking and spaced repetition across the whole Geography spec.