Global distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes | Geography

Starter quiz

Match the facts with the layer of Earth.

Crust

⇔

it is oceanic or continental and 0 - 60 km thick ✓

Inner core

⇔

it is solid, made of iron and nickel with temperatures of up to 5500°C ✓

Mantle

⇔

thickest section of Earth at approximately 2900 km, made of magma ✓

Outer core

⇔

it is a liquid layer, also made up of iron and nickel ✓
Earth's crust is broken into ______ plates.

'tectonic' ✓
Earth's surface is made up of two types of crust, the ______ crust found underneath the oceans and the continental crust, found under land masses or continents.

'oceanic' ✓
What is an earthquake?

A sudden release of energy in Earth's crust ✓

A type of volcanic eruption

A weather phenomenon
Match the categories of natural hazard with their definitions.

Tectonic hazards

⇔

caused by movements of Earth’s crust and mantle ✓

Atmospheric hazards

⇔

related to weather and climate patterns ✓

Hydrological hazards

⇔

involve the movement and distribution of water ✓

Geomorphological hazards

⇔

involve surface processes on Earth’s surface ✓
A volcanic eruption that takes place close to a densely-populated city is likely to cause a natural ______.

'disaster' ✓

Match the keyword with its correct definition.

epicentre

⇔

the point on Earth's surface above where an earthquake started ✓

magnitude

⇔

a measure of the energy released by an earthquake ✓

margin

⇔

the boundary where tectonic plates meet ✓

hotspot

⇔

an area of the mantle that is usually hot and causes volcanic activity ✓
The global distribution of of earthquakes closely matches the edges or ______ of these tectonic plates.

'margins' ✓
75% of the world’s active volcanoes occur in the ______ “Ring of Fire”.

'Pacific' ✓
Which of these plate margins can volcanoes form on?

destructive margins (also known as convergent boundaries) ✓

conservative margins

constructive margins (also known as divergent boundaries) ✓

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There is a pattern in the global distribution of earthquakes.
There is a pattern in the global distribution of volcanoes.
The global distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes coincides with plate margins.

That both volcanoes and earthquakes occur at all types of plate margin.

While earthquakes are produced by tectonic movements at all plate margins, volcanoes are not found at conservative plate margins.

Epicentre - the point on Earth's surface that is directly above where an earthquake happens underground
Magnitude - a measure of the energy released by an earthquake
Margin - the boundary where tectonic plates meet
Hotspot - an area in Earth's mantle where unusually hot magma rises toward the surface, creating volcanic activity