Hazards

What Hazards covers

Tectonic, atmospheric and fire hazards, the models used to describe how communities absorb them, and the prediction, preparedness and response that decide how much damage is done. One of two Section C options in Component 1.

The 30 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Natural Hazards: Types, Perception and ResponsesRecall questions on geophysical, atmospheric and hydrological hazards, primary and secondary effects, hazard perception and its economic and cultural influences, fatalism, prediction, adaptation, mitigation, management and risk sharing, and hazard incidence, intensity, magnitude and distribution.Open →
• The Park ModelRecall questions on what the model shows about a community after a hazard and on each phase from pre-disaster normality to reconstruction.Open →
• The Hazard Management CycleRecall questions on the four stages of the Hazard Management Cycle, what mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery each involve and how they differ, identifying the stage from examples such as evacuation drills and emergency shelters, and why the process is cyclical.Open →
• The Internal Structure of the EarthRecall questions on the Earth's four layers and their order, the solid inner core and liquid outer core and their metals, the depth and significance of the outer core, the properties of the mantle, and oceanic and continental crust compared.Open →
• Plate Tectonic Theory and Plate MovementRecall questions on the internal heat sources that drive plate movement, on plate tectonic theory and what plates rest upon, and on gravitational sliding, ridge push, slab pull, mantle convection currents and sea-floor spreading.Open →
• Plate Margins and SeismicityRecall questions on what happens at destructive, constructive and conservative margins, and on the meaning of seismicity.Open →
• Where Vulcanicity OccursRecall questions on vulcanicity at constructive and destructive plate margins and why eruptions there are effusive or explosive, on hotspots, magma plumes and the volcanic island chains that record plate movement, and on magma viscosity and eruption style.Open →
• Volcanic Hazards and Eruption MagnitudeRecall questions on nuées ardentes, lava flows, lahars, pyroclastic fallout and ash, volcanic gases and acid rain, the size classes of ash, lapilli and bombs, the global distribution of volcanoes, the VEI and why eruption frequency varies.Open →
• Volcanic Prediction, Impacts and ResponsesRecall questions on eruption regularity and precursors such as seismic activity, ground deformation, gas emissions and temperature, on primary, secondary, environmental, social, economic and political impacts, and on short- and long-term responses, preparedness, mitigation, prevention, adaptation and risk management.Open →
• A Recent Volcanic EventRecall questions on why a recent eruption must be studied and on the impacts and human responses a case study should evidence.Open →
• How Earthquakes HappenRecall questions on why stress builds at plate boundaries, what happens to rocks under that stress and what defines an earthquake.Open →
• Seismic Hazards, Distribution and MagnitudeRecall questions on tsunamis, liquefaction and earthquake-triggered landslides, the plate margins and Pacific Ring of Fire where earthquakes concentrate, intraplate earthquakes and randomness, and the logarithmic moment magnitude scale and the frequency-magnitude relationship.Open →
• Earthquake Prediction, Impacts and ResponsesRecall questions on earthquake regularity and the limits of prediction, primary, secondary, environmental, social, economic and political impacts, short- and long-term responses, preparedness, mitigation, prevention and adaptation, resistant buildings, tsunami warnings, land-use planning and contrasts between high- and low-income countries.Open →
• Focus, Epicentre and Seismic VulnerabilityRecall questions on what determines vulnerability and on why a shallow focus usually causes more damage than a deep one.Open →
• The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunamiThe 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan as a recent seismic event, covering its cause and magnitude, the tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, its human and economic impacts, and the short- and long-term responses.Open →
• Tropical Storm Formation and IntensificationRecall questions on the sea surface temperature and depth needed for tropical storms, the Coriolis effect and why they do not form near the equator, low wind shear, and the intensification cycle of rising air, condensation and latent heat release as positive feedback.Open →
• Tropical Storm Hazards, Distribution and MagnitudeRecall questions on the hurricane wind threshold, high winds, storm surges, coastal and river flooding and landslides, on the latitudes and ocean basins where tropical storms form, and on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, North Atlantic seasons, regularity and forecasting.Open →
• The Impacts of Tropical StormsRecall questions on primary and secondary impacts and on the environmental and social consequences that follow.Open →
• Managing Storm Risk in Contrasting PlacesRecall questions on the aim of integrated risk management and on why death tolls and capacity to respond differ so much by income.Open →
• Typhoon Haiyan and Hurricane Maria comparedTyphoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013 and Hurricane Maria in the Caribbean in 2017 compared as two recent tropical storms, covering their strength, storm surges, deaths and damage, the responses to each, and what they reveal about vulnerability.Open →
• Wildfires and Vegetation TypeRecall questions on what a wildfire is and on how coniferous forest, deciduous woodland and grassland each burn.Open →
• Weather Conditions and Wildfire RiskRecall questions on the effects of high temperature, low humidity, strong wind and preceding rainfall on how a fire behaves.Open →
• Causes of IgnitionRecall questions on lightning, volcanic activity, spontaneous combustion and arson as sources of ignition.Open →
• Primary, Secondary and Environmental Impacts of WildfiresRecall questions on primary wildfire impacts on life, property, vegetation and wildlife, secondary impacts of soil erosion, landslides, water contamination, flooding and ecosystem disruption, and environmental impacts on habitats, biodiversity, carbon dioxide, soils and hydrological cycles.Open →
• Social, Economic and Political Impacts of WildfiresRecall questions on wildfire fatalities, displacement, trauma and disruption to education, healthcare and cultural heritage, on the costs of firefighting, property damage, agricultural losses, tourism, insurance and reconstruction, and on emergency service pressure, land management debates, international aid and legislation.Open →
• Short- and Long-Term Responses to WildfiresRecall questions on short-term wildfire responses of evacuation, firefighting deployment, emergency shelters, medical care and search and rescue, and on long-term responses of fire-resistant rebuilding, reforestation, community recovery support, land-use planning review and early warning investment.Open →
• Wildfire Preparedness, Prevention and AdaptationRecall questions on wildfire preparedness through emergency plans, training, early warning, community education and pre-positioned equipment, on reducing risk through firebreaks, controlled burning, fire-resistant structures, defensible space, fire bans and power line maintenance, and on adaptation through building codes, land use, fire-adapted planting and accepting fire.Open →
• The 2018 Camp FireRecall questions on what a recent wildfire case study must show about impacts, responses and management, and on the 2018 Camp Fire, its cause, rapid spread, primary, economic and political impacts, the failed evacuation of Paradise and the long-term responses.Open →
• The Philippines as a multi-hazard environmentThe Philippines as a multi-hazard environment beyond the UK, where its plate setting and typhoon track bring earthquakes, eruptions such as Pinatubo, floods and landslides, and where prediction, planning and community resilience shape the risk people face.Open →
• Living with Vesuvius in the Naples areaLiving with Vesuvius as a local hazardous setting, covering the volcano's explosive hazards, the red zone and its evacuation plan, why so many people still live around Naples, and how the volcano is monitored.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Hazards further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Hazard vs Disaster

  Hazard: natural event threatening people or property. Disaster: serious disruption exceeding a community’s ability to cope.

• Primary hazard vs Secondary hazard

  Primary hazard: direct consequence of a hazardous event. Secondary hazard: later consequence triggered by the initial event.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is a natural hazard?

   Model answer

   A natural event or process that has the potential to cause loss of life, injury, or damage to property and the environment.

2. 2

   What are geophysical hazards and what processes do they originate from?

   Model answer

   Hazards originating from tectonic or geological processes, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides.

3. 3

   Define atmospheric hazards and give four examples.

   Model answer

   Hazards originating from climatic and meteorological processes, including tropical storms, tornadoes, droughts, and heatwaves.

4. 4

   What are hydrological hazards and which processes cause them?

   Model answer

   Hazards originating from water-related processes, including floods, storm surges, and tsunamis.

5. 5

   What are primary effects of a natural hazard?

   Model answer

   Direct consequences of the hazard event, such as building collapse, death, and injury.

6. 6

   What are secondary effects of a natural hazard?

   Model answer

   Indirect consequences that follow the initial event, such as disease, economic disruption, and homelessness.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Hazards revision questions

What does Hazards cover in AQA A-Level Geography?

30 subtopics: natural hazards: types, perception and responses, the park model, the hazard management cycle, the internal structure of the earth, plate tectonic theory and plate movement, plate margins and seismicity, where vulcanicity occurs, volcanic hazards and eruption magnitude, volcanic prediction, impacts and responses, a recent volcanic event, how earthquakes happen, seismic hazards, distribution and magnitude, earthquake prediction, impacts and responses, focus, epicentre and seismic vulnerability, the 2011 tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, tropical storm formation and intensification, tropical storm hazards, distribution and magnitude, the impacts of tropical storms, managing storm risk in contrasting places, typhoon haiyan and hurricane maria compared, wildfires and vegetation type, weather conditions and wildfire risk, causes of ignition, primary, secondary and environmental impacts of wildfires, social, economic and political impacts of wildfires, short- and long-term responses to wildfires, wildfire preparedness, prevention and adaptation, the 2018 camp fire, the philippines as a multi-hazard environment and living with vesuvius in the naples area. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Hazards organised?

By the AQA 7037 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.