AQA A-Level Geography 7037
Water and Carbon Cycles
Hot Desert Systems and LandscapesLandscape
Coastal Systems and LandscapesLandscape
Glacial Systems and LandscapesLandscape
HazardsHazards or ecosystems
Ecosystems Under StressHazards or ecosystems
Global Systems and Global Governance
Changing Places
Contemporary Urban EnvironmentsHuman option
Population and the EnvironmentHuman option
Resource SecurityHuman option
Hazards
How Earthquakes Happen
- 4 things to know
- Component 1
Overview
Recall questions on why stress builds at plate boundaries, what happens to rocks under that stress and what defines an earthquake.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Define an earthquake.
Why do P-waves arrive at seismograph stations before other seismic waves?
Explain how accumulated stress becomes an earthquake.
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Why does stress build up at plate boundaries before an earthquake?
Model answer
Friction between plates prevents smooth movement, causing stress to accumulate over time.
- 2
What happens to rocks as tectonic stress accumulates at a plate boundary?
Model answer
Rocks deform elastically, storing energy until the stress exceeds their strength.
- 3
What occurs when accumulated stress in rocks exceeds their strength?
Model answer
Sudden rupture occurs, releasing the stored energy as seismic waves.
- 4
Define an earthquake.
Model answer
A sudden release of energy from the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves.
- 5
What are shockwaves in the context of earthquakes?
Model answer
Seismic waves that radiate outward from the earthquake focus through the Earth and along its surface.
- 6
What type of wave are P-waves and what can they travel through?
Model answer
P-waves are compressional waves that can travel through both solids and liquids.
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