Plate Tectonics

What the unit covers

This unit follows the restless Earth topic that many GCSE courses use. The mind maps are the largest group. Tectonics EQ1 sorts plate boundaries into divergent, convergent and transform, and links each to earthquakes, mid ocean ridges and friction building up. The mind map Restless Earth covers the structure of the Earth, from the thin crust to the upper mantle and the lithosphere.

Case studies to know

Case studies are a big part of the list. You will find the Yellowstone supervolcano note, a note on Mt St Helens, and a Nyiragongo case study 2002 flashcard deck. For earthquakes there are notes on Haiti and a note on the Sichuan earthquake in China, plus a Kashmir Earthquake slide set. A note on the Tsunami in Japan is here too.

Fold mountains have their own cluster. The Alps appear as a note, a quiz and the mind map The Alps - Fold Mountain Case Study, which covers farming, mining, tourism, hydroelectric power and forestry. The Andes mind map explains the Nazca and South American plates.

Where to start

1. Open the mind map Tectonics EQ1 to get the three boundary types clear.
2. Work through the flashcard deck Tectonic landscape to learn key terms, hotspots and the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes.
3. Take the AQA Geography Tectonics Quiz, which tests crust types and conservative boundaries.
4. Move on to the case studies, one hazard at a time.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then close it and take a quiz on the same idea. If a question catches you out, go back to the matching map branch or flashcard and try again. Teachers can set a map as a starter and a quiz as a check at the end of a lesson.

Where it sits

This unit belongs to the strand Physical Landscapes and Earth Processes in Geography. The resources mention GCSE Geography, AQA GCSE Geography and A-level Geography, so check the wording against your own course. When you are ready, choose a case study and build a mind map or flashcard set of your own.