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exam b ief Geography
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Part Two
Structured and Essay
Questions
Physical Geography
80 Marks
Physical Geography questions are numbered 1, 2, and 3 and you must answer one question
from three multi-part questions. You should spend thirty five minutes on this section and
allocate your time as follows:
Part A: 20 marks - 5 minutes
Part B: 30 marks – 15 minutes
Part C: 30 marks – 15 minutes
Part A Questions are generally based on a skill – reading information from an Ordnance
Survey map, labelling diagrams or drawing a sketch map of an Ordnance Survey map or
aerial photograph.
EXAM TIP: The following is a checklist of topics to revise for Part A questions on Physical
Geography.
•
•
•
•
•
Sketch maps of Aerial photographs and Ordnance Survey maps.
Explanation of processes of erosion, transportation and deposition for Rivers,
Glaciation and the Sea.
Processes of weathering and mass movement.
Labelling diagrams of features created by Rivers, Glaciation, The Sea and Weathering.
Example of features created by Rivers, Glaciation, The Sea, and Weathering and
identification of features, where possible, on an Ordnance Survey map and an Aerial
photograph.
exam b ief Geography
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2012 Question 3A
Weathering
and erosion
D
The Rock Cycle
Slow uplift
to surface
C
Melting
Magma from molten
crust and mantle
Transportation
and deposition
B
Burial, high temperatures
and pressures
Campaction and
cementation
A
Examine the diagram of the rock cycle above and answer the following questions.
(i)
Name the category of rock formed at A and name one example of this category of rock.
Sedimentary – Limestone
(ii)
Name the category of rock formed at B and name one example of this category of rock.
Metamorphic – Marble
(iii)
Name one example of an igneous rock which is formed at C.
Granite
(iv)
Name one example of an igneous rock which is formed at D.
Basalt
(v)
Briefly explain the difference between the process of weathering and the process of erosion.
Weathering is the breakdown of rock in situ. Erosion is the breakdown and
transportation of material.
(20m)
exam b ief Geography
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2011 Question 2A
X
A
Eurasian Plate
D
D
B
South American Plate
C
Antartic Plate
Examine the map above showing the major crustal plates of the earth and answer the following questions:
(i)
Name the plates A, B, C and D.
A: North American Plate
B: Nazca Plate
C: African Plate
D: Pacific Plate
(ii)
Name the plate boundary at X.
Constructive/Divergent
(20m)
Make notes here:
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exam b ief Geography
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2010 Question 3A
A. Karst Landscapes
Examine the photograph and answer the following questions in your answer book:
(i)
What is the name of the feature marked A?
Clint
(ii)
What is the name of the feature marked B?
Grike
(iii)
What is the name of the overall feature in the photograph?
Limestone Pavement
(iv)
Name one process which helped to form these features.
Carbonation
(v)
Name the type of rock most associated with these features.
Limestone
(20m)
exam b ief Geography
Part B and C
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Marking scheme:
Part B or C Questions are based on Landform Development, The Rock Cycle and
Landform identified: 2 marks
Plate Tectonics. It is essential to study all
three topics as usually questions contain ele- One named process: 2 marks
Irish example: 2 marks
ments of all three.
Labelled diagram: 4 marks graded
A topic that has appeared every year on the
Examination: 10 SRPs
(20m)
paper since 2006 is the formation of landforms.
EXAM TIP: Last year, for the first time, the
Waterfall – Feature of Erosion
question specified a landform of deposition.
– Youthful Stage
It is also possible that two landforms may
be examined. It is therefore important to
Waterfalls are vertical falls of water formed
study landforms of erosion and landforms
due to the processes of hydraulic action,
of deposition. Remember to practice writing
abrasion and solution. They are usually
out two landforms in fifteen minutes.
found in the youthful stage of a river where
vertical erosion is dominant.
Landform Development
A waterfall is formed when a layer of resistant/hard rock lies across or beside a layer
of soft rock. Waterfalls are also created due
2010 Exam Question
to tectonic activity or where a glacial valley
cuts across a river’s course.
Examine, with the aid of a labelled diaDifferential erosion then occurs where the
gram or diagrams, the processes that
soft rock is eroded at a faster rate than the
have led to the formation of any one Irish
resistant rock by hydraulic action. As the
landform of erosion or deposition of your
soft rock is removed by erosion a fall is crechoice.
(30m) ated where the hard and soft rock meet.
Hydraulic action is the physical force of the
moving water breaking up material. The
To answer this question any landform of
loosened material is then transported away.
erosion or deposition can be examined.
The hard rock becomes undermined and
Landform formation must be studied in
this eventually leads to it collapsing. The
detail from one of the following:
hard rock is then swirled by the movement
•
Rivers
of the water and creates a hollow at the base
•
Glaciation
of the waterfall called a plunge pool.
•
The Sea
The processes involved in the formation of
•
Mass Movement
the plunge pool are abrasion and solution.
Abrasion occurs where the river uses its load
EXAM TIP: It is important to include
to erode away further material. Solution oca diagram, an example and explain a
curs where soluble rock e.g. limestone is disprocess involved in the formation of the
solved by a chemical process and is removed
landform.
by transportation.
These processes continue to undercut the
base of the waterfall and the rest of the resistant rock collapses.
exam b ief Geography
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This leads to the waterfall retreating upstream. A steep-sided valley called a gorge
may be formed as the waterfall retreats
upstream.
A waterfall may also occur:
• In the mature stage of a river due to a
process called rejuvenation where vertical
erosion begins to occur again.
• Due to tectonic activity where a fall is created.
• In glaciated valleys where streams flow
from hanging valleys into the U-shaped
valley below.
Example: Ashleigh Falls, Co. Mayo
Plunge pool undercuts
hard rock which collapses
Gorge cut as waterfall
move back
Rapids
Waterfall
Hard rock
Softer rock
Softer rock erodes
more quicly
Hard rock
Hard rock
Softer rock
Plunge pool
Softer rock
New Plunge pool
Make notes here:
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exam b ief Geography
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Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics is a question that appears regularly on the examination paper. It is essential to study:
•
The Theory of Plate Tectonics
•
The distribution of volcanoes
•
The distribution and causes of earthquakes
•
The effects of volcanoes and earthquakes
•
Predicting earthquake or volcanic activity
•
Folding and faulting
North
American
Plate
Eurasian Plate
African
Plate
Pacific Plate
Nazca
Plate
South American
Plate
Indo
Australian Plate
Antartic Plate
2007 Exam Question
Plate boundaries are zones where crust
is both created and destroyed’. Examine the above statement, with reference to examples you have studied.
(30m)
To answer this question it is necessary to
examine both constructive and destructive plate boundaries.
EXAM TIP: Examples of boundaries are
required and to illustrate your answer
it is a good idea to draw diagrams of
boundaries.
Marking scheme:
Name one example of each boundary: 2 + 2
marks.
Discussion re creation/destruction:
7 (6) SRPs or 6 (7) SRPs
The Theory of Plate Tectonics explains
the existence of plate boundaries where
exam b ief Geography
crust is both created and destroyed.
The Theory of Plate Tectonics is composed of two theories – The Theory of
Continental Drift and Sea-Floor spreading. The Theory of Continental Drift was
proposed by Alfred Wegner in 1912.
He proposed that the continents of the
modern world prior to 200 million years
ago formed a supercontinent called Pangea. Pangea then gradually split into the
continents as we know them today. His
evidence for the theory included:
• The matching coastlines of South
America and Africa.
• Matching mountain ranges – The Appalachian mountains in the USA and
the Caledonian mountains across
Northern Ireland, Scotland and Scandinanvia form a continuous line of the
same rock type when joined together.
• Matching fossils found in South America and Africa.
Wegner, however, could not explain
how the continents moved and died in
1930.
Hess proposed the Sea-floor Spreading
Theory in 1960.
He studied the age of rocks in the Atlantic Ocean and discovered that they were
youngest at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. His
theory proposed that new crust is forming at mid-ocean ridges but old crust is
being destroyed at other plate boundaries
thus causing plate movement.
In 1968 the two theories were combined
to form the Theory of Plate Tectonics.
The Theory of Plate Tectonics states that
the earth’s crust is made up of pieces
called plates which carry the oceans and
continents.
The plates are in continual motion due to
the convectional flow of the magma underneath.
The Theory of Plate Tectonics explains
the distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes, fold mountains and other tectonic
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landforms.
Plates are composed of either Continental
or Oceanic crust. Plates collide, separate or slide past each other which can
lead to the formation of tectonic features.
Geologists recognise three types of plate
boundary:
1. Constructive
2. Destructive
3. Conservative
1. Constructive Plate Boundary
At a Constructive or divergent plate
boundary plates separate and land is created.
New crust is created at mid-oceanic ridges or at continental divides.
When two oceanic plates separate a midoceanic ridge is created. For example the
Mid-Atlantic ridge was formed when the
North American plate separated from the
Eurasian plate.
When two continental plates separate a
rift valley is formed, for example, the African Rift Valley.
Example: The North American and Eurasian plate separate.
2.
Destructive Plate Boundary
At a destructive or convergent plate
boundary plates collide and land is destroyed. The following situations can occur at a destructive plate boundary:
• When two oceanic plates collide, the
heavier oceanic plate will subduct
forming an oceanic trench.
Volcanic island arcs mark these zones
of collision.
• An example of oceanic-oceanic collision
is where the Pacific Plate subducts below the smaller Mariana Plate to form
the Mariana Trench.
• When two continental plates collide
subduction does not occur instead the
exam b ief Geography
crust folds to form fold mountains.
The Himalayas were formed
when the Eurasian and the IndoAustralian plates collided.
• When a continental plate and an oceanic plate collide, subduction occurs.
The oceanic plate subducts under the
continental plate as it is heavier. Colli-
with
sion of continental and oceanic plates
form deep oceanic trenches and fold
mountains.
Example: The South American plate
and the Nazca plate collide.
Make notes here:
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