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Geohazards and economic geology

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What makes an earthquake hazardous, and how can the risk be reduced?

Earthquake hazards, risk and mitigation: the primary and secondary hazards of earthquakes (ground shaking, liquefaction, landslides, tsunami, fire); the distinction between hazard, vulnerability, exposure and risk; the factors controlling the severity of impact; and the prediction, monitoring and mitigation strategies (building design, hazard mapping, early warning and planning).
A focused answer to the Eduqas Geology geohazards statement on earthquakes. Covers primary and secondary earthquake hazards, the distinction between hazard, vulnerability, exposure and risk, the controls on severity, and the prediction, monitoring and mitigation strategies that reduce impact.
13 min answer →

How is water stored in and moved through rocks, and how do we calculate groundwater flow?

Groundwater, aquifers and hydrogeology: the storage and movement of water in rocks; porosity and permeability; aquifers, aquicludes and the water table; artesian conditions; Darcy's law for groundwater flow; and the practical issues of abstraction, recharge, over-abstraction and groundwater pollution.
A focused answer to the Eduqas Geology statement on groundwater. Covers the storage and movement of water in rocks, porosity and permeability, aquifers, aquicludes and the water table, artesian conditions, Darcy's law for groundwater flow, and the issues of abstraction, recharge and pollution.
14 min answer →

How does oil and gas form, move and become trapped in the rocks?

Hydrocarbons and petroleum systems: the formation of oil and gas from organic-rich source rocks by burial and maturation; migration into porous and permeable reservoir rocks; the role of impermeable cap (seal) rocks and trap structures (anticline, fault, stratigraphic and salt traps); and the elements that must coincide for an accumulation to form.
A focused answer to the Eduqas Geology statement on hydrocarbons. Covers the formation of oil and gas from source rocks by burial and maturation, migration into reservoir rocks, the role of cap rocks and trap structures, and the elements that must coincide for a petroleum accumulation to form.
14 min answer →

What causes slopes to fail, and how can landslide hazards be reduced?

Mass movement and landslide hazards: the types of mass movement (rockfall, slide, slump, flow and creep); the factors controlling slope stability (slope angle, rock and soil strength, water, bedding orientation, vegetation and undercutting); the triggers of slope failure; and the engineering and planning methods used to reduce landslide hazards.
A focused answer to the Eduqas Geology geohazards statement on mass movement. Covers the types of mass movement, the factors controlling slope stability, the triggers of slope failure, and the engineering and planning methods used to reduce landslide hazards.
13 min answer →

How do valuable mineral deposits form, and how do we decide whether they are worth mining?

Ore deposits and economic minerals: the processes that concentrate metals into economic ore deposits (magmatic segregation, hydrothermal and vein deposits, placer deposits, secondary enrichment and sedimentary deposits); the concepts of ore grade, cut-off grade and reserves; and the calculation of the tonnage of metal from grade and tonnage data.
A focused answer to the Eduqas Geology statement on economic minerals. Covers the processes that concentrate metals into ore deposits (magmatic, hydrothermal, placer, secondary enrichment, sedimentary), the concepts of ore grade, cut-off grade and reserves, and the calculation of contained metal from grade and tonnage.
14 min answer →

What are the hazards of a volcanic eruption, and how are volcanoes monitored?

Volcanic hazards and monitoring: the primary and secondary hazards of volcanic eruptions (lava flows, pyroclastic flows, tephra and ash fall, lahars, gases, sector collapse); the control of magma composition on eruption style and hazard; and the monitoring and prediction methods (seismicity, ground deformation, gas emissions, thermal and historical records) used to forecast eruptions.
A focused answer to the Eduqas Geology geohazards statement on volcanoes. Covers primary and secondary volcanic hazards, how magma composition controls eruption style and hazard, and the monitoring methods (seismicity, ground deformation, gas, thermal) used to forecast eruptions and reduce risk.
13 min answer →