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EnglandGeology

Human interaction with the Earth

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

What makes earthquakes hazardous, and how are they located, measured and predicted?

Earthquakes are caused by the sudden release of stress along faults, mainly at plate margins; they radiate seismic waves (P-waves and S-waves) whose arrival times locate the epicentre and whose amplitude measures magnitude; the hazards include ground shaking, building collapse, tsunamis, fires and landslides; the risk is reduced by hazard mapping, building design and emergency planning, but precise short-term prediction remains impossible, so forecasting relies on probability from past records.
A focused answer to the Eduqas GCSE Geology statement on earthquake hazards. Covers how earthquakes are caused by stress release on faults, the P-waves and S-waves used to locate the epicentre and measure magnitude, the hazards, and how risk is reduced when precise prediction is impossible.
14 min answer →

How do rocks store and supply hydrocarbons and groundwater?

Hydrocarbons (oil and gas) form from buried organic matter, then migrate from a source rock into a porous, permeable reservoir rock where an impermeable cap rock and a trap (for example an anticline or fault) hold them; groundwater is stored in a porous, permeable aquifer beneath the water table and supplied to wells; both depend on the rock properties porosity (storage) and permeability (flow), and both can be over-exploited or polluted.
A focused answer to the Eduqas GCSE Geology statement on hydrocarbons and groundwater. Covers how oil and gas form, migrate and are trapped by a reservoir, cap rock and structure, how groundwater is stored in aquifers below the water table, and the key rock properties porosity and permeability.
14 min answer →

Why do engineers need to understand the geology before building?

Engineering geology assesses the ground before construction: foundations, tunnels, dams and reservoirs must suit the rock and soil present; geologists check the strength and stability of rock, the presence of faults, the slope stability, the permeability of the ground (for a reservoir to hold water or a tunnel to stay dry), and the hazards of weak, soluble or swelling materials; poor ground investigation can lead to subsidence, leakage, collapse or failure, so a site investigation is carried out first.
A focused answer to the Eduqas GCSE Geology statement on engineering geology. Covers why the ground must be assessed before construction, the factors checked (rock strength, faults, slope stability, permeability, weak or soluble materials), and how poor investigation leads to subsidence, leakage or collapse.
13 min answer →

Why do slopes fail, and how can landslide hazards be reduced?

Mass movement is the downslope movement of rock and soil under gravity; it includes slow creep, slides, slumps, flows and rockfalls; failure is triggered when the driving force (gravity, increased by steep slopes, heavy rain, loading and undercutting) exceeds the resisting force (friction and cohesion, reduced by water and weak or weathered rock); the risk is reduced by improving drainage, reducing slope angle, building retaining structures and avoiding building on unstable ground.
A focused answer to the Eduqas GCSE Geology statement on mass movement. Covers the types of mass movement, why slopes fail (the balance of driving and resisting forces and the role of water), the triggers, and how landslide risk is reduced by drainage, regrading, retaining structures and avoidance.
13 min answer →

What is an ore, and how do useful metal deposits form and get extracted?

An ore is a rock from which a metal can be extracted economically; ore minerals (for example galena for lead, haematite for iron) are concentrated by geological processes such as hydrothermal veins, magmatic settling and weathering and deposition; whether a deposit is worked depends on its grade, size, depth and the metal price; extraction by surface or underground mining has environmental costs, so it is balanced against the need for the metal and is followed by site restoration.
A focused answer to the Eduqas GCSE Geology statement on mineral resources. Covers the definition of an ore, the named ore minerals, how ore deposits are concentrated (hydrothermal, magmatic, weathering), the economic factors that decide whether a deposit is mined, and the environmental costs of extraction.
13 min answer →

What hazards do volcanoes pose, and how are they monitored and predicted?

Volcanic activity ranges from gentle effusive eruptions of runny basaltic lava to violent explosive eruptions of viscous silica-rich magma; the hazards include lava flows, ash falls, pyroclastic flows, lahars (mudflows) and toxic gases; volcanoes can be monitored using seismometers (earthquake swarms), ground deformation (tilt and bulging), gas emissions and rising temperatures, so eruptions are more predictable than earthquakes, and risk is reduced by monitoring, hazard mapping, exclusion zones and evacuation.
A focused answer to the Eduqas GCSE Geology statement on volcanic hazards. Covers effusive versus explosive eruptions and what controls them, the hazards (lava, ash, pyroclastic flows, lahars, gases), the warning signs used to monitor and predict eruptions, and how risk is reduced.
14 min answer →