What causes earthquakes, volcanoes and tropical storms, what are their impacts, and how can people prepare for them?
The causes, features and impacts of earthquakes, volcanoes and tropical storms, and the methods used to predict, plan for and reduce the effects of these environmental hazards.
An SQA National 5 Geography answer on environmental hazards, covering the causes, features and impacts of earthquakes, volcanoes and tropical storms, and the prediction, planning, protection and aid used to reduce their effects.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain the causes, describe the features and impacts of earthquakes, volcanoes and tropical storms, and explain the methods used to predict them, plan for them, protect against them and provide aid, in order to reduce their effects.
Why earthquakes and volcanoes happen
Tropical storms
Features and impacts
The impacts of all three hazards overlap, and are usually worse in poorer countries with weaker buildings and fewer resources:
- People - deaths and injuries; people made homeless; disease spreading from dirty water; food and water shortages.
- Buildings and infrastructure - homes, roads, bridges, power lines and water pipes destroyed.
- Specific features - earthquakes cause ground shaking, landslides and tsunamis; volcanoes bury land in lava and ash; tropical storms cause wind damage and flooding from rain and storm surge.
Reducing the effects
People cannot stop these hazards, but they can reduce their impact in four ways:
- Prediction - monitor for warning signs (seismometers, gas and bulging for volcanoes, satellites for storms) and issue warnings to evacuate.
- Planning - emergency plans, evacuation routes, shelters, drills and stockpiles of food, water and medicine.
- Protection - build earthquake-resistant and storm-proof buildings, and sea defences against storm surges.
- Aid - short-term emergency aid (rescue teams, food, water, shelter) and long-term aid to rebuild.
Examples in context
Example 1. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. A massive undersea earthquake off Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed over 200,000 people across many countries, showing how earthquakes can cause secondary hazards.
Example 2. Hurricane Katrina, 2005. A tropical storm whose storm surge flooded New Orleans, destroying homes and killing over 1,800 people, a case study in storm impacts and the need for planning and defences.
Try this
Q1. Name the point on the surface directly above an earthquake's focus. [1 mark]
- Cue. The epicentre.
Q2. State one method of reducing the effects of a tropical storm. [1 mark]
- Cue. Prediction and warning/evacuation (or storm-proof buildings, shelters, sea defences, aid).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA N5 style4 marksExplain the causes of earthquakes.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Explain answer wants the tectonic process built up, so move from plates to the release of energy.
The Earth's crust is broken into large plates that float on the mantle and move slowly because of convection currents beneath them.
Where two plates meet they can lock together as they try to move past or against each other, and pressure builds up over time.
When the pressure becomes too great, the plates suddenly jerk free, releasing a huge amount of energy.
This energy travels through the ground as seismic waves from the focus, shaking the surface and causing the earthquake. The point on the surface above the focus is the epicentre. Markers reward the plates and convection, the build-up of pressure, the sudden release of energy, and the seismic waves.
SQA N5 style6 marksFor a named environmental hazard, describe its impacts and explain methods used to reduce its effects.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark answer wants impacts described and methods explained, so split your marks: roughly three on impacts and three on methods.
Impacts (for a tropical storm). Strong winds destroy buildings and power lines; heavy rain and storm surges cause severe flooding; people are killed and injured, made homeless, and crops and water supplies are damaged.
Method 1. Prediction: satellites and weather aircraft track storms so warnings can be issued and people evacuated in time.
Method 2. Planning: emergency plans, shelters and stockpiles of food, water and medical supplies reduce deaths and help recovery.
Method 3. Protection and aid: stronger, storm-proof buildings and sea defences reduce damage, and emergency aid (rescue teams, food, shelter) and longer-term aid help people recover.
Markers reward each impact described and each method explained as reducing the effects. Naming a real event such as Hurricane Katrina or the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami strengthens the answer.
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Sources & how we know this
- National 5 Geography Course Specification (C833 75) — SQA (2025)
- National 5 Geography - Course overview and resources — SQA (2025)