GeographyThe changing human world28 min★★★ difficulty

Earthquakes and volcanoes

The ground beneath our feet is made of moving plates. Where they meet, the planet's most dramatic and dangerous hazards occur.

Part of your national curriculum

Human and physical geography: Understand tectonic processes and hazards, including earthquakes and volcanic activity

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Understand tectonic processes and hazards, including earthquakes and volcanic activity

Key learning points

• Plate boundaries
• Earthquakes
• Volcanic activity
• Living with hazards

This lesson at a glance

28 minutes
19 parts to scroll through
3 quick checks
Marked quiz at the end
Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

tectonicprocesseshazardsearthquakesvolcanic

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Part 1 of 19 · Discover5%

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Part 1 of 19

Visual introduction

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Earthquakes and volcanoes

The ground beneath our feet is made of moving plates. Where they meet, the planet's most dramatic and dangerous hazards occur.

In a nutshell

Understand tectonic processes and hazards, including earthquakes and volcanic activity

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 19

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Plate boundaries

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 19

Learn

Plate boundaries

The Earth's crust is broken into tectonic plates that move slowly on the molten mantle beneath. At destructive boundaries, like where the Nazca Plate meets the South American Plate, one plate is forced beneath another, causing earthquakes and volcanoes.

Reset break

Part 4 of 19

Pause

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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Explore the idea

Part 5 of 19

Learn

Earthquakes

Earthquakes occur when stress builds along a fault and is suddenly released, sending out shock waves. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake off Japan measured 9.0 and triggered a devastating tsunami.

Quick check

Part 6 of 19

Quick check

What happens at a destructive plate boundary?

Give me a hint

Quick check

Part 7 of 19

Quick check

What natural disaster did the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake trigger?

Give me a hint

Reset break

Part 8 of 19

Pause

That's sitting 2 of 5 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Learning cycle

Part 9 of 19

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Volcanic activity

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 10 of 19

Learn

Volcanic activity

Volcanoes form where magma rises through the crust, often at destructive or constructive boundaries. Mount Etna in Sicily erupts frequently but relatively gently, while explosive volcanoes like Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines can eject huge ash clouds.

Explore the idea

Part 11 of 19

Learn

Living with hazards

Countries like Japan use strict building codes and early-warning systems to reduce risk, showing that hazard impact depends as much on preparation and wealth as on the size of the event itself.

Reset break

Part 12 of 19

Pause

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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Quick check

Part 13 of 19

Quick check

What reduces the impact of tectonic hazards in wealthy countries like Japan?

Give me a hint

Challenge round

Part 14 of 19

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

Challenge round

Part 15 of 19

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

The Earth's crust is broken into ____ plates that move slowly on the molten mantle beneath.

At destructive boundaries, like where the Nazca Plate meets the South American Plate, one plate is forced beneath another, causing ____ and volcanoes.

Reset break

Part 16 of 19

Pause

That's sitting 4 of 5 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Challenge round

Part 17 of 19

Game · Recall cards

Why can oceanic crust sink beneath continental crust?

Card 1 of 4

Mastery quiz

Part 18 of 19

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Earthquakes and volcanoes

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

1. Why can oceanic crust sink beneath continental crust?
2. Which is the strongest single piece of evidence for sea-floor spreading?
3. What does slab pull describe?
4. Why is Hawaii volcanic despite sitting far from a plate margin?

Lesson round-up

Part 19 of 19

Lesson round-up

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Understand tectonic processes and hazards, including earthquakes and volcanic activity