Topic Summaries
Constructive margins
Natural and tectonic hazards
Earth layers and earthquakes
Tectonic plate margins
Responses to tectonic hazards
Risks of tectonic hazards
Weather hazards and atmospheric circulation
Tropical storm hazards
Responding to tropical storms
Climate change
Components and characteristics of ecosystems
Tropical rainforest ecosystems
Hot desert ecosystems
Cold environment ecosystems
Coastal landscapes
Coastal landform processes
Management strategies for coastal landscapes
River landscapes
Fluvial landform processes
Management strategies for floods
Glacial landscapes
Glacial landform processes
Patterns of urban change
Urban sustainability and patterns of urban development
Global development gap and global aid
Rapid economic development
Economic changes in the UK
Resource management
Food supply
Food supply and water supply
Water supply
Natural and tectonic hazards
Earth layers and earthquakes
Tectonic plate margins
Responses to tectonic hazards
Risks of tectonic hazards
Weather hazards and atmospheric circulation
Tropical storm hazards
Responding to tropical storms
Climate change
Components and characteristics of ecosystems
Tropical rainforest ecosystems
Hot desert ecosystems
Cold environment ecosystems
Coastal landscapes
Coastal landform processes
Management strategies for coastal landscapes
River landscapes
Fluvial landform processes
Management strategies for floods
Glacial landscapes
Glacial landform processes
Patterns of urban change
Urban sustainability and patterns of urban development
Global development gap and global aid
Rapid economic development
Economic changes in the UK
Resource management
Food supply
Food supply and water supply
Water supply
- Constructive margins or divergent boundaries occur when two tectonic plates move apart. This can be:
- Oceanic plate + oceanic plate (e.g. North American plate and Eurasian plate)
- As plates move apart, magma rises from the mantle to fill the gap.
- Magma cools and solidifies to form new oceanic crust, creating ocean ridges, underwater volcanoes, and volcanic islands (e.g. Iceland).
- Earthquakes may occur from tension as the crust fractures.
- Continental plate + continental plate (less common) where a rift may form as the crust stretches and thins (e.g. East African Rift Valley).
- Oceanic plate + oceanic plate (e.g. North American plate and Eurasian plate)
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