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Continental plate
A large tectonic plate of low density, composing of very old rock (some of the oldest in the world).
Oceanic plate
A large tectonic plate of high density, composing of younger rock. It carries the ocean above it.
Convection currents
The circular currents of heat in the Earth's mantle.
Subduction
The sinking of an oceanic plate at a destructive plate margin.
Conservative
The plate margin in which two tectonic plates slide along each other either in the same or opposite direction; this causes earthquakes.
Collision
The plate margin in which two continental/oceanic plates move towards each other, pushing rock upwards into fold mountains.
Constructive
The plate margin in which two plates are moving apart, creating new land due to the rising magma; this creates ocean trenches and shield volcanoes.
Destructive
The plate margin in which two plates move towards each other, and the denser plate (oceanic) subducts beneath the other; this creates fold mountains and composite volcanoes.
Fold mountains
Large mountain ranges where rock layers have been crumpled as they have been forced together.
Ocean trench
A deep section of the ocean, where an oceanic plate is sinking below a continental plate.
Composite volcano
A steep sided volcano that is made up of a variety of materials, such as lava and ash. It erupts acid lava infrequently.
Shield volcano
A broad volcano that is mostly made up of lava. It erupts basic lava frequently.
Acid lava
800°C; sticky; explosive; impure lava.
Basic lava
1200°C; runny; not explosive; pure lava.
Earthquake
A sudden and often violent shift in the rocks forming the Earth's crust, which is felt at the surface.
Focus
The point in the Earth's crust where an earthquake originates.
Epicentre
The point at the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.
Fault
A fracture in the Earth's crust where a significant displacement has been formed.
Richter scale
A logarithmic scale ranging from 0 to 10 used for measuring the magnitude of earthquakes, based on seismic activity.
Mercalli scale
A means of measuring earthquakes by describing and comparing the damage done on a scale of I to XII.
Supervolcano
A mega colossal volcano that erupts at least 1,000km³ of material.
Caldera
A depression of a supervolcano marking the collapsed magma chamber.
Fissures
Extended openings along a line of weakness that allow magma to escape; these are generally found near supervolcanoes.
Geyser
A geothermal feature in which water erupts into the air under pressure.
Hot spot
A section of the Earth's crust where plumes of magma rise, weakening the crust. These are away from plate boundaries.
Vent
The opening - usually central and single - in a volcano, from which magma is emitted.
Lahar
These secondary effects of a volcano are mudflows resulting from ash mixing with melting ice or water.
The Andes
An example of a fold mountain range.
Mount St. Helens
An example of a volcanic eruption.
Yellowstone
An example of a supervolcano.
Haiti
An example of an LEDC earthquake.
Christchurch
An example of an MEDC earthquake
65 million years
Estimated age of the Andes.
7000km
Length of the Andes.
300km
Width of the Andes.
4km
Height of the Andes.
Chile
The country along the Andes in which the world's largest copper mine resides.
Peru
The country along the Andes in which the world's largest gold mine resides.
$200 million
The cost of the El Platanal project in south Peru in 2009: done to produce hydroelectric power across the Andes.
Bolivia
The country along the Andes in which subsistence farming is the main way of life on terraces of land built into the mountains.
Inca Trail
The cultural attraction in Peru that is ran by the locals, and travels across the Andes.
18th May 1980
Date of the eruption of Mount St. Helens.
5.1
The magnitude - on the Richter scale - of the earthquake by Mount St. Helens that stimulated the eruption.
57
The amount of people killed in the eruption of Mount St. Helens.
27km
The range to which all living things were killed by the eruption of Mount St. Helens.
2 million
The amount of gas masks delivered in by the president of the time during the Mount St. Helens eruption.
3 million
The number of tourists Mount St. Helens now gets since becoming a national monument in 1982.
600-700 thousand years
The estimated frequency that the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts.
87 thousand
The number of people that would die immediately from the eruption of Yellowstone supervolcano.
1000km
1 in 3 people would die within this range of an eruption from Yellowstone supervolcano.
15cm
Land within 10,000km of a supervolcano eruption would be covered in this height of ash.
40%
The percentage of the global population that could suffer starvation if Yellowstone supervolcano were to erupt.
10°C
The estimated global temperature drop resulting from the eruption of Yellowstone supervolcano.
12th January 2010
Date of the Haiti earthquake.
7
The magnitude - on the Richter scale - of the earthquake in Haiti.
$75 billion
The amount of dollars in damage caused by the Haiti earthquake.
50-250 thousand
The range of people that died in the Haiti earthquake.
1.5 million
The amount of people made homeless from the Haiti earthquake.
98%
The percentage of rubble that still exists from the Haiti earthquake.
40%
The percentage of people left unemployed in Haiti after the earthquake.
$100 million
The money donated to Haiti by the USA following the earthquake.
€330 million
The money donated to Haiti by the EU following the earthquake.
22nd February 2011
Date of the Christchurch earthquake.
6.3
The magnitude - on the Richter scale - of the earthquake in Christchurch.
$40 million
The amount of dollars in damage caused by the Christchurch earthquake.
181
The amount of deaths caused by the Christchurch earthquake.
2 thousand
The number of people injured by the Christchurch earthquake.
Liquefaction
The saturation of land from floods (that can be caused by earthquakes) causing the ground to become weak; this happened at Christchurch.
Retrofitting
The strengthening of buildings with added support in order to make them earthquake proof.
26th December 2004
Date of the Asian tsunami.
9.1
The magnitude - on the Richter scale - of the earthquake underwater in the Asian tsunami.
230 thousand
The amount of deaths caused by the Asian tsunami.
1.7 million
The amount of people made homeless by the Asian tsunami.
£75 million
The money donated to Asia by the UK government following the tsunami.
£330 million
The money donated to Asia by the UK public following the tsunami.
