P49 Q3 With reference to Figure 2, describe the tectonic plate movements and explain why they move. [5]

Describe plate movements 

• Divergent movements – pull away
• Convergent movements – push towards
• Transform movements – slide past

 Explain why they move 
(0.5m each)

1. Material in the mantle is heated by the core. 
2. This causes convection currents in the molten mantle material. 
3. Mantle expands, rises and spreads out beneath the plates which “float on them”.
4. Plates are dragged along and move away from each other. 
5. Subsequently, the hot molten mantle cools slightly and sinks, pulling the plates along.
6. Hence plates move towards each other. 
7. The sinking mantle material heats up again as it nears the core, and the whole process repeats. 
8. The plates may even slide past each other due to the convection currents 

P50 Q4    (a)   Describe the distribution of volcanoes and earthquakes in the world in Fig 3  [4]

Distribution of volcanoes (Maximum 2 marks)

• —     Both volcanoes and earthquakes are found at the Pacific Ring of Fire. 
•     The belt stretches from New Zealand, through south-west pacific, Indonesia, Philippines to Japan. 
•     It continues into Alaska in North America and runs down the Cascade Range on the west coast of North America to Central America and to the Andes Mountains on the west coast of South America. 
•      It Is found along the boundaries of several converging plates such as Nazca Plate, Australian Plate and Eurasian Plate.—  
•     Volcanoes Are found at diverging plate boundaries such as East Africa and Mid-Atlantic Ocean.

Distribution of earthquakes (Maximum 2 marks)

• ·    Occurs more frequently at convergent plate boundaries.
• ·    The belt stretches from the Mediterranean Sea to the Himalayan Mountains, which is a zone of collision.