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  1. Home
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Earthquakes
Have you ever felt an earthquake?

Earthquakes

Earthquakes shake the Earth’s crust when plates suddenly move. This GCSE Geography quiz helps you explore their causes, effects and how people try to stay safe.

Explore the Topic →
(quiz starts below)

Fascinating Fact:

In some coastal regions, undersea earthquakes can trigger tsunamis, which are large, powerful waves that can travel across entire ocean basins.

In GCSE Geography, pupils learn that earthquakes happen when stress builds up along faults and plate boundaries and is suddenly released. The shaking can damage buildings, cut off services and affect people’s lives in many ways, especially in densely populated or less prepared regions. Case studies often compare impacts in richer and poorer countries, as well as short-term responses and long-term management strategies.

Key Terms

  • Earthquake: A sudden shaking of the Earth’s surface caused by movement along a fault or plate boundary in the crust.
  • Focus (hypocentre): The point inside the Earth where the rocks first break and seismic waves are released.
  • Epicentre: The point on the Earth’s surface directly above the focus, where shaking is often felt most strongly.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What causes earthquakes in GCSE Geography?

In GCSE Geography, earthquakes are explained as the result of plates moving past, towards or away from each other. When stress along faults suddenly releases, energy travels out as seismic waves and the ground shakes.

Where do most earthquakes happen in the world?

Most earthquakes occur along plate boundaries, such as the Pacific Ring of Fire. These are zones where plates collide, slide past or move apart, creating frequent movement and therefore frequent seismic activity.

How are earthquakes measured and recorded?

Earthquakes are recorded by seismometers that track ground movement. Their strength can be described using magnitude scales, such as the moment magnitude scale, which measures the energy released at the focus.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .
Which one of the following explains why we have small earthquakes in Britain?
They are caused by small movements of old faults in the rocks
Britain is directly on a destructive plate boundary
There is a conservative plate boundary that runs from north to south down the middle of Britain
Britain is an island
Even though the faults were made millions of years in the past, the rocks on either side can still move a little, creating small earthquakes that are sometimes called earth tremors
2 .
The cause of an earthquake is ...
hot magma from the mantle moving upwards through the crust
water exploding because of the heat deep in the Earth's crust
shrinkage of the Earth
the release of strain that has built up in rocks at a plate boundary
There is a huge amount of friction between the plates which stops them moving smoothly
3 .
The movement of the Earth's plates past one-another is ...
smooth
completely predictable
jerky
not known
There is a lot of friction between the rocks of the plates so they don't move smoothly past each other. This movement is unpredictable which is why earthquake forecasting is so difficult
4 .
The point on the surface of the Earth, directly above where the earthquake originates is known as the ...
epicure
epicentre
epidermis
epipotamus
The point where the earthquake happened is known as the focus
5 .
Where do earthquakes mainly occur?
At the boundaries between plates
At the centre of plates
Under the sea
At the North and South Poles
They are mainly caused by plates moving against each other
6 .
Which of the following is a secondary effect of an earthquake?
Ground shaking
Ground rupture
A tsunami
All of the above
Earthquakes cause the ground to shake and cracks can appear. Secondary effects are events that are triggered by an earthquake such as landslides, falling objects, fires and disease (water supplies are broken, so there is little or no clean water for hygiene and drinking)
7 .
Which of the following is not a reason why there is greater loss of life in a LEDC than a MEDC from an earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale?
The rescue services are less well equipped
Communications are better
Water supplies are cut
Buildings are weaker
There are many reasons why populations in LEDCs or less developed regions of MEDCs are hit harder - it usually comes down to a lack of money
8 .
On the following list, where is the deepest earthquake likely to occur?
In the UK
Somewhere along the San Andreas fault
The west coast of Peru
Impossible to say, the depth of an earthquake is random
You should be aware of the main examples of the different types of plate boundary. You should also know that deep earthquakes occur at destructive plate boundaries. The west coast of Peru is where you find a destructive plate boundary
9 .
When compared with a LEDC, during a large earthquake, the buildings in a city of a MEDC ...
will all collapse
will burst into flame
are less likely to be damaged
are more likely to suffer damage
MEDCs can afford to build earthquake resistant buildings
10 .
Japan suffers from large earthquakes because ...
it is a small country
it is made up from several islands
it is split down the middle by a constructive plate boundary
it is right next to a destructive plate boundary
The Pacific plate is being destroyed under Japan
You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Earthquakes

Author:  Kev Woodward (PGCE, Science & Chemistry Teacher, Quiz Writer)
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