Distribution of Geophysical Hazards (DP IB Geography)

Revision Note

Distribution of Earthquakes

  • Earthquakes occur at all types of plate boundaries

    • Most occur along the Pacific Ring of Fire” (approximately 90%)

World map showing tectonic plate boundaries and earthquake locations marked in red. Boundaries are depicted with dashed lines, while continents are colored green.
Distribution of earthquakes

Distribution of Volcanoes

  • Most volcanoes occur at constructive and destructive plate boundaries

  • The majority of active volcanoes (approximately 75%) are located around the rim of the Pacific Ocean called the “Ring of Fire”

  • Hotspots occur away from plate boundaries and are plumes/columns of magma that escape through the Earth's crust

World map highlighting earthquake-prone areas with red dots along tectonic plate boundaries, particularly the Pacific Ring of Fire, Mediterranean, and mid-Atlantic ridge.
Distribution of volcanic eruptions

Distribution of Mass Movement

  • The majority of mass movements occur in three main areas:

    • Highland areas

    • Along plate boundaries

    • Coastal areas

World map showing reports of frog extinctions across different regions, color-coded from 1 to 60 reports. Key indicates varying shades of blue and purple for different report ranges.
Distribution of mass movement

Examiner Tips and Tricks

In the exam, you may be asked to outline factors which affect the distribution of geophysical hazards. You must be able to explain why geophysical hazards are often associated with plate boundaries but also identify other factors which may affect distribution. For example, volcanoes can occur at hot spots as a result of magma plumes.

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