Tectonics

In this unit you will study environments and hazards created by tectonic activity, namely volcanoes, earthquakes and fold mountains.

• You will investigate the Alps, a range of fold mountains. You will learn to describe and explain human activity in the region including tourism, farming, and HEP.
  
  
• Look into case studies of the effects and responses to a volcanic eruption. There are opportunities here to use ICT in both researching different examples of tectonic hazards and in presenting work on a disaster
  
  
• Learn to understand how differences in population densities, building materials, availability of emergency services, quality of communication networks, relative wealth are important. Values and attitudes to tectonic activity may include the unwillingness of some people to accept the hazard or the need to use the fertile soils through to those who would advise abandonment of areas prone to tectonic activity.
  
  
• Investigate settlement issues in areas of tectonic activity including the advantages and disadvantages. Students should appreciate that areas affected by tectonic activity present both advantages and disadvantages for settlement eg. the threat of a volcanic eruption versus the fertile soils for farming as on the slopes of Mount Etna or the threat of avalanches and difficulty of communications versus the valuable minerals able to be mined in the Andes mountains.
  
  
• Compare variations in the effects of and responses to tectonic activity between rural and urban areas, and between MEDCs and LEDCs.