New
New
Year 10
AQA

Using GIS to visualise physical processes at different types of plate margin

I can use GIS Elevation Profiles to visualise physical processes at different plate margins.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

Using GIS to visualise physical processes at different types of plate margin

I can use GIS Elevation Profiles to visualise physical processes at different plate margins.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. 3D GIS provides powerful ways to visualise what is physical at plate margins.
  2. GIS transects can be used to create Elevation Profiles to visualise topography and bathymetry.
  3. GIS Elevation Profiles can visualise physical processes at different plate margins.

Keywords

  • Bathymetry - the measurement of elevation for bodies of water, e.g. depth of oceans, seas, or lakes

  • Topography - the shape of Earth’s surface including land areas and the floor of the seas and oceans

  • Elevation Profile - a GIS tool which visualises changes in height above or below sea level along any transect line such as a river course

Common misconception

Students can find it difficult to grasp that Earth's crust and tectonic plates include the ocean floor, which has topography (e.g. mountains including volcanoes, valleys) just like the land areas.

Remind students (often!) that tectonic plates include the ocean floor. Apps such as 3D Scene can help to visualise this underwater topography, which we learn about by bathymetry. The story of Marie Tharp provides excellent disciplinary knowledge.


To help you plan your year 10 geography lesson on: Using GIS to visualise physical processes at different types of plate margin, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

No matter what your level of experience is with GIS, go through all the steps yourself first until you feel confident and fluent. With this lesson, deliberate practice is intentional with repetition of a task in novel situations, providing students with an opportunity to achieve fluency.
Teacher tip

Equipment

The lesson will require students to have access to a suitable IT device, e.g. laptop. Some tasks would be facilitated by the students using a mouse for more effective and faster control of the cursor.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does GIS stand for?
Global Imaging System
Correct answer: Geographical Information System
Geological Interactive Software
Geographic International Studies
Q2.
How can GIS help us study plate margins?
Correct answer: By collecting real-time earthquake and volcano data
By physically moving the tectonic plates
By predicting the exact location of future earthquakes
By stopping tectonic movement
Q3.
What are the three main types of plate margins?
Constructive, obstructive, subductive
Subduction, collision, sliding
Correct answer: Constructive, destructive, conservative
Q4.
What happens at a constructive plate margin?
Plates move towards each other
Plates stay still
Correct answer: Plates move apart, forming new crust
Q5.
What landform is most commonly found at a destructive plate margin?
Rift valley
Correct answer: Fold mountains and volcanoes
Mid-ocean ridge
Flat plains
Q6.
Which plate margin is most likely to cause earthquakes but not volcanoes?
Constructive
Destructive
Correct answer: Conservative
Subduction

4 Questions

Q1.
Match the lesson's keywords with the definitions.
Correct Answer:bathymetry,the measurement of elevation for bodies of water, e.g. depth of oceans

the measurement of elevation for bodies of water, e.g. depth of oceans

Correct Answer:topography,the shape of Earth’s surface, land areas and ocean floor

the shape of Earth’s surface, land areas and ocean floor

Correct Answer:Elevation profile,GIS tool to visualise changes in height above/below sea level

GIS tool to visualise changes in height above/below sea level

Q2.
What famous conservative plate margin exists in the USA?
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Himalayas
Correct answer: The San Andreas Fault
The Andes Mountains
Q3.
GIS Profiles can visualise physical processes at different plate margins, e.g. divergence and convergence; subduction; mountain building.
Correct Answer: Elevation, elevation
Q4.
Why is bathymetry important in geography?
Enables mapping of the ocean floor
Helps us understand underwater topography of Earth
Helps us understand plate tectonics
Provides data for GIS visualisation
Correct answer: All of the above

Additional material

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