Using GIS to visualise physical processes at different types of plate margin
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use GIS Elevation Profiles to visualise physical processes at different plate margins.
Key learning points
- 3D GIS provides powerful ways to visualise what is physical at plate margins.
- GIS transects can be used to create Elevation Profiles to visualise topography and bathymetry.
- 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.
Teacher tip
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.
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
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does GIS stand for?
Q2.How can GIS help us study plate margins?
Q3.What are the three main types of plate margins?
Q4.What happens at a constructive plate margin?
Q5.What landform is most commonly found at a destructive plate margin?
Q6.Which plate margin is most likely to cause earthquakes but not volcanoes?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the lesson's keywords with the definitions.
the measurement of elevation for bodies of water, e.g. depth of oceans
the shape of Earth’s surface, land areas and ocean floor
GIS tool to visualise changes in height above/below sea level
Q2.What famous conservative plate margin exists in the USA?
Q3.GIS Profiles can visualise physical processes at different plate margins, e.g. divergence and convergence; subduction; mountain building.
Q4.Why is bathymetry important in geography?
To help you plan your 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...
To help you plan your 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.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 geography lessons from the Natural and tectonic hazards unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.