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S6 Geography Paper: Plate Tectonics, Weathering and Erosion, River and Coastal Landforms, Urban Heat Island and Waste Management (100 marks)
S6 Geography – landforms and environment
S6 Geography paper: 6 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes. Covers plate tectonics, weathering, river landforms, coasts, urban heat and waste.
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Paper details S6 Geography practice paper: 6 questions on plate tectonics, weathering, rivers, coasts, urban heat island and waste management, with full answers.
Section A: Plate Motion and Boundaries (16 marks)
Plates on either side of the North Atlantic Ridge separate at 2.5 cm per year. Another ridge separates at 6.0 cm per year.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find the total separation over 10 million years in km. | Answer: 2.5 x 10,000,000 = 25,000,000 cm = 250.0 km. (Marking: product 2, unit conversion 1, answer 1) |
| 2 | Find the distance at the other ridge in the same period and the ratio to the first ridge. | Answer: distance = 600.0 km; ratio = 600.0 / 250.0 = 2.4. (Marking: distance 3, ratio 1) |
| 3 | Name the plate boundary type at the ridge and state the main landform formed there. | Answer: divergent (constructive) boundary; rising magma cools to form a mid-ocean ridge and new oceanic crust, with sea-floor spreading. (Marking: boundary type 2, landform 2) |
| 4 | Explain why earthquakes at this type of boundary are mostly shallow. | Answer: tension pulls the plates apart and brittle failure is confined to the upper crust, generally shallower than 70 km, so the earthquakes are shallow. (Marking: tension 2, brittle failure depth 2) |
Section B: Weathering and Erosion (16 marks)
A limestone block measuring 3.0 m by 2.0 m by 1.5 m is dissolved by rainwater over many years and loses 12% of its volume.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Find the original volume of the block. | Answer: 3.0 x 2.0 x 1.5 = 9.0 m3. (Marking: formula 2, answer 2) |
| 6 | Find the remaining volume and the volume lost. | Answer: lost = 9.0 x 12% = 1.08 m3; remaining = 9.0 – 1.08 = 7.92 m3. (Marking: lost 2, remaining 2) |
| 7 | Distinguish physical weathering from chemical weathering and give one example of each. | Answer: physical weathering breaks rock into fragments without changing its composition, for example freeze-thaw action; chemical weathering alters the mineral composition, for example dissolution of limestone. (Marking: definition 1 each, example 1 each) |
| 8 | Explain why onion-skin exfoliation is common in granite areas of Hong Kong. | Answer: granite has well developed joints; large day-night temperature ranges make the outer layer expand and contract differently from the interior, and the hot wet tropical climate speeds mineral breakdown, so the outer shell peels off in layers. (Marking: joints 1, temperature range 1, rainfall 1, mechanism 1) |
Section C: River Landforms and Discharge (18 marks)
A river runs 12 km horizontally from point A to point B with a fall of 96 m. At B the channel cross-section is 16 m2 and the mean velocity is 1.5 m/s.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Find the channel gradient from A to B in m per km. | Answer: gradient = 96 / 12 = 8.0 m per km. (Marking: formula 2, unit 2, answer 1) |
| 10 | Find the discharge at B in m3 per second. | Answer: discharge = 1.5 x 16 = 24.0 m3/s. (Marking: formula 2, answer 2) |
| 11 | Find the volume passing B in one day in m3. | Answer: 24 x 86 400 = 2,073,600 m3, about 2.07 x 10^6 m3. (Marking: multiply by 86 400 2, answer 2) |
| 12 | Compare how the upstream V-shaped valley and the downstream flood plain are formed. | Answer: in the upper course the steep gradient and small discharge favour vertical erosion, cutting a steep-sided V-shaped valley; in the lower course the gentle gradient and large discharge favour lateral erosion alternating with deposition, so fine sediment builds a flat flood plain. (Marking: upstream erosion 2, lateral erosion 1, deposition 2) |
Section D: Coastal Landforms and Management (16 marks)
A sea cliff has retreated at 0.35 m per year for the past 30 years. A planned sea wall is expected to reduce the rate to 0.08 m per year.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Find the retreat over the past 30 years. | Answer: 0.35 x 30 = 10.5 m. (Marking: formula 2, answer 2) |
| 14 | After the wall, find the retreat over 50 years and compare with the old rate over the same period. | Answer: new retreat = 0.08 x 50 = 4.0 m; old rate over 50 years = 0.35 x 50 = 17.5 m; reduction = 17.5 – 4.0 = 13.5 m. (Marking: new retreat 2, reduction 2) |
| 15 | Explain the formation of a wave-cut platform. | Answer: waves repeatedly attack the cliff base and hydraulic action quarries a notch; the unsupported rock above collapses and the cliff face retreats, leaving a low flat rock surface, the wave-cut platform, once the debris is removed. (Marking: basal erosion 1, collapse 1, retreat 1, platform 1) |
| 16 | Give one example each of hard and soft coastal management. | Answer: hard engineering such as sea walls or revetments blocks wave energy directly; soft engineering such as beach nourishment or planting to trap sand works with natural processes to restore sediment. (Marking: hard example 2, soft example 2) |
Section E: Urban Heat Island (17 marks)
Mean urban temperature is 32.4 C while the nearby rural area records 28.9 C. After greening, the urban mean falls to 30.6 C and the rural value is unchanged.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Find the urban heat island intensity before greening. | Answer: 32.4 – 28.9 = 3.5 C. (Marking: formula 2, answer 2) |
| 18 | Find the intensity after greening and the reduction. | Answer: new intensity = 30.6 – 28.9 = 1.7 C; reduction = 3.5 – 1.7 = 1.8 C. (Marking: new intensity 2, reduction 2) |
| 19 | List three human factors that create the urban heat island. | Answer: concrete and asphalt absorb and store daytime heat; dense buildings block heat loss and ventilation; vehicles, air conditioning and industry release waste heat. (Marking: 1 mark each, credit only for specific points) |
| 20 | Suggest two measures to mitigate the urban heat island and explain how each works. | Answer: increase roof and ground greening so transpiration cools the air and less solar radiation is absorbed; keep ventilation corridors and add water bodies to promote convective heat loss and reduce night-time heat storage. (Marking: measure 1 each, explanation 1.5 each) |
Section F: Waste Management and Sustainability (17 marks)
A city generates 11 000 tonnes of municipal solid waste a day, of which 2 750 tonnes are recycled and the rest goes to landfill.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Find the recycling rate. | Answer: 2,750 / 11,000 x 100% = 25.0%. (Marking: formula 2, answer 2) |
| 22 | Find the daily landfilled quantity and the annual total for 365 days. | Answer: daily = 11,000 – 2,750 = 8,250 tonnes; annual = 8,250 x 365 = 3,011,250 tonnes. (Marking: daily 2, annual 2) |
| 23 | If the recycling rate rises to 40%, find the new daily landfilled quantity and the daily reduction. | Answer: new landfill = 11,000 x (100 – 40)% = 6,600 tonnes; reduction = 8,250 – 6,600 = 1,650 tonnes. (Marking: new landfill 2, reduction 2) |
| 24 | Explain the difference between waste avoidance at source and recycling, with one example each. | Answer: avoidance reduces consumption before waste arises, for example bringing your own bag or cutting excess packaging; recycling reprocesses waste already produced into raw material, for example waste paper into new paper. (Marking: difference 3, example 1 each) |
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