IGCSE Geography / Hazardous environments

Earthquake-resistant buildings

Edexcel International GCSE Geography (4GE1), chapter 3: Hazardous environments, specification point 3.3a. Part of the full course.

Read the revision notes · IGCSE Geography past papers

Earthquake-resistant buildings are designed to absorb ground movement or stay intact as they sway. Their design can reduce collapse, injuries and deaths, while low-cost methods and enforced building codes help protect more people.

More lessons in Hazardous environments

• Natural hazards: types and where they happen
• How tropical cyclones form
• Plates and plate boundaries
• Why earthquakes happen
• Volcanoes and hotspots
• Measuring hazards
• Why some countries are more vulnerable
• Case study: the Nepal earthquake, 2015
• Case study: the central Italy earthquakes, 2016
• Case studies: Mount Merapi and Mount Ontake
• Why people live with the risk
• Case study: Hurricane Katrina, 2005
• Case study: Typhoon Haiyan, 2013
• Preparing for earthquakes: warning, drills and mapping
• After the earthquake: short-term response and relief
• After the earthquake: longer-term planning
• Case study: managing the earthquake in Nepal
• Case study: managing earthquakes in Italy
• Case study: preparing for earthquakes in India
• Hazard fieldwork: collecting the data
• Hazard fieldwork: results, conclusions and evaluation