Earth and Space Science: Tectonics, Rocks, Seasons and Orbits
Earth and space science on this paper spans plate tectonics, the rock and fossil records, atmosphere and climate, seasons, and basic orbital and stellar reasoning. Diagrams are described in words, so translate each one into a cause-and-effect sequence before choosing an answer.
Core rules and concepts
- Divergent, convergent and transform boundaries produce distinct patterns of earthquakes, volcanoes and topography.
- Igneous rocks crystallize from melt; sedimentary rocks record layering and fossils; metamorphic rocks form under heat and pressure.
- Seasons arise from axial tilt (about 23.5°), not from distance to the Sun.
- Kepler's third law: P² = a³ when P is in years and a is in astronomical units.
- Seismic S waves cannot travel through liquid; P waves can.
Worked example
An asteroid orbits the Sun at a mean distance of 4 AU. Find its orbital period.
Reasoning: apply P² = a³ = 4³ = 64, so P = √64 = 8 years. No unit conversion is needed because the law is expressed in AU and years. A larger semi-major axis always means a longer period, which is a quick sanity check.
Traps that cost marks
- Attributing summer to Earth being closer to the Sun.
- Using diameter where the formula requires radius or semi-major axis.
- Applying P² = a³ with metres and seconds without converting.
- Reversing the order of rock layers when applying superposition.