NCEA Level 3 Geography flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Alpine Fault

A major dextral (right-lateral) strike-slip fault running along the South Island of New Zealand, marking the boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates and producing frequent large earthquakes.

Hikurangi subduction margin

The zone off the east coast of the North Island where the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the Australian Plate, generating earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic activity in the North Island.

Taupō Volcanic Zone

A back-arc rifting zone running through the central North Island, characterised by rhyolitic volcanism, calderas, geothermal fields and ignimbrite deposits.

Orographic rain shadow

The dry zone on the leeward side of a mountain range, caused by moist air rising and cooling on the windward side, so the leeward side receives much less rainfall.

Braided river

A river with multiple shifting channels separated by bars of sediment, formed where high sediment supply and variable flow exceed the river's capacity to transport its load.

Wave refraction

The bending of waves as they approach a coastline at an angle, concentrating energy on headlands and spreading it in bays, which drives erosion and deposition patterns.

Mass movement

The downslope movement of rock, soil or debris under gravity, triggered by factors such as heavy rainfall, earthquakes and slope steepening, and classified by speed and water content.

Cultural process

A human activity or set of activities that changes an environment and is shaped by it, such as urbanisation, tourism, migration or agricultural intensification.

Peri-urban sprawl

The outward expansion of urban land use into surrounding rural areas, often onto productive soils, driven by population growth, housing demand and transport access.

Kaitiakitanga

The Māori concept of guardianship and stewardship of the environment, involving responsibility to protect and sustain natural resources for present and future generations.

Land-use intensification

The increase in inputs and outputs per unit area of land, such as higher stocking rates, fertiliser use and irrigation, which can raise productivity but also environmental pressure.

Spatial pattern

The arrangement of features or phenomena across space, described in terms of distribution, clustering, dispersion, density and direction.

Geographic concept

An idea used to interpret geographic phenomena, including location, distance, accessibility, spatial interaction, change, perception, sustainability and environment.

Relative distance

Distance measured in terms of time, cost or perceived effort rather than kilometres, which better reflects how connected or accessible places are in practice.

Spatial interaction

The movement of people, goods and ideas between places, driven by complementarity, transferability and the absence of intervening opportunities.

Contour interval

The vertical distance between consecutive contour lines on a topographic map, used with contour spacing to infer slope steepness and relief.

Map scale

The ratio between distance on a map and distance on the ground, used to convert measured map distances into real-world distances and to compare map detail.

Research hypothesis

A testable statement predicting a relationship or pattern in the data, which the research methods are designed to support or refute.

Stratified sampling

A sampling method in which the study area is divided into distinct zones or strata and samples are taken from each, ensuring representation of different environments.

Reliability

The extent to which a method produces consistent results when repeated, affected by sample size, instrument accuracy and control of variables.

Validity

The extent to which a method measures what it is intended to measure, so that conclusions drawn from the data are sound.

Consultation

The process of seeking and recording the views of stakeholders such as iwi, councils and landowners before, during and after research or planning decisions.

Geographic issue

A conflict between groups over the use or management of an environment, with spatial causes and consequences that can be analysed and evaluated.

Viewpoint and values

The position a group takes on an issue and the beliefs or priorities underlying it, which explain why groups disagree about the same environment.

Response evaluation

An assessment of how effective and fair a proposed or existing response to an issue is, judged against evidence and the views of affected groups.

Global scale

A level of analysis covering patterns and processes across the whole world, such as climate change, migration flows or global trade networks.

Core–periphery pattern

A spatial pattern in which wealth, power and decision-making concentrate in core regions while peripheral regions supply resources and labour and remain less developed.

Globalisation

The increasing interconnection of economies, cultures and people worldwide through trade, migration, communication and transport, producing uneven spatial effects.

Population pyramid

A graph showing the age and sex structure of a population, used to infer birth rates, death rates, migration and dependency ratios.

GIS overlay

A spatial analysis technique that combines two or more map layers to identify areas meeting multiple criteria, such as suitable land for a new facility.

Buffer analysis

A spatial analysis technique that creates a zone of a specified distance around a feature to identify areas within or outside that distance.

Site and situation

Site refers to the physical characteristics of a location itself, while situation refers to its position relative to surrounding features and connections.