Impacts: primary/secondary, environmental, social, economic, political
Earthquakes cause a range of impacts. Geographers sort these into categories — primary or secondary, and environmental, social, economic, or political — to analyse them clearly.
Real World
The 2010 Haiti earthquake killed over 220,000 people (social), caused an estimated $14 billion in economic losses, and triggered a political crisis that destabilised the government for years — demonstrating how one event produces impacts across every category simultaneously.
Exam Focus
Structure longer answers using both frameworks together: state whether each impact is primary or secondary AND categorise it as social, economic, or environmental.
Essay Framework
Use PEEL to structure every paragraph. Tap each step for guidance and an example.
How well did you know this?