OCR 2023 GCE GEOLOGY H414/02: SCIENTIFIC LITERACY IN GEOLOGY A LEVEL QUESTION PAPER & MARK SCHEME (MERGED)

Coal mining in the UK peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries with as many as 2000 mines operating in the UK. These abandoned mines have left spoil heaps, abandoned engineering, unstable land surfaces and brownfield sites. (a) Describe and explain the term brownfield site. ................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................... .............................................................................................................................................. [2] (b) The table shows data about the position of coal seams and faults, collected from three boreholes (sites A, B and C) across an abandoned underground coal mine. Depth from surface (m) Feature Site A Site B Site C Fault Not seen 650 450 Top of coal seam X Bottom of coal seam X Top of coal seam Y Bottom of coal seam Y (i) Plot the data on the grid below to show both coal seams and the fault. N A B C S 0 Land surface 100 200 Depth (m) 300 400 500 600 700 [3] 3 © OCR 2023 Turn over (ii) An engineering company is assessing the abandoned coal mine as a potential repository for the storage of low-level nuclear waste. The coal was mined using a shaft system and stope mining. The shaft access is close to site A. Assess the suitability of the abandoned coal mine as a potential repository for storing waste underground. ...................................................................................