4) The UK's Evolving Physical Landscape Flashcards
What is the longest river in the UK?
The longest river in the UK is the River Severn (354km)
Where are the upland areas of the UK?
Scotland
Lake District
Pennines
What are UK upland areas used for?
Sheep Farming
Tourism
Paper-making
Where are the lowland areas of the UK?
The lowland areas are the south and east of the UK- Norwhich and East Anglia
What are the UK lowland areas used for?
Farming as the soil is very soft and fertile
What is the largest city in the UK?
London (9.3 million)
Where are large cities often located?
Near water sources
Lowland areas
What are the UK’s 3 main rock types?
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
How do igneous rocks form?
Igneous rocks form when magma from the Earth’s mantle cools and hardens
Where are igneous rocks located in the UK?
Highland areas
How do sedimentary rocks form?
Sedimentary rocks form when layers of sediment are compacted together
What are the 3 main types of sedimentary rock in the UK?
Carboniferous Limestone
Chalk
Clay
How do metamorphic rocks form?
Metamorphic rocks form when heat and pressure causes rocks to become harder and more compact
Where are metamorphic rocks located in the UK?
Mountainous Regions
Where are sedimentary rocks located in the UK?
Near sources of water
When was the UK in the tropics?
300 million years ago
What did the UK being in the tropics cause?
Carboniferous limestone formed in the warm and shallow seas as sea levels were higher
When did active volcanoes erupt onto the UK?
500 million years ago
What formed the Scottish Highlands and Lake District’s mountain ranges?
Plate collisions generating hard metamorphic rocks
What are characteristics of slate and schist?
Hard and resistant
Easily split
What are the characteristics of granite?
Very hard and resistant
Lots of unevenly spread joints
Impermeable
What are the characteristics of chalk and clay?
Soft
Chalk- permeable
Clay- impermeable
What are characteristics of carboniferous limestone?
Heavily affected by carbonation weathering
Permeable
What is erosion?
The wearing down of rocks as a result of being picked up and moved elsewhere
What are some slope processes?
Mass movement
Soil creep
What is weathering?
The breakdown of rocks where they are
What is meant by climatological processes?
The climate effects how physical processes happen and interact e.g. freeze-thaw weathering at below 0 C
What are the physical landscape processes?
Weathering Erosion Post-glacial processes Slope processes Climatological processes
What are human landscape processes?
Agriculture
Forestry
Settlement
How has agriculture affected the UK’s landscape?
Forests cleared for space
Walls installed for field boundaries
Drainage ditches installed
How has forestry affected the UK’s landscape?
Deciduous woodland replaced by coniferous forests for timber
What biome did the UK use to mainly be?
Deciduous woodland
How has settlement affected the UK’s landscape?
Good water supplies, shelter, bridging points have been built
Drainage patterns have been affected by concrete
Some rivers diverted
What are the types of weathering?
Chemical
Mechanical
Biological
What is biological weathering?
Living organisms breaking down rocks
What is mechanical weathering?
Freeze-thaw weathering
Physical erosion with the chemical composition of rock staying the same
What is chemical weathering?
When the chemical composition of the rock changes due to external factors
What are examples of chemical weathering?
Acid rain
Carbonic dioxide
What is mass movement?
Large movements of soil and rock down a slope or hill
What are examples of mass movement?
Rockfalls
Slumps
Slides
What are rockfalls?
When the cliff materials break and crumble down the cliff
What are slumps?
When material moves down a slope at a curve
What are slides?
When material moves down a slope in a straight line
What causes mass movements?
Weathering
Erosion
Gravity
What are the 2 types of wave?
Constructive
Destructive
What are constructive waves?
Short waves which deposit material onto coastlines
Describe constructive wave’s swash and backwash?
Strong swash
Weak backwash
Describe constructive wave’s frequency?
Low (7-10) per minute
What are destructive waves?
Taller waves which cause erosion on coastlines
Describe destructive wave’s swash and backwash?
Weak swash
Strong backwash
Describe destructive wave’s frequency?
High (10-15) per minute
What is deposition?
Depositing solid material from water onto land
What types of erosion do destructive wave cause?
Hydraulic power
Abrasion
Attrition
What is hydraulic power?
The force of a wave hitting a rock