4. UK Evolving Physical Landscape: Physical Rock & Landscape Processes Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the 3 types of Rock?

A

Igneous

Sedimentary

Metamorphic

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2
Q

What is Igneous Rock?

A

Molten Rock - cools down and hardens
Rock forms crystals - Hard e.g. granite

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3
Q

What is Sedimentary Rock?

A

Sediment compacted together - solid rock
2 types:

Carboniferous limestone and Chalk - tiny shells and skeletons of sea creatures - Limestone hard but chalk softer

Clays and Shales - mud and clay minerals, very soft

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4
Q

What is Metamorphic Rock?

A

Formed by other rocks or older metamorphic rocks changed by heat and pressure - become harder and compact eg shale becomes slate -> more pressure becomes shist

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5
Q

Rock type influences landscape - what also influences landscape?

A

Active volcanos - 520 million years ago the Uk land now used to be much closer to a plate boundary - Active volcanos forced magma through repartee crust - cooled into igneous rock e.g. granite

Plate collisions - caused rocks to be folded and uplifted - forms mountain ranges - mostly remain as upland areas - igneous granite is hard and more resistant to erosion -
Intense heat and pressure forms hard metamorphic rocks

Plate movements - 345 - 280 million years ago Britain was in tropics and partly underwater as higher sea levels. Carboniferous limestone formed in warm shallow seas - can be seen in uplands of Peak District - youngest rocks in UK are chalks and clays - found in shallow seas and swamps - softer rocks so more easily eroded - form lowland landscapes

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6
Q

Rock types create different landscapes - what are characteristics of different Rock types?

A

Granite - very resistant - forms upland landscapes - lots of joints which aren’t evenly spread - areas with fewer joints - weathered slower and stick out at the surface forming tors

Slate and schist - slate forms in layers creating weak planes in the rock. Hard and resistant to weathering - easily split into thin slabs. Schist has bigger crystals than slates and splits easily into small flakes. Both form rugged, upland landscapes - impermeable which leads to waterlogged and acidic soils

Carboniferous Limestone - rainwater slowly east away at Limestone through carbonation weathering - most weathering happens along joints creating limestone pavements, gorges and caverns. Limestone is permeable - dry valleys and resurgent rivers

Chalk and clay - Chalk is harder then clay - forms enscarpments in UK lowlands and cliffs - one side of hill usually steep, other is more gentle - chalk is permeable - water flows through and emerges as a spring where it meets impermeable rock - clay is very soft - easily eroded - forms wide flat valleys in UK lowlands - impermeable so water flows over surface - lots of streams, lakes and rivers

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7
Q

What used to cover most of the UK? Explain..

A

Ice :

Last 2.6 million years - lots of glacial periods - pasts of these periods the UK was covered in massive ice sheets
Ice - powerful - able to erode the landscape - U shaped valleys
Glaciers deposited lots of materials as they melted - landscapes formed by glacial meltwater and deposits extend south of the ice sheets e.g. large parts of eastern England covered in till

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8
Q

Explain what Physical processes alter the landscape?

A

Physical processes are constantly changing the UK landscape

Weathering - process of breaking down rocks - biological, mechanical or chemical

Erosion - wearing away rocks - glacial period - ice eroded landscape - rivers the the sea are constantly eroding the landscape

Post glacial river processes - melting ice at end of glacial period - rivers get bigger - more power to erode - ice leaves distinctive landforms when melted

Slope processes - mass movements e.g. rockfalls, slides, slumps and soil creep

Physical processes are affected by climate - cold climate leads to freeze thaw weathering whereas wet climate increases number of rivers and stream

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9
Q

Explain how Physical processes interact to create Distinctive Upland landscapes?

A

Snowdonia - an upland landscape - rocky crags

Llyn Idwal - tarn - sit-in in Corrie which was hollowed out by ice during glacial times

Freeze thaw weathering - occurs on steep back wall of Corrie - rocks are broken up - rock falls - form scree slopes

U shaped valley - eroded by ice - flag floor and steep sides - valley contains misfit river

Lots of rain in snowdonia- rocks are mainly impermeable - lots of streams eroding steep sides of Corrie - forming gullies

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10
Q

Explain how Physical processes interact to create Distinctive Lowland landscapes?

A

The downs and Weald are lowland landscape - chalk enscarpments - either side of a large flat area of clay - valley is flat

Large rivers - meander on the impermeable clay, widening the valley floor

UK has a wet climate- heavy rain - flooding - overflowing river deposits silt on the valley floor - flood plain

Dry valleys - found in UK lowland landscapes - valleys with no stream visible - (flow underground in the permeable chalk) - formed glacial periods when colder climate lead to more freeze thaw weathering and glacial snow melt - meant streams had much more water in them compared to today

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11
Q

What are the 3 main Human processes that have changed the landscape?

A

Agriculture

Forestery

Settlement

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12
Q

How has Agriculture changed the landscape?

A

People have cleared the forest for farming space - overtime hedgerows and walls have been put in to mark out fields

Different landscapes Better for different types of farming -
Arable - flat land - good soil - grow crops

Dairy - warm and wet areas - dairy farming - large, grassy fields

Sheep - harsher conditions - upland - steep slopes - cold weather - lack of trees

OS maps show influence of agriculture - field boundaries and drainage ditches

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13
Q

How has Forestery changed the landscape?

A

Forestry - management of area of woodland - used for timber, recreation or conservation UK used to be covered in deciduous woodland - very little natural woodland left. Coniferous forests - planted for timber - trees often planted in straight lines - areas are felled therefore landscape is left bare - deciduous trees replanted in areas
OS maps show forestry plantations and areas that are being managed

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14
Q

How has Settlement changed the landscape?

A

Lots of factors influence where settlements have developed- early settlers needed water supply
Factors like bridging points over rivers and availability of resources
Settlements grew and influence landscape - land was concreted fir roads and buildings - affects drainage patterns - rivers diverted through underground channels - some river channels were straightened or had embankments to stop flooding - big cities - ports - industrial areas
Buildings railways canals and embankments - settlement on OS maps

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