Comp 2 Topic 4- The UK's Physical Landscape Flashcards
Where are the main upland areas in the UK?
They tend to be in the north and west of the country.
Where are the main lowland areas of the UK?
They tend to be in the south and east of the country.
What are the three types of rock?
Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic
Name rocks weakest to hardest.
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Igneous
How is igneous rock formed?
They are formed when molten rock (magma) from the mantle cools down and hardens, the rock forms crystals as it cools.
E.g. granite
How is sedimentary rock formed?
They are formed when layers of sediment are compacted together until they become solid rock. The two types are carboniferous limestone and clay and shales
How are metamorphic rocks formed?
They are formed when other rocks are changed by heat or pressure, the new rock becomes harder and more compact.
E.g. shale becomes slate then schist
An example of igneous rock.
Granite
Some examples of sedimentary rock
Carboniferous limestone
Chalk
Clays and shales formed from mud and clay minerals
Shales
An example of a metamorphic rock.
Shale becomes slate
What is carboniferous limestone?
They are formed from tiny shells and skeletons of sea creatures
How have active volcanoes shaped the UK’s landscape?
520 million years ago the land that now makes up the UK used to be closer to a plate boundary, active volcanoes forced magma through the earths surface which cooled to form igneous rock.
How have plate collisions shaped the UK’s landscape?
Plate collisions caused the rocks to be folded and uplifted, forming mountain ranges. Many of these areas remain as uplands. E.g. Scottish highlands and the lake district.
The intense pressure and heat from collisions formed hard metamorphic rocks in northern Scotland and northern ireland.
How have plate movements shaped the UK’s landscape?
Plate movements mean that 345-280 million years ago britain was in the tropics. Higher sea levels meant that it was underwater- carboniferous limestone formed in the warm shallow seas. South wales and south west england.
Chalks and clays were formed in shallow seas they are found in lowland areas.
Give 4 characteristics of granite.
Granite is very resistant
forms upland landscapes
It has lots of joints, the parts of the rock with more joints wear down faster. Areas that have fewer joints are weathered more slowly and stick out forming TORS
Granite is impermeable, it creates moorlands
What is a moorland?
Large areas of waterlogged land and acidic soil with low-growing vegetation
Give 4 characteristics of slate and schists
Slate forms in layers forming weak planes in the rock
It is hard and resistant but can be split into slabs easily
Schists has bigger crystals than slate and also splits easily into small flakes
Both are impermeable and form rugged upland landscapes
Give 2 characteristics of carboniferous limestone.
Rainwater slowly eats away at the joints of the limestone through carbonation weathering and forms caverns and gorges
Limestone is also permeable so limestone areas also have dry valleys and resurgent rivers
Give 4 characteristics of chalk and clay.
Chalk is harder than clay
It forms hills in lowland areas and cliffs at the coast, one side is normal steep whilst the other is shallow
Chalk is permeable it flows through it and emerges as a spring when it meets impermeable rock
Clay is soft and erodes easily, it forms wide flat valleys in uk lowlands, it is impermeable so there are lots of rivers, streams and lakes.
How did the massive ice-sheet shape and effect the UK’s landscape?
Ice covered most of england 2.6 million years ago.
It is very powerful so it is able to erode landscapes, carving out large U shaped valleys in upland areas such as the lake district
Glaciers deposited lots of materials as they melted, landscapes formed by glacial meltwater and deposits extend south of the ice sheet. E.G. large parts of east england are covered in till an assortment of sand clay and rocks by melting glaciers
How is the physical process of weathering changing the UK landscape?
Weathering is the breakdown of rock into smaller pieces.
It can be mechanical, chemical or biological
How is the physical process of erosion changing the UK landscape?
Erosion wears away rock, during the last glacial period, ice eroded the landscape. Rivers and seas constantly erode the landscape
How is the physical process of post-glacial river processes changing the UK landscape?
Melting ice at the end of the last glacial period made rivers much bigger with more power to erode the landscape, the ice also left distinctive landforms when it melted. E.g. hanging valleys and u shaped valleys
How is the physical process of slope processes changing the UK landscape?
Including mass movements. E.g. rockfalls, slides, slumps and soil creep
How are physical processes affecting the landscape?
- Weathering alters the landscape
- Erosion wears away rock
- Post-glacial river processes, melting ice at the end of glacial periods made rivers much larger than normal and with more power to erode.
- Slope processes including mass movements
- cold climates have more freeze thaw weathering
- a wet climate increases the amount of streams and rivers
How is the upland landscape of snowdonia being affected by physical processes?
Llyn Idwal is a tarn it sits in a corrie that was hollowed out by ice in glacial times
Freeze thaw weathering occurs on the back wall of the corrie, as the rocks are broken up there are rock falls which creates scree slopes
Large U shaped valley created by ice, contains a river too small to have created the valley
Lots of rain in snowdonia and the rocks are mostly impermeable, it means there are a lot of steams that are eroding the sides of the corrie and forming gullies
How is the lowland landscape of the downs and the weald being affected by physical processes?
The downs are chalk escarpments the weald is a large flat area of clay.
The river Arun meanders on the impermeable clay, widening the valley floor
The UK has a wet climate, heavy rain can lead to flooding, the overflowing river deposits silt on the valley floor forming a flood plain
Dry valleys are valleys with no visible rivers but they flow in the permeable chalk, they formed in glacial periods when the climate was colder, glacial snow meant that streams had more water than today
How have humans changed the landscape through agriculture?
People have cleared forests to make room for crops.
People have grown hedgerows and built walls to mark out fields.
Different landscapes are best for different types of farming:
Arable- Flat land with good soil. E.g. east england
Dairy- warm and wet areas e.g. south west england, large grassy fields
Sheep- harsher conditions in the uplands. Not many trees due to to sheep eating and trampling seedlings
Maps show lines from walls and hedges to drainage ditches
How have humans changed the landscape through forestry?
Forestry is the management of woodland areas, used for timber, recreation or conservation
The uk was covered in deciduous woodland now there isn’t much natural woodland areas left.
Coniferous trees are planted in straight lines for timber, they don’t look natural, when they are chopped down the area is barren and bare
In some places trees are being planted to return it to a natural state
Maps show plantations as areas that are being managed
How have humans changed the landscape through settlement?
In the past settlements where built where there was access to resources
As settlements grew they further influenced the landscape:
Land was concreted- affecting drainage patterns
Some rivers were diverted into underground tunnels
Some rivers were straightened and had embankments built on them
