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Distinctive landscapes Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a landscape?

A

all of the visible features of an area of land. It can contain both natural features and man-made features.

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2
Q

What is relief?

A

the way the landscape changes in height

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3
Q

4 points

What are some characteristics of built landscapes?

A
  • Urbanisation (e.g. skyscrapers)
  • Deforestation
  • Aforestation (repeating trees)
  • Man made rivers
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4
Q

What are some characteristics of natural landscapes?

A
  • Glaciers have had a major impact on the landscape, they have carved out the straight ribbon lakes and made the mountains steep-sided
  • Tectonic forces created the mountains
  • Sedimentary rock (deposited over hundreds of years)
  • River carving out meanders, caused by lateral erosion
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5
Q

Granite is a (…) rock, whereas chalk is a (…) rock

A

hard - so eroded slowly

soft - so eroded easier/quicker

(limestone ranges from very hard to soft)

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6
Q

What is glaciation?

A

The build up of ice on the land during colder periods in time.

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7
Q

Where are the upland areas in the UK?

A

They are mostly found in the north and west of the UK.

Wales also upland

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8
Q

Where are the lowland areas in the UK?

A

They are mostly found in the south and east of the UK

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9
Q

Where are the glaciated landscapes in the UK?

A

They are mostly found in upland areas in the north-west of the UK.

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10
Q

Describe the geology of upland areas in the UK

A
  • They are generally formed of harder rocks which resist erosion, e.g. slate, granite and some limestones.
  • Many are glaciated landscapes e.g. Snowdonia
  • The gradient of the land is often steep
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11
Q

Describe the climate of upland areas in the UK

A
  • The climate tends to be cooler and wetter.
  • The harsh climate and thin soils allow rough vegetation to thrive, and some upland areas are used for forestry
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12
Q

Describe the human activity in upland areas in the UK

A
  • sheep farming
  • quarrying
  • tourism
  • forestry
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13
Q

Describe the geology of lowland areas in the UK

A
  • They are generally formed from softer rocks, e.g. chalk, clay and some sandstones.
  • The landscape is flatter with gently rolling hills
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14
Q

Describe the climate of lowland areas in the UK

A
  • The climate tends to be warmer and drier
  • Vegetation grows easily in the more fertile soils and includes grassy meadows and deciduous forests
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15
Q

Describe the human activity in lowland areas in the UK

A
  • quarrying
  • tourism
  • dairy farming
  • arable farming (growing crops)
  • most urban areas/towns and industries (e.g. factories) are located here
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16
Q

Describe the geology of glaciated areas in the UK

A

indigenous rock (granite)

Powerful ice carved out:

  • steep, high mountain peaks
  • steep slide slopes
  • valleys with ribbon lakes

deposited lots of material as it melted

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17
Q

Describe the climate of glaciated areas in the UK (mention plants as well)

A
  • Colder and wetter
  • Shrubs and grassland in lowland areas
  • moss and lichen in highland areas
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18
Q

Describe the human activity in glaciated areas in the UK

A
  • hill farming
  • hiking
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19
Q

on top of hard or soft

What type of rock is granite? What type is chalk?

A

Granite - (hard) indigenous rock - formed by lava cooling (older)

Chalk - (soft) sedimentary rock - formed by layers of sediment being compressed together over centuries (younger)

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20
Q

What are the 5 geomorphic processes?

A
  • Weathering
  • Mass movement
  • Erosion
  • Transport
  • Deposition
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21
Q

What are geomorphic processes?

A

The ways in which the land is shaped

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22
Q

What is weathering?

A

The breakdown of rock in situ (in its original place)

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23
Q

What is mechanical weathering?

A

The breakdown of rock (in situ) without changing its chemical composition

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24
Q

Describe the processes of freeze-thaw (mechanical weathering)

A
  1. Water enters cracks in rocks.
  2. Freezes, expands, putting pressure on the rock
  3. The ice melts and the process repeats
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25
Q

What is chemical weathering?

A

The breakdown of rock (in situ) by changing its chemical composition

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26
Q

Describe the processes of chemical weathering

A

Rainwater reacts with minerals in the rock causing the rock to be broken down

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27
Q

What is biological weathering?

A

The breakdown of rock by living organisms

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28
Q

Describe the processes of biological weathering

A

Plant growth leads to roots expanding in size, putting pressure on the rocks, leading to breakdown of the rock

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29
Q

What is mass movement?

A

A large-scale downward movement of rocks and material

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30
Q

When does mass movement occur?

A

when the force of gravity acting on a slope is greater than the force supporting it

it causes coasts to retreat rapidly

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31
Q

When is mass movement more likely to occur?

A

They’re more likely to happen when the material is full of water - it acts as a lubricant and makes the material heavier

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32
Q

What are the two types of mass movement?

A

Slides - material shifts in a straight line

Slumps - material shifts with a rotation

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33
Q

What factors can trigger mass movement?

A
  • Rainfall
  • weathering
  • erosion
  • human activity
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34
Q

What is erosion?

A

The wearing away of land

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35
Q

What are the 4 types of erosion?

A
  • hydraulic action
  • abrasion
  • attrition
  • solution
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36
Q

Describe hydraulic action

A

Waves crash against rock and compress the air in the cracks. This puts pressure on the rock. Repeated compression widens the cracks and makes bits of rock break off

In rivers, the force of the water breaks rock particles away from the river channel.

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37
Q

Describe abrasion

A

Waves pick up rocks from the seabed and smash them against cliffs, wearing it away gradually

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38
Q

Most erosion happens by (…)

A

abrasion

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39
Q

Describe attrition

A

Pebbles picked up by the waves, bash into each other, wearing down into smaller, rounded pebbles

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40
Q

Describe solution (erosion)

A

Rocks like limestone slowly dissolve in water

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41
Q

The greater the energy, the (…) the erosion

A

faster/more powerful

and so greater the size/power of the wave

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42
Q

Describe how rock different rock types will be affected by erosion?

A

Hard rock (e.g. granite) is resistant to erosion and may only experience significant erosion during times of glaciation - this is because ice has more erosive power

Soft rocks (e.g. chalk, limestone) are more easily eroded

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43
Q

What is transportation?

A

Movement of material in the sea or rivers

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44
Q

What are the four processes of transportation?

A
  • traction
  • saltation
  • suspension
  • solution
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45
Q

Describe traction

A

Large particles like boulders are pushed along the river bed or sea floor by the force of the water

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46
Q

Describe saltation?

A

Pebble sized particles are bounced along the river bed or sea bed by the force of the water

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47
Q

Describe suspension

A

Small particles like silt and clay are carried along by the water

48
Q

Describe solution (transportation)

A

Soluble materials dissolve in the water and are carried along

49
Q

2 needed

If a river speeds up, what processes of transportation will increase

A

large material can be carried by saltation and traction

50
Q

What may the solution (transportation) be dependent on?

A

he type of rock over which the river flows - e.g. less solution over granite than say limestone/chalk

51
Q

What is deposition?

A

Material dropped by the sea or a river when it loses energy

52
Q

Where and when will deposition occur at the coast?

A

where - at bays, beaches, etc (i.e. sheltered low energy areas of coast)

when - during periods of small waves

53
Q

Where and when will deposition occur in a river?

A

Where - the inside of a meander and in lower course (as have less energy there)

When - during periods of low flow

54
Q

Name 7 coastal landforms?

A
  • headlands
  • bays
  • cave
  • arch
  • stack
  • beach
  • spit
55
Q

Label a coast

A
56
Q

How are coastal landforms (cliff, cave, arch, stack and stump) formed at a headland?

A
  1. A fault in the rock is widened to form a crack in the rock
  2. Hydraulic action and abrasion (+ solution if a chalk/limestone cliff) widen the crack to form a cave
  3. Erosion continues and the cave gets so big it erodes through the headland to make an arch
  4. The arch widens until it can no longer support the roof of the arch. The roof is also weakened by weathering from above.
  5. When an arch collapses, a stack is left
  6. The stack will be eroded at its base by waves - a wave-cut notch will form and the stack will eventually topple over leaving a stump

Note that this is all caused by erosion

57
Q

The processes of longshore drift form a beach due to the geomorphic processes of (…) and (…)

A

transportation

deposition

58
Q

4 processes

How is a beach formed via longshore drift?

A
  1. Prevailing wind direction approaches coast at angle
  2. Swash moves sediment up the beach at an angle
  3. Backwash movies sediment back down the beach due to gravity
  4. Process repeats moving sand along the coast
59
Q

What are spits?

A

Spits are beaches that stick out into the sea - they’re joined to the coast at one end. Spits form at sharp bends in the coastline, e.g. at a river mouth

60
Q

How are spits formed?

A
  • Spits form where there is a sharp change in the direction of the coastline e.g. at a river estuary.
  • Longshore drift transports material along the coastline and past the bend. Then deposits it in the sea as the wave’s loose energy in the deeper water.
  • This process repeats and the spit gets bigger over time.
  • Changes in the direction of the wind can cause the spit to become curved at the end (a hook).
  • The spit won’t grow across the whole river estuary due to the river current flowing out into the sea.
  • Behind the spit a saltmarsh is created as the area is protected from the waves and plants start to grow there.
61
Q

State the 7 river landforms

A
  • waterfall
  • gorge
  • v-shaped valley
  • floodplain
  • levee
  • meander
  • ox-bow lake
62
Q

What is a river basin?

A

An area of land surrounding a river, where any rain falling on the land eventually makes its way into the river.

63
Q

How does the erosion change from the source to mouth of a river?

A

Erosion changes from vertical erosion (downwards) to lateral erosion (side to side)

64
Q

How does the size and shape of the river valley change form the source to mouth?

A

The valley changes from being narrow and steep sided to being wide and flat

65
Q

How does the size and shape of the bedload change form the source to mouth?

A

The bedload changes to become smaller and smoothe

66
Q

How does the type of energy stored in the river change from the source to mouth?

A

GPE - upper course

Kinetic energy - lower course

mixture in middle

67
Q

How are waterfalls and gorges (both found in upper course) formed?

A
  1. River flows over hard + soft rock in the upper course
  2. Soft rock erodes at a faster rate. Abrasion + hydraulic action wear the rock down. Vertical erosion dominant
  3. Plunge pool begins to form; back wall is steepened
  4. Large overhang forms where the rock has been undercut; overhang collapses
  5. This process continues and the waterfall retreats upstream
  6. A steep-sided valley is left where the waterfall once was
68
Q

How are v-shaped valleys (found in upper course) formed?

A
  • Rivers erode vertically in the upper course of the river
  • The processes of hydraulic action and abrasion help the river cut down into the landscape.
  • The valley sides are exposed to freeze-thaw weathering and falling rocks steepen the valley sides.
  • The steep slopes and high rainfall lead to mass movement on the valley sides, further steepening them
69
Q

How are meanders (bends in the river) formed?

A
  • The faster water travels around the outside of the bend, eroding the banks through abrasion and hydraulic action.
  • This creates a steep river cliff.
  • On the inside of the bend the velocity is much slower and consequently, deposition fo sand and shingle occurs creating a slip-off slope
70
Q

How are ox-bow lakes formed?

A
  1. River breaks through the narrow neck of a meander during a storm event.
  2. So river flows in path of least resistance, cutting off the other path and forming an ox-bow lake
71
Q

What is a floodplain?

A

The floodplain is a wide, flat area of land either side of the river in its lower course. It is covered with water during times of flood

72
Q

What causes the formation of floodplains?

A
  1. Lateral erosion and the formation of meanders have caused the floodplain to get wider
  2. Interlocking spurs have been eroded away
  3. When a river floods onto the floodplain the water becomes shallow and the river’s velocity decreases leading to deposition.
  4. River returns to normal level

interlocking spurs are when the valleys cross over (google it if confused)

73
Q

What are levees?

A

Natural embankments (raised structure) along the edges of a river channel

found at floodplains

74
Q

How is a levee formed?

A

They are formed when the river deposits material as it floods:

  1. During a flood the river will deposit its heaviest material first (i.e. closest to the banks).
  2. Over the years, material builds up to create a levee.
  3. The floodplain also gets built up with the fine sediment to create alluvium (fine silt) which makes the floodplain very fertile.
75
Q

Why might have the south and east of England lacked glaciated landscapes?

A

The South And East of England was warmer and did not receive as much rain

76
Q

Where is the Jurassic Coast?

A

The south coast of England

It is called the jurassic coast because fossils of ancient dinosaurs have been found in the area, so the rock was created in the jurassic era.

77
Q

What type of landform is Dudle Dor?

A

headland with an arch

78
Q

Describe the landform of Dudle Dor (What is it made of? Geology? Shape?)

A

Promontory (bit that sticks out) of hard limestone extending from the coast with a pronounced arch

for an exam question, list the type of landform and geomorphic processes involved in the creation as well

79
Q

3 needed

What geomorphic processes created Dudle Dor?

A

Weathering (weakening of headland)

Erosion (widening cracks and caves to make the arch)

Transportation and deposition - to form the sandy beach

80
Q

What are constructive waves?

A

Waves that have a low frequency

81
Q

What are destructive waves?

A

Waves that have a high frequency

82
Q

Describe the difference between constructive and destructive waves

A

Destructive waves have a stronger backwash

So they transport sediment away from the beach, constructive waves deposit sediment onto the beach

83
Q

What type of landform is Lulworth Cove?

A

Bay

84
Q

Describe the landform of Lulworth Cove

A

Horseshoe shaped bay with two prominent headlands

Parallel layers of hard and soft rock

85
Q

What geomorphic processes created Lulworth Cove?

A
  • Weathering (weakening of the cliff)
  • Erosion (waves have broken through the band of more resistant rock)
  • Deposition (the waves lose energy when entering the bay and deposit sediment)
  • Mass movement - played a role in cliff collapse
86
Q

What type of landform is Chesil beach?

A

Barrier Beach

87
Q

Describe the landform of Chesil Beach?

A

A long stretch of sand and shingle (big bits of sediment e.g. pebbles) extending along the coast and out towards an island

88
Q

Describe the geomorphic processes that formed Chesil Beach

A
  • Transportation of the sediment by longshore drift has allowed the beach to extend out from the coast.
  • Deposition of sand has built the beach up
89
Q

What are the three types of climate that have affected the geomorphic processes at Jurassic Coast?

A
  • Temperature
  • Wind
  • Rainfall
90
Q

How has temperature affected the geomorphic processes at the Jurassic Coast?

A
  • The Dorset Coast has warm, dry summers (around 21C in July) and mild and wet winters
  • Salt weathering is the dominant form of mechanical weathering, particularly in summer.
  • The warm temperature cause sea water to evaporate from rocks quickly, leaving a build-up of salt crystals in tiny cracks in the rock.
  • The mild winters mean that freeze-thaw weathering is less common because it’s usually not cold enough for ice to form.

don’t need all points - like other cards

91
Q

How has rainfall affected the geomorphic processes at the Jurassic Coast?

A
  • The Dorset Coast receives relatively low amounts of rainfall annually, but can experience very wet winters, with rainfall heaviest during storm periods.
  • Soils and rocks become heavier when they’re saturated, which can make them more prone to mass movement.
  • In January 2016, intense rainfall combined with high-energy waves during Storm Frank to cause the collapsing of cliffs
92
Q

How has wind affected the geomorphic processes at the Jurassic Coast?

A
  • The Dorset Coast’s location means that it’s exposed to prevailing winds from the south-west.
  • These prevailing winds can bring storms to the UK from the Atlantic Ocean. Storms bring high energy, destructive waves which increase erosion of the cliffs.
  • Hydraulic action and abrasion both increase during a storm and erode the base of the cliffs. This makes the cliffs unstable, making mass movement more likely to happen.
93
Q

How has geology affected the geomorphic processes at the Jurassic Coast?

A
  • The coastline is made from bands of hard and soft rock. These rocks have been eroded at different rates, which has created the area’s coastal landforms, e.g. at Lulworth Cove.
  • Soft rock like sandstone and clay are easily eroded by hydraulic action and abrasion.
  • The harder chalk and limestone cliffs are weathered and eroded more slowly, meaning that they stick out into the sea as exposed headlands. Chalk and limestone are vulnerable to erosion by solution, where the sea water (contains acid) chemically reacts with the rock, causing it to dissolve.
  • Weathering tends to happen gradually and cause small changes. Erosion can happen more suddenly on a much larger scale. A single storm can cause large amounts of erosion along a big stretch of the coast.
94
Q

What is hard and what is soft engineering?

A

Hard: Works against natural processes, such as erosion, to protect the coastline - more expensive, needs more maintenance

Soft: Works with nature to protect the coastline - less expensive

95
Q

Identify 6 SMPs (Shoreline Management Plans) and identify whether they are hard or soft engineering

A
  • Rock Armour (H)
  • Groynes (H)
  • Sea Wall (H)
  • Beach Nourishment (S)
  • Offshore Reef (H)
  • Managed Retreat (S)
96
Q

Describe how rock armour works and some of its features

A

Acts as a physical barrier to the waves

  • makes access to beach hard
  • Often used in conjunction with groynes
  • Suitable where space is constricted
97
Q

Describe how groynes work and some of their features

A

Groynes work by trapping sediments that is being moved along the coastline between barriers

  • Often used in conjunction with other techniques e.g. rock armour
  • Build up beach
  • Cheap
  • Needs repairing and maintenance constantly
  • Ineffective in storms
98
Q

Describe how sea walls work and some of their features

A

Physical barrier to sea, used most successfully when used in conjunction with other SMPs as a ‘last line of defence’

  • Very effective
  • But expensive
99
Q

Describe how beach nourishment works and some of its features

A

Replenishes the beach with sand to act as a barrier against the waves reducing erosion as waves lose energy more quickly

  • Creates beach due to deposition
  • All of sediment can be transported away within weeks
  • Relatively cheap
  • Most effective when used with groynes
100
Q

Describe how offshore reefs work and some of their features

A

Physical barrier to sea: Concrete rocks and boulders are positioned offshore, forcing waves to break before they reach the coast

  • Very expensive
  • Not reliable
101
Q

Describe how managed retreat works and some of its features

A

Allows coast to flood or erode naturally

  • Only suitable when coastal land is considered to be low value
  • No direct cost
102
Q

4 points

How have human activities worked in combination with geomorphic processes to impact the landscape of the Jurassic Coast?

A
  • Managed retreat (Chesil beach - natural beach) - erodes naturally
  • Beach nourishment (Lulworth cove) - increases transportation
  • Sea wall and rock armour (Dawlish - railway to London) - reduces terosion of cliff
  • Building on cliff tops as this makes mass movement more likely.
103
Q

What does the Thames River Basin look like?

A
104
Q

How did geomorphic processes lead to the Thames River Basin’s formation?

A
  • The river Thames has many meanders along its course from the Cotswold hills to the North Sea.
  • Although the river has a gentle gradient and lacks energy for vertical erosion, it has enough energy for lateral erosion and so forms meanders.
  • Water flows faster around the outskirts of the bends, eroding the bank to form a river cliff.
  • The water flows slower around the inside of the bend, depositing its load to form a slip-off slope.
  • This slowly changes the course of the river, widening the meanders.
105
Q

4 needed with explanation

Which factors increase the risk of flooding?

A

Impermeable rock (seen in urban areas) - water gets to river channel quickly by surface run off as it is not absorbed

Soil saturated after weeks/months of rain - water can no longer be absorbed by the soil - it travels straight to the river channel

Frozen ground - water cannot be absorbed and travel directly to the river channel

Intense rainfall (e.g. in thunderstorms) - water level builds up quicker than it can drain away

106
Q

5 needed

What human activities increase the risk of flooding?

A
  • Urbanisation - impermeable surfaces allows water to get to river channel quickly by surface run off as it is not absorbed
  • Use of drainage systems - rainfall flows in here and too river
  • Deforestation - reduces interception
  • Farming practices - some methods of farming increase the amount of water reaching rivers (e.g. cattle farming)
  • River straightening - increases flood risk downstream
107
Q

What are two schemes to reduce flooding in the Thames River Basin? Are they hard or soft engineering?

A
  • Thames Barrier (hard)
  • Barking Riverside (soft)
108
Q

How does the Thames River Barrier work?

A

When high tides are forecast the gates on the barrier are raised to prevent tidal water from reaching London.

109
Q

What is the advantage of the Thames Barrier?

A

Large scale flood defence which has been effective in prevent serious flooding in London since it was built - the potential for loss of life in the densely populated central London due to flooding would be devastating

110
Q

What is the disadvantage of the Thames Barrier?

A

It is very expensive and there will need to be a higher barrier to cope with predicted sea level rise.

111
Q

How does Barking Riverside work?

A
  • Water will be allowed to spread naturally to fill local creeks and cover the floodplain.
  • Green corridors (vegetation in urban areas in corridors) will exist and these are designed to contain water as they intercept rainfall.
  • Trees and parkland will help slow the rate of infiltration and increase water absorption.
  • Residential areas are on raised land to protect them

don’t need to know all these - of course

112
Q

What are the advantages of Barking Riverside?

A
  • In harmony with the existing environment.
  • Alleviates a housing shortage
  • Relatively cheap as it is incorporated into an existing project
113
Q

What is the disadvantage of Barking Riverside?

A

Flooding will still pose a threat and damage could still be caused in the event of a major flood.

114
Q

4 points

How has geology affected the geomorphic processes at the Thames River Basin?

A
  • The geology of the Thames Basin is largely clay deposits and some areas of chalk:
  • Clay is impermeable and this contributes to periods of flooding. Erosion takes place during storm events, clay makes flooding events more likely to take place and this causes a greater rate of erosion at these times
  • Clay is a very soft rock and the Thames basin does not have any areas of granite or very resistant rock. It has a lowland geology. Therefore, the source is relatively low (108m) and this means that there is very little vertical erosion and consequently the landforms found are lowland features: meanders, oxbow lakes etc
  • There is chalk (soft) in the Thames Basin, this is prone to chemical weathering.

if stuck on these, list facts about geology/climate in the area and link to the 5 geomorphic processes

115
Q

3 points

How has climate affected the geomorphic processes at the Thames River Basin?

A
  • The climate of the Thames Basin is relatively dry compared to other areas of the uk. This means that river flow is usually steady. Combined with the shallow gradient of the river this encourages deposition and depositional features (e.g floodplains and levees).
  • However, the Thames Basin is also prone to periods of wet weather as the climate is quite variable. Wet weather combined with impermeable clay geology can lead to flooding events which makes erosion more dominant and can lead to mass movement.
  • The temperature goes above and below zero degrees allowing freeze thaw weathering to take place - there is chalk in the Thames Basin, this is prone to chemical weathering.

Geography (8 decks)

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