Distinctive Landscapes Flashcards
What give landscapes characteristics
Geology climate and land uses
Give 3 features of an upland landscape
Gradient is steep
Cooler and wetter
Made of harder rocks
Give 3 features of lowland areas
Formed from softer rocks
Flatter
Warmer and drier
What is mechanical weathering
The breakdown of rock without changing chemical composition
What is biological weathering
Breakdown of rock by changing its chemical composition
What is mass movement
The shifting of rocks and loose material down a slope
What does mass movement cause
Coasts to retreat rapidly
What is hydraulic action
Waves crashing against rocks and compress air in the cracks
What is abrasion
Eroded particles in the water scrape against rock walls removing small pieces
What is attrition
Eroded particles smash into each other and break into smaller pieces
What is solution
Dissolved carbon dioxide makes the water slightly acidic dissolving the rocks
What is traction
Large particles are pushed along the river bed by force of water
What is a tribuartry
A smaller river that joins a main river
How are water falls formed
Where a river flows over hard rock followed by softer rock which it then erodes creating a step. The water erodes the step more and more until it creates a steep drop.
What is a plunge pool
Area which a water fall falls into
How are meanders formed
The current is faster on the outside of the bende as it’s deeper so more erosion takes place forming river cliffs.
In a meander how does the water erode
Outside of bend-erosion
Inside of bend-deposition
How is an oxbow lake created
Erosion causes the outside bends to get closer
Until there is only a small bit of land between the bends (neck)
The river breaks through this land from a flood
Deposition eventually cuts of the meander
What is a levee
Natural embankments along the edges of river channels
How are people managing rivers
Planting trees
Reservoirs
Channel management
