EQ1: Why Does The Physical Landscape Of The Uk Vary From Palce To Place Flashcards
What are the two land areas of the uk
Upland and lowland
Name three rock types that can be found in the uk
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
How are igneous rocks formed
Formed from magma, they were once molten them they cooled and crystallised.
How is sedimentary rock formed
Formed from sediments eroded and deposited by rivers / sea. Some are resistant (limestone) and some crumble easily (shale)
How is metamorphic rock formed
Sedimentary rock is formed when rock which has been heated and compressed during igneous activity cools.
What happens in tectonic processes
Over 300 million years ago tectonic processes affected rocks in the pennines
The plat on which the uk sots on shifted away from the tropics
Convection currents beneath the plate uplift rocks becoming land
During uplift some rock snapped and moved along fault causing earthquakes.
What are the three past processes that affected the UK’S upland landscape.
Tectonic process
Geology
Glaciation
What happens in Geology
As skeletons fell to the sea floor, they formed horizontal layers (strata). As skeletons fell they crushed those beneath, eventually squeezing out water and compacting them into rock.
After the rock builds up, it eventually rises into land.
What happens in Glaciation
Altering river valleys, making them deeper and
Widening them into u-shaped troughs (like valleys)
Location of igneous rock in the uk
In the uplands mainly in the north of England
Locations of sedimentary rock in the uk
Metamorphic rock can also be found in the north/uplands of England, (in the highlands)
How did glacial deposition shape the uk lowlands and uplands
Uplands:
Glacial deposition caused erosion and resulted in lakes, u shaped valleys and also rise in sea level.
Lowlands:
Ice age glaciers can cause many dry valleys and many soil creeps if the land is on a slope
Explain how scarp and vale topography forms in the uk lowlands.
Anticline from when sediment is forced up to form an arches dome. The top layer is chalk, then clay them lower greensand. Chalk is eroded by glacial melting causing porous chalk to erode leaving the vale at the bottom of the valley and escarpments at the sides. The chalk erodes fastest leaving exposed greensand and clay whch is then eroded by further melt water. Dip slopes are formed as the dme shaped created by uplift remains as the scarp.
Compare the different types of weathering found in uk lowlands and uplands
Uplands:
Scree (rough rock fragments) are created by freeze thraw weathering.
Lowlands:
Biological weathering makes cracks in rocks bigger until they chip off and also chemical weathering makes rocks dissolve because of acidic rain.
Compare the rock movements in uplands and lowlands
Uplands:
Rapid slope processes affect valley sides, scree fragments are unstable and move easily during rockfalls. Rain also adds weight onto the weathered rock so it slides more easily.
Lowlands:
Soils such as sandstone and clay can absorb large amounts of moisture and become saturated they can move down the slope. (Slowest of all mass movements)
