Geography #1C physical landscapes

Question 1

definition of relief:

Answer 1

height and slope of the land

Question 2

definition of upland:

Answer 2

an area of high land; higher above sea level

Question 3

definition of lowland:

Answer 3

an area of low lying land compared to the surrounding land; not very high above sea level

Question 4

definition of igneous rocks:

Answer 4

formed when molten magma from the earth’s interior cools
eg. basalt, granite

Question 5

definition of metamorphic rocks:

Answer 5

formed when subjected to massive heat / pressure deep within the earth
eg. marble, slate

Question 6

definition of sedimentary rocks:

Answer 6

formed when sediments from the bottom of the sea compress over million of years
eg. sandstone, limestone

Question 7

how are waves created?

Answer 7

by wind blowing over the surface of the sea creating friction and producing a swell in the water
the energy of the wind causes water particles to rotate inside the swell thus moves the wave forward

Question 8

the size and energy of a wave is influenced by:

Answer 8

fetch -the distance the wave travelled
wind speed -amount of time the wave has been blowing
wind strength

Question 9

what 3 things do wave do?

Answer 9

erode, transport, deposit

Question 10

definition of swash and backwash:

Answer 10

swash -waves travelling to the beach
backwash -waves travelling back to the sea

Question 11

definition of wave refraction:

Answer 11

the process where waves change direction as it approches the shore.
The energy of the wave is focused on the headland which erode the headland and deposit the bay, smoothing out the coastline.

Question 12

erosion and the 4 different types:

Answer 12

erosion is the removal of material by waves:
hydraulic action -force of destructive waves hitting the cliff
abrasion -rocks being thrown against the cliff
attrition -rocks grinding together
solution -rocks being dissolved in water

Question 13

2 types of waves and their characteristics:

Answer 13

destructive waves
-found in exposed bays
-stormy weather condition
-stronger backwash
-long wave height
-short wavelength
-high frequency
-strong wind
-erode beaches
constructive waves
-found in sheltered bays
-calm weather condition
-stronger swash
-short wave hight
-long wavelength
-low frequency
weak wind
-deposit material + build up beaches

Question 14

types of transportation:

Answer 14

traction -rolling
saltation -bouncing
suspension -floating
solution -dissolving
longshore drift -along the coastline

Question 15

describe longshore drift:

Answer 15

when waves strike at an angle because of the direction of the prevailing wind;
the swash carries material up the beach and the backwash carries it back down;
this motion repeats itself in a zigzag motion

Question 16

definition of weathering:

Answer 16

the breaking down of rocks by processes in situ (where they are) caused by day to day changes in the atmosphere.

Question 17

3 types of weathering and their process:

Answer 17

mechanical weathering (freeze thaw action) -the disintegration of rocks by physical forces
1 -occurs when water enter rocks with natural weaknesses
2 -water freezes and expands in the crack
3 -ice melts and water goes deeper into the crack, pushing it apart even more
4 -this cycle repeats until the the rock splits

biological weathering -living beings attacking rocks and weaken their structure
1 -plant roots grow in cracks
2 -the roots push the crackes making them wider
3 -the rock splits

chemical weathering
1 -rain water containing carbon dioxide reacts with the calcium carbonate in rocks
2 -this dissolves and wash away in solution, weakening the rock

Question 18

definition of deposition
and the factors of it occuring:

Answer 18

When the sea loses energy and drops the material it had been carrying:
-Waves lose energy
-sheltered areas where constructive waves are dominant
-shallow water to allow swash to deposit
-little to no wind
-engineered structures to trap sediment

Question 19

definition of mass movement:

Answer 19

downslope movement of rock, mud, or soil under the movement of gravity, causing the cliff to retreat.

Question 20

Types of mass movement:

Answer 20

rockfall -fragments of rock fall off the clif face, usually due to freeze-thaw weathering
landslide -large blocks of rock slide downhill
mudflow -saturated soil flows down a slope
rotational slip -saturated soil slides along a concave plane

Question 21

Differences in discordant coastline and concordant coastline:

Answer 21

discordant coastline -bands of different rock types running perpendicular to the coastline
concordant coastline -same type of rock running parallel to the coastline

Question 22

types of erosional features

Answer 22

headlands and bays
wave cut platforms
cave, arch, stack, stump

Question 23

Describe how bay and headland form and their characteristics:

Answer 23

Bay -Formed from soft rocks which erodes quickly; is a crescent shaped indentation, and usually has a beach
Headland -formed from hards rocks which erokdes slower; is a cliff that juts out to the sea

Question 24

Descibe how a wave cut platform forms:

Answer 24

1 -the sea attacks the base of the cliff between the high and low tide level.
2 -continous erosional processes (hydraulic action and abrasion) forms a wave cut norch.
3 -the section above the norch (overhang) becomes unspported and collapses, leading to the retreat of the cliff face.
4 -the backwash carries away the eroded material, leaving a wave cut platform.
5 -the process repeats and the clif continues to retreat.

Question 25

describe how the CASS forms

Answer 25

1 -Cracks are widened in the headland through the erosional processes of hydraulic action and abrasion.
2 -As the waves continue to grind away at the crack, it begins to open up to form a cave.
3 -The cave becomes larger and eventually breaks through the headland to form an arch.
4 -The base of the arch continually becomes wider through further erosion, until its roof becomes too heavy ehich is vulnerable to freeze-thaw weathering and collapses.
5 -This leaves a stack which is undercut at the base until it collapses to form a stump.

Question 26

definition of beach

Answer 26

a landform of coastal deposition formed by constructive waves

Question 27

Differences in sandy and shingle beaches

Answer 27

sandy
-shallow gradient
-constructive waves
-stretches far inland
-sand dunes at the back
shingle
-steep gradient
-destructive waves
-not far inland
-pebbles increase in size towards the back

Question 28

Describe a beach profile:

Answer 28

shows the gradient from the back of beach to sea
-berm crest
-high +low tides
-dunes
-backshore
-foreshore
-nearshore
-offshore

Question 29

definition of sand dunes and the conditions to form

Answer 29

large heaps of sand that form on the back shore of a sandy beach;
-large flat beach
-large sand supply
-large tidal range
-onshore wind
-obstacle

Question 30

sand dune formations

Answer 30

1 -beach at low tide
2 -embryo dune
3 -foredune
4 -yellow dune
5 -dune slack
6 -mature dune

Question 31

Definition of spit and how it’s formed

Answer 31

A sand or shingle beach jutting out to the sea from the land; formed when coastline suddenly change shape or at the estuary mouth
1 -sediment is carried by longshore drift.
2 -when there is a change in the shape of the coastline, deposition occurs to form a spit.
3 -hook end form if there is a change in wind direction
4 -deposited slit form salt marshes.

Question 32

Definition of a bar

Answer 32

when a spit grow across a bay, it can form lagoons behind it

Question 33

dorset coast case study

Answer 33

south of england
many erosional and depositional landforms:
Swanage -headland and bay
Old Harry Rocks - caves, stacks and stumps
Chesil Beach -bar

Question 34

differences between hard and soft engineering:

Answer 34

Hard -manmade structures to manage the coast
Soft -natural + sustainable solutions to manage the coast

Question 35

examples of hard engineering

Answer 35

Sea walls -curved concrete walls that are placed at the foot of a cliff to reflect the waves back
✔effective at protecting the cliff
✔accessible for people to walk along
✘destroy habitats
✘expensive
Rock armour -large boulders placed at the foot of a cliff to absorb wave energy
✔cheaper + easy to maintain
✔can be used for fishing
✘difficult access to beach
✘expensive to import rocks
Groynes- wooden barriers built out at right angles to trap materials
✔relatively cheap + longlasting
✔act as wind breaks
✘need regular maintaince
✘ineffective for storms

Question 36

examples for soft engineering

Answer 36

Beach nourishment -import sand onto an existing beach to build it up
✔preserve natural appearence
✔cheaper
✘needs to be constantly replaced
✘increase erosionn in other areas
Reprofiling -redistribute sediments from the lower part of the beach to the upper part of the beach
✔cheap + simple.
✔reduces the energy of the waves
✘ineffective in the energy is too high
✘needs to be repeated continuously
Dune regeneration -build up dunes and increase vegetation
✔relatively cheap
✔preserve natural appearence
✘ineffective against storms
✘needs to be carefully managed

Question 37

definition of managed retreat

Answer 37

allowing the sea to flood land of low value and create new interital habitats

Question 38

advantages and disadvantages of managed retreat

Answer 38

✔cheaper in the long term
✔conserve the natural environment
✔creates new intertidal habitats
✘require to relocate people
✘expensive in the short term
✘large area of agricultural land lost which impacts habitats