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gcse flashcards all subjects > GEOGRAPHY - Erosion, landforms, UK case studies > Flashcards

GEOGRAPHY - Erosion, landforms, UK case studies Flashcards

1
Q

What is meant by tectonics?

A

The study of movement of the outer layer of planet earth (the crust).

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2
Q

Outline the differences between impermeable and permeable rocks?

A

Permeable rocks allow water to pass through due to having joints and cracks. In contrast, impermeable rocks do not allow water to pass through them.

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3
Q

What is topography and relief?

A

The shape of the land - relief can also refer to its physical characteristics.

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4
Q

What does porous mean?

A

A rock that can absorb water like a sponge.

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5
Q

What is meant by a glacier?

A

A slow-moving river of ice that can erode the landscape.

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6
Q

What is meant by the term weathering?

A

The wearing away of rock due to environmental factors including weather and vegetation.

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7
Q

How are igneous rocks formed and what are some of its characteristics?

A

They are formed through crystallization and they are usually hard and dense, they contain a variety of minerals and they range in color.

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8
Q

How are sedimentary rocks formed and what are some of its characteristics?

A

They are formed through the processes of deposition or burial and they often are fossils from remnants of animals, and they often have pores that can hold and store water. They also have different layers within their rock.

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9
Q

How are metamorphic rocks formed and what are some of its characteristics?

A

They are formed through recrystallization in a solid state of new minerals. They can be shiny and usually have a high density but a low porosity.

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10
Q

What is geology?

A

The study of rock type and how they have formed and behaved.

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11
Q

Have a look in the book at a diagram of a glacier learning about accumulation and ablation.

A

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12
Q

What is a fault scarp?

A

Tectonic movement that has lifted granite forming a steep slope.

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13
Q

What are some of the characteristics of an upland landscape?

A

Tall mountains
U-shaped valley
Hard rocks - igneous
Fault scarp
Glacial deposits
Misfit river
Snow on a mountain

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14
Q

What are some of the characteristics of a lowland landscape?

A

Lots of vegetation
Biological weathering
Trees
Relatively flat plains
Scarp
Vale
Dip slope
Covered rock

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15
Q

How have humans affected the UK’s landscape?

A

Agriculture
Forestry
Settlement

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16
Q

What impact has agriculture had on the UK landscape?

A

Boundaries and fences that have fragmented the land
Soil quality has been reduced
Monocultures have reduced biodiversity
Deforestration

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17
Q

What impact has settlement had on the UK landscape?

A

Rivers have been diverted
Floodplains have been drained and built on
Roads have fragmented the landscape
Unnatural features appear such as powerlines, skyscrapers and airports

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18
Q

What impact has forestry had on the UK’s landscape?

A

Trees have been planted and cut down many times over years gone by. Different tree types have also been planted such as conifer trees for timber production rather than deciduous trees.

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19
Q

What are some positive human impacts on the UK environment?

A

The use of local materials
The creation of national parks
Conservation projects

20
Q

What are the four types of erosion?

A

Hydraulic action
Abrasion
Attrition
Solution

21
Q

What happens during hydraulic action?

A

The force of the water on the bed and banks of the river removes material.

22
Q

What happens during abrasion?

A

Materials carried by the river rub against the bed and the banks of the river wearing them away.

23
Q

What happens during attrition?

A

The load that is carried by the river bumps together and wears down into smaller smoother pieces.

24
Q

What happens during solution?

A

Some rock minerals dissolve into river water.

25
Q

What are sub-aerial processes?

A

Processes that have an impact on the land such as weathering and mass movements.

26
Q

What are the three types of weathering?

A

Mechanical
Biological
Chemical

27
Q

What is mechanical weathering?

A

Freeze-thaw - most common in cold climates. When it freezes, water in cracks in the rock expands. Over time the crack widens and pieces of rock fall off. It is most effective when the temperature frequently rises above and falls below 0 degrees.

28
Q

What is chemical weathering?

A

This happens when the rock’s mineral composition is changed. Granite contains feldspar which converts to soft clay minerals as a result of a chemical reaction with water. Limestone can be dissolved by carbonation too.

29
Q

What is biological weathering?

A

This is caused by plants and animals and it’s action speeds up mechanical or chemical weathering. For example, tree roots widen cracks in the rocks.

30
Q

What is mass movement?

A

The downhill movement of material under the influence of gravity. This can depend on:
The material involved
The amount of water in the material
The nature of the movement

31
Q

What are some examples of mass movements?

A

Slumping
Mudslides
Landslides

32
Q

What are the four ways that waves perform transportation of sediment?

A

Traction
Saltation
Suspension
Solution

33
Q

What is traction?

A

Large boulders are rolled along the sea bed by waves.

34
Q

What is saltation?

A

Smaller stones are bounced along the sea bed.

35
Q

What is suspension?

A

Sand and small particles are carried along in the flow.

36
Q

What are the five steps of longshore drift?

A

1.Wave approaches the coast at an angle
2. Swash pushes sand and gravel up the beach at the same angle
3. Backwash carries sand and gravel back down at the beach at 90 degrees to the coastline under the force of gravity
4. Sand and gravel move along the beach in a zigzag fashion
5. Sand is lighter than gravel so moves further up the beach

37
Q

Have a look in the textbook at the diagram of longshore drift on page 45 and learn the movements and arrows of the waves.

A

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38
Q

What are some of the characteristics of a constructive wave?

A

Strong swash
Weak backwash
Long Wave length
Short wave height

39
Q

What are some of the characteristics of a destructive wave?

A

Strong backwash
Weak swash
Short wave length
Large wave height

40
Q

What is a spit?

A

Narrow projections of sand or shingle that are attached to the land at one end. They extend across a bay or an estuary or where the coastline changes direction. They are formed by longshore drift.

41
Q

What is a bar?

A

Bars form in the way as spits, with longshore drift depositing material away from the coast until a long ridge is built up. Bars grow across bays cutting off the water to form a lagoon.

42
Q

What is the order of hard rock coastal landforms being formed?

A

Crack - cave - arch - stack - stump

43
Q

Have a look in the textbook on page 42 at the diagrams and learn the different landscape formations.

A

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44
Q

What are some examples of spits, bars, lagoons, stacks and stumps, arches and caves? Upland areas too and lowland vales or scarp.

A

Spit - Hurst spit, Hampshire
Bars - Slapton sands, Devon
Lagoons - Loc of Stenness, Orkney
Stacks and stumps - Marsden rocks, Tyne and Wear
Upland areas - Lake district
Lowland areas - The Fens

45
Q

How can we manage our coastlines and their coastal processes?

A

Hard engineering:
Sea walls
Groynes
Soft engineering:
Beach replenishment
Slope stabilization

46
Q

Have a look in the textbook at page 54 looking at river systems.

A

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47
Q

Where are headlands and bays formed?

A

On discordant coastlines - softer rock is eroded quickly away forming bays and harder rocks are eroded much more slowly forming headlands. However, once the bay is formed, the headland is exposed to more erosion.

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