Limestone

Question 1

What is limestone?

Answer 1

Sedimentary rock (formed from pieces of rock, usually formed in water)

Question 2

What is limestone made of?

Answer 2

• Calcium carbonate

- CaCO3

Question 3

What is freeze-thaw weathering?

Answer 3

• Causes rocks to break. Involves water getting into gaps in the rock.
• Freezes when tempreture drops, expanding causing rock to break

Question 4

What is chemical weathering?

Answer 4

Weathering caused by chemicals in the air and rainwater

Question 5

What is acid rains effect on limestone?

Answer 5

• When acid rain falls on limestone a chemical reaction takes place
• Stone changes into CO2, H2O and Ca salt

Question 6

Where was limestone laid down?

Answer 6

In layers on the sea bed

Question 7

What are the junctions between the layers called?

Answer 7

Bedding planes

Question 8

What are the weaknesses in the layers called?

Answer 8

Joints

Question 9

What does permeable mean?

Answer 9

Water can pass through the rock

Question 10

Where does the acid rain dissolve the limestone?

Answer 10

Where it is weak, along the joints

Question 11

Another name for a limestone pavement?

Answer 11

Karst landscape

Question 12

What is a clint?

Answer 12

Top, flat pieces of the limestone

Question 13

What is a grike?

Answer 13

Joints or cracks between clints / scar

Question 14

How are stalactites, stalagmites and pillars formed?

Answer 14

• Water drips from roof of caverns and evaporates. Solid calcium carbonate is deposited on cavern roof
• Build-up over time forming long, thin stalactites which grow downwards
• Some drops of water splash on cavern floor
• splash spreads depositing CaCO3, which builds up stalagmites
• When a stalactite and stalagmite meets it creates a pillar

Question 15

How is intermittent drainage formed?

Answer 15

• When stream disappears through permeable limestone, travels underground through complex series of caves
• Works its way down to level of impermeable rock
• Stream flows until it reaches surface as a spring

Question 16

How is a swallow hole formed?

Answer 16

• A stream travelling over an impermeable rock will quickly when it has to travel over limestone
• These swallow holes can be many meters deep leading down to a series of underground features

Question 17

How is a gorge formed?

Answer 17

• Near vertical rock cliffs along the sides of valleys

- Formed by caves collapsing

Question 18

How are caverns formed?

Answer 18

Some of the underground limestone dissolves quicker than rock around it

Question 19

Explain farming land use

Answer 19

Hill sheep farming

• cold and growing season is short
• little water near surface
• unsuitable for crops

Question 20

Explain tourism land use

Answer 20

Attracted to interesting & unusual scenery, hill walking

• brings over £320m
• brings over 8k jobs

Question 21

Explain quarrying land use

Answer 21

Limestone, gritstone

• limestone: steelworks, chemical, cement industries
• gritstone: cement works

Question 22

Explain military land use

Answer 22

Upland areas

• suitable training areas
• doesn’t take farmland
• fewer people around

Question 23

Explain conflict of land use between: quarrying vs locals

Answer 23

• Traffic congestion and narrow roads
• closed quarries can be dangerous
  : restriction of trucks moving at certain times of day
  : promote rain transport
  : covering lorries to reduce dust
  : make site secure
  : warn children

Question 24

Explain conflict of land use between: quarrying vs farmers

Answer 24

• Dust and waste from quarries get into water and make unsuitable water
• noise can scare animals eg. lambing sheep
  : pass legalisation prevents quarries from dumping untreated waste into rivers
  : fines used to inforce measure
  : restrict blasting during lambing season