limestone features and land uses and conflicts Flashcards
What is limestone made from?
The decayed remains of sea creatures laid in horizontal layers called bedding planes
Bedding planes are the layers formed during the deposition of sediments in water.
What are joints in limestone?
Cracks that appeared as the rocks dried out
Joints are natural fractures in the rock that often create pathways for water and other processes.
What happens to limestone during glaciation?
Ice scraped away the topsoil and exposed the bare rock underneath
This exposure can lead to increased weathering and erosion processes.
What is carbonation?
The process where acidic rainwater reacts with limestone and dissolves the rock
Carbonation is a key chemical weathering process that significantly alters limestone.
What occurs to dissolved limestone?
It is carried away by running water
This process is known as solution and contributes to the erosion of limestone landscapes.
What are grikes?
Widened and deepened cracks formed by continued chemical weathering
Grikes are features of limestone pavements and create a distinctive landscape.
What are clints?
Rectangular blocks of limestone separated by the grikes
Clints and grikes are characteristic features of limestone pavements.
What do rainwater and CO2 create when they mix?
A weak carbonic acid
This weak acid contributes to the erosion of limestone.
What process erodes the surface of limestone?
Solution
This process involves the dissolution of minerals in the rock.
What is the term for the dissolution of minerals in limestone due to acidic water?
Carbonation
Carbonation is a key chemical weathering process affecting limestone.
What happens when a stream meets limestone?
It enlarges the joints in the rock
This enlargement is a result of chemical weathering.
What occurs over time as water seeps downwards through rock layers?
The joints are enlarged by chemical weathering
This process allows for further erosion and movement of water.
What happens to the stream eventually?
It disappears down a swallow hole
This marks the transition from surface flow to underground channels.
Where does the stream flow after disappearing down a swallow hole?
Along underground channels
These channels can significantly alter landscapes over time.
What does rainwater mix with to create a weak carbonic acid?
CO2 in the air
This process contributes to the erosion of limestone.
What process erodes the surface of limestone?
Solution
This is facilitated by the weak carbonic acid formed from rainwater.
What effect does acidic water have on limestone?
Dissolves the minerals
This leads to the erosion and alteration of the limestone structure.
What happens if limestone is surrounded by impermeable rock?
Surface streams can run onto limestone
This creates conditions for further erosion and water flow.
What occurs due to limestone’s permeability?
Water disappears from the surface as streams down swallow holes
This indicates the movement of water into the ground.
Where does the underground stream flow until it reaches an impermeable rock?
Through the limestone
This flow continues until it encounters a barrier.
What happens to the underground stream when it reaches an impermeable rock?
It emerges at the surface at a spring
This indicates the end of underground travel through limestone.
Give an example of a spring that emerges from limestone.
Fell Beck in the Yorkshire Dales
This is a specific location demonstrating the concepts discussed.
What is formed when rainwater mixes with CO2 in the air?
A weak carbonic acid
This reaction contributes to the erosion of limestone.
What process erodes the surface of limestone due to acidic water?
Solution
Acidic water dissolves minerals in limestone.
