Paper 1 Section C - Physical Landsapes in the UK

Question 1

Abrasion

Answer 1

A form of erosion where loose material and sediment ‘sandpapers’ the walls and floors
of the river, cliff or glacier.

Question 2

Attrition

Answer 2

Rocks bang against each other chipping away to make smaller, smoother rocks.

Question 3

Backshore

Answer 3

The upper beach closest to the land, including any cliffs or sand dunes.

Question 4

Beach Nourishment

Answer 4

The addition of sand and sediment to an eroding beach by humans. The
new material will be eroded by the sea which saves the cliffs or sand dunes from erosion and
recession.

Question 5

Biological Weathering

Answer 5

Rocks are broken apart by vegetation and roots, or chemical reactions
from animal faeces erodes the rock face.

Question 6

Corrasion

Answer 6

A form of mechanical erosion where material and sediment in the sea is flung at the
cliff-face as waves break against it, this breaks up the rocks making up the cliff.

Question 7

Chemical Weathering

Answer 7

Where the weak acid in rainwater dissolves chemical compounds in the rock.

Question 8

Drainage Basin

Answer 8

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.

Question 9

Dredging

Answer 9

Rubbish and sediment are dug up from the bottom of the river.

Question 10

Embankments

Answer 10

The banks of the river are built up in brick and concrete, to increase the channel capacity.

Question 11

Estuary

Answer 11

The point at where the river meets an ocean, often muddy or silty. Sometimes estuaries
become exposed at low tide or hazardous to traverse in a boat due to sandbanks.

Question 12

Fetch

Answer 12

The length of water over which the wind has travelled.

Question 13

Floodplain

Answer 13

The low lying and wide floor of a river valley. Floodplains are found in the lower
course and tend to act as overspill for the river when its channel is full.

Question 14

Floodplain Zoning

Answer 14

Controlling where houses and buildings are built relative to the river to reduce
their risk of flooding.

Question 15

Freeze Thaw

Answer 15

A form of physical sub-aerial weathering where water freezes in the cracks of a
rock, expands and enlarges the crack. This weakens the rock overtime leaving it more open to
erosion.

Question 16

Geology

Answer 16

The physical structure and arrangement of a rock.

Question 17

Groyne

Answer 17

A form of hard-engineering. Low-lying concrete or wooden walls, constructed
perpendicular to the seafront and run out to sea. They encourage the trapping of sediment to
reduce erosion caused by longshore drift or by winds.

Question 18

Hard Management

Answer 18

The use of concrete structures to reduce or halt the recession of a coastline.
Includes: Groynes, Sea Walls, Rock Armour.

Question 19

Highlands

Answer 19

An area of land that is at a high elevation and tends to have a larger relief.

Question 20

Hydraulic Action

Answer 20

The pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face will cause the
rock to weaken and break apart.

Question 21

Impermeable

Answer 21

A rock that does not allow water to pass through it.

Question 22

Levee

Answer 22

The banks of the river.

Question 23

Longshore Drift

Answer 23

The transportation of sediment along a beach. Longshore Drift is determined by
the direction of the prevailing wind.

Question 24

Lowlands

Answer 24

An area of land that has a small relief, so tends to be flat and at a low elevation.

Question 25

Mass Movement

Answer 25

Where there is a large downhill movement of material usually from a cliff-face. Here, the rock is often weak due to erosion and the movement is caused by gravity.

Question 26

Mechanical Weathering

Answer 26

Sometimes called physical weathering, this is the breakdown of rocks due to forces, not chemical reactions.

Question 27

Permeable

Answer 27

A rock that allows water to pass through it.

Question 28

Relief

Answer 28

The difference in the height of land for a particular region. A large relief means a region has a large difference between the lowest and highest points.

Question 29

Rock Armour

Answer 29

Large rocks or concrete blocks, used as barricades to reduce marine erosion at the base of cliffs.

Question 30

Saltation

Answer 30

A form of transportation where smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed pushed by currents. This sediment is too heavy to be picked up by the flow of the water.

Question 31

Salt Marsh

Answer 31

In sheltered bays or behind spits, salt and minerals will build up. Vegetation may establish, further stabilising the marsh.

Question 32

Sand Dune

Answer 32

A depositional landform, where sand and sediment build up around driftwood and accumulate over time.

Question 33

Sea Wall

Answer 33

A hard-management coastal defense, where a concrete wall is built parallel to the seafront, to redirect the energy of waves away from sensitive cliffs or the edge of a coastal town.

Question 34

Soft Management

Answer 34

The use of natural materials and environmentally sustainable approaches to reduce coastal recession. Includes: Beach Nourishment, Managed Retreat, Sand Dune Encouragement.

Question 35

Solution

Answer 35

Acidic water dissolves chemicals from a rock face into the water. These chemicals can then be transported as chemical compounds in the water.

Question 36

Storm Hydrograph

Answer 36

A graph to show the variation of river discharge over a short period of time (days).

Question 37

Suspension

Answer 37

Small rocks that are light enough to float are carried in the water, rather than along the bed.

Question 38

Spit

Answer 38

A long depositional landform, formed from sand and shingle.

Question 39

Thalweg

Answer 39

The path of fastest water flow in a river.

Question 40

Traction

Answer 40

Large rocks and boulders are rolled along the bed of the river or sea.