Paper 2 - The UK’s Evolving PHYSICAL Landscape Flashcards
coastal zone
changing boundary between land and the sea
hard rock
resistant rocks
soft rock
less resistant rocks
hard rock examples
sandstone, limestone, chalk
soft rock examples
clay
disconcordant coastlines
- strata is at a right angle to the coast
- forms headlands and bays
concordant coastline
- strata is parallel to coastline
- example: Lulworth code
rock strata
stacked-up layers of sedimentary rock
erosion
wearing away the landscape
carbon dating
uses radioactive testing to find age of rocks which contained living material
how has tectonic processes affected the land
- convection current beneath the plate uplifted rocks from below the sea - becoming land
- during uplift, some rocks snapped and moved along faults in earthquakes -> each movement disturbed the strata so that they tilted
- sometimes, the faults form a steep edge (fault scarp) where uplift has raised some parts more than others
how has glaciation affected the landscape
- altering river valleys, making them deeper and widening them into U-shaped troughs
- as they melted, the glaciers left features like Malham Cove with a spectacular waterfall
igneous rocks
the Earth’s oldest rocks, formed from lavas and deep magmas; they were once molten, then cooled and crystallised - most igneous rocks are resistant to erosion
sedimentary rocks
formed from sediments eroded and deposited by rivers, the sea, or on the sea bed - some are resistant while others crumble easily
metamorphic rocks
sedimentary rocks that were heated and compressed during igneous activity - heating and compression harden them and make them resistant
name igneous rocks
granite, basalt
name sedimentary rocks
chalk, clay, sandstone
name some metamorphic rocks
slate, marble
what is your upland landscape
lake district
what is your lowland landscape
the weald
what does discordant coastlines create
headlands and bays
batholith formation
- A large mass of magma intrudes into the ground
- Large masses of magma cools and solidifies
- Large crystals form in the rock
- They are dome shaped in overtime are exposed due to erosion
batholith
a type of igneous rock that forms when magma rises into the earth’s crust, but does not erupt onto the surface
weathering
Physical, chemical or biological breakdown of solid rock by the action of weather or plants
scree
Angular rock pieces created by freeze thaw weathering
features of Lake District (UPLAND)
was once glaciated which left behind U-shaped valleys and misfits (small rivers that flow where glaciers once were)
features of the Weald (LOWLAND)
Post glacial river processes: water in the chalk froze making it impermeable which created a dry valley
What is the geology of the Lake District (UPLAND)
hard igneous
What is a geology of the Weald? (LOWLAND)
Sedimentary
What is the weathering of the Weald (LOWLAND)
Chemical and biological weathering
What’s the weather in in the Lake District (UPLAND)
Physical weathering (freeze-thaw weathering)
What is a slope processes of the Weald (LOWLAND)
slow (soil creep - leaves behind scarp and vale)
What is the slope processes of the Lake District (UPLAND)
Rapid -> Rockfall and landslides
headland
A piece of land jutting into the sea
bay
A broad coastal inlet often with the beach
interlocking spurs
one of any number of projecting ridges that extend alternately from the opposite sides of the wall of a young, V-shaped valley down which a river with a winding course flows
Waterfall formation
- There is Erosion of less resistant rock underneath the more resistant rock continues (undercutting) -> creates a plunge pool
- Pressure and weight causes more resistant rock which overhangs to collapse
- The waterfall continues to road and it takes a new position -> leaves steep Valley
Abrasion
When sand and pebbles are dragged along the river bed
Hydraulic action
Water is forced into cracks breaking up rock overtime
Solution (erosion)
Where alkaline rocks are dissolved by acidic rainwater
Attrition
Where rocks and stones wear each other away as they knock together
name the 4 types of erosion
Abrasion, hydraulic action, solution, attrition
Name the 4 types of transportation
solution, saltation, traction, suspension
solution (transportation)
Dissolved chemicals are carried along - invisible to the eye.
Suspension
Tiny particles of sediment are carried in the river’s current.
traction
Large stones are dragged along
saltation
Smaller stones or pebbles are picked up and then dropped again - this results in a
‘skipping’ motion
transportation
Rivers move material (load) down stream from its source to its mouth.
erosion
Rivers wear away their load AND the bed and banks of the river channel
What is the place for flooding in UK (CASE STUDY)
Boscastle flood
Where and when was the Boscastle flood? (CASE STUDY)
Cornwall, 16 August 2004
What was the cause of the Boscastle flood? (CASE STUDY)
It was a flash flood - by caused by heavy rain for rising high tide - caused river levels to increase by 2.15 m in 1h
what are some coastal erosional landscapes?
Arch, cave, stack, stump,
Explain how a crack goes to an arch which goes to stock which goes to a stump
- A crack grows into a cave by current action and abrasion
- Cave continues eroding and breaks through the headland forming a natural arch
- This leaves a tall rock stack
- This stack erodes to form a stump
Swash
Water that rushes up the beach
Backwash
Water that flows towards the sea
Constructive wave
- swash is strong, backwash is weak
- Builds up beach material
- Created in calm conditions
Destructive wave
- swash is weak, backwash is strong
- material is removed from the beach
- Created in stormy conditions
longshore drift
movement of material, such as sand and stones, along a coastline caused by the movement of waves - waves that are pushed up on to the beach by the wind at an angle
Explain the movement of longshore drift
- sediment moves at right angle to the beach
- Swash moves in direction of prevailing wind (dominant wind direction)
levees
A small ridge or raised area of land on the banks of the river - made from the sediment from the river
Floodplain
Flat area of land that the river spills onto when it burst it banks
wetlands
areas of land that are either permanently or seasonally inundated with water, supporting species that are adapted to live there
delta
wetlands that form as rivers empty their water and sediment into another body of water
estuary
bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea
what river valleys are found in the lower course
Levees, floodplains, Deltas, estuaries
What river processes are found in the upper course?
Waterfalls, erosion, interlocking spurs, transportation
What river valleys are found in the middle course
Meander, Oxbow lakes
Discharge
volume of water flowing in a river (measured in cubic meters per second)
meander - how’s it formed
a bendy lake
- formed due to lots of erosion on the outside of the bend - fast flowing water with lots of energy and lots of deposition on the inside of the bend - less water on the inside so there is more friction and slower flowing water
How is an Oxbow Lake formed?
- The meander continues to erode and bend more
- The fast current arose the meander neck through erosion
- Deposition occurs which leaves an oxbow lake
spit
a finger of new land made of sand and shingle jutting out into the sea from the coast
bar
a split that has grown across a bay
Saltmarsh
Low lying coastal wetlands extending between low and high tide
Tombolo
Narrow strip of sand or shingle that connects an island to the main land or another island
soft engineering
Uses natural methods to manage the environment
hard engineering
Using artificial structures to control natural processes
hard costal defence examples
sea wall, groynes, rock armour, gabions
Soft coastal defence examples
Beach nourishment, dune regeneration, marsh creation
Name some coastal depositional landforms
Bar, spit, Tombolo
Storm hydrograph
Shows how a river changes following a period of rainfall
How is rainfall presented in a storm hydrograph
As a bar graph
How is discharge presented in a storm hydrograph?
As a line graph in metres per second
Rising limb - discharge (storm hydrograph)
The rapid increase resulting from rainfall causing surface run-off then later through flow
peak flow - discharge (storm hydrograph)
Maximum discharge in river
Falling limb - discharge (storm hydrograph)
Falling flood water in river
What are the four effects of human activity on the coastline?
Effects of development, effects of agriculture, effects of industry, effects of coastal management
What are the effects of development at the coast?
Housing:
- people who work in London can no longer afford housing there, so some coastal towns and cities offer good alternatives for people who commute each day
- coast is also important for those seeking a place in which to retire
Office development
- high cost of London’s property also affects companies, so some of those too are moving out
- both Brighton and Bournemouth are popular locations with younger populations as universities and companies expand there
What are the effects of agriculture in the coast
- price of good farmland has risen sharply, (£2400 per hectare in 1995 to £30 000 in 2015)
-> farmers have to maximise their income by using whatever land they can; the need for extra grazing is putting pressure on wildlife habitats. - Climate change and rising sea levels are likely to lead to flooding by salt water during winter high tides, which could threaten the pastures.
what are the effects of industry on the coast
North Sea gas is piped onshore at the terminal in Bacton - it’s an example of how an essential development brings conflicts with tourists.
what are the effects of coastal management on the coast
location that has suffered from erosion and is now influenced by coastal management to prevent further problems
What is the coastal flooding location?
Happisburgh
What caused flooding in Happisburgh?
The original defences (timber groynes were destroyed) and the government doesn’t want to keep paying for coastal defences as it keeps eroding -> ‘buy a rock for Happisburgh’
basin lag time
Time difference between the peak of the rain storm and the peak flow of the river
base flow
Normal discharge of the river
Dredging
the act of removing silt and other material from the bottom of bodies of water
how did agriculture affect landscape
Yorkshire dales: cold winter meant sheep farming were the best
east anglia: till produced fertile soil for arable crop farming
how did the geology affect the landscape (field boundaries)
Yorkshire dales: rock was limestone so used to build stone dry walls
East Anglia: clay is too crumbly so they use hedges for field boundaries
