Physical landscapes in the UK Flashcards

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1
Q

What type of coastline has suitable conditions for the formation of erosional landforms

A

Steep cliffs as it indicates hard resistant rock

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2
Q

Explain the formation of a wave-cut platform

A
  • It is made by processes of erosion and weathering
  • Soft rock erodes quickly making sloping cliffs and hard rock form steep cliffs
  • Hydraulic action and abrasion weaken the base of a cliff creating a wave cut notch
  • Weathering weakens the top of the cliff
  • The top of the cliff eventually becomes unstable and collapses
  • The cliff has retreated
  • A wave cut platform is a gentle sloping surface of a cliff extending out to sea
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3
Q

What is the case study for coastal management schemes

A

MAPPLETON
- two hard engineering process
- rock armour and gabions
- was effective at protecting Mappleton
- but south to Mappleton erosion has increased as they do not have any coastal defences

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4
Q

How is a coastline of headlands and bays formed?

A
  • Due to coastal erosion, hydraulic action and abrasion
  • Headland is hard rock so is resistant and erodes slowly
  • Bays are made of soft rock so easily erodes
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5
Q

What are the hard engineering defences for coasts

A
  • Sea walls
  • Rock armour
  • Gabions
  • Groynes
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6
Q

Rock armour

A
  • Cheaper than a sea wall and easier to maintain
  • Can be used for fishing
  • Different from local geology
  • Can be expensive to import rocks
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7
Q

Groynes

A
  • Can cause chronic groyne syndrome further along the beach
  • Builds a wider beach, more tourists
  • Look unattractive
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8
Q

Gabions

A
  • Cheap
  • Absorbs wave energy
  • Not very strong
    -Looks unnatural
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9
Q

Sea walls

A
  • Deflect and absorb wave energy back to the sea
  • Create a promenade for people to walk along
  • Expensive and require regular repairs
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10
Q

Soft engineering defences for coasts?

A
  • Beach nourishment
  • Dune regeneration
  • Reprofiling
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11
Q

Beach nourishment

A
  • Blends into existing beach
  • Larger beach = more tourist
  • Needs to be constantly replaced
  • Sand has to be brought in from somewhere else
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12
Q

Dune regeneration / nourishment

A
  • Relatively cheap
  • Maintains a natural looking coastline
  • Can be damaged by storm waves
  • Fenced off areas is not popular for public
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13
Q

Reprofiling

A
  • Cheap and simple
  • Reduces energy of waves
  • Only works when wave energy is low
  • Needs to be repeated constantly
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14
Q

Managed retreat

A
  • Cheap option
  • Creates a salt marsh, good for habitat and natural defence against erosion
  • Land is lost to the sea
  • Land owners must be compensated
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15
Q

What is freeze - thaw weathering?

A

Water enters a crack in the rock
Water freezes and expands widening the crack
Ice melts and water goes further into the crack
Process repeats until the rock splits

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16
Q

What are the types of mass movement?

A
  1. Landslide
  2. Rockfall
  3. Mudflow
  4. Rotational slip
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17
Q

What is traction?

A

pebbles and larger materials are rolled across the sea floor

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18
Q

What is saltation?

A

small pieces of shingle are bounced along the sea bed

19
Q

What is suspension?

A

small particles are suspended in the flow of water

20
Q

What are deposition land forms of the coast

A
  • A spit
  • A bar
  • A beach
21
Q

A spit

A
  • Sediment is carried by long shore drift
  • When there is a change in direction of the coastline deposition occurs = spit
  • If the wind direction changes a hooked end can form
  • A salt marsh is formed behind a spit
22
Q

A bar

A
  • Where a spit travels across a bay
  • joins two headlands together
  • Can trap shallow lakes behind, forming a lagoon
23
Q

What is the feature formed on a meander due to deposition

A

A slip off slope

24
Q

At the fastest point of a meander what process happens

A

Erosion on the outer bend of the river forms a steep river cliff

25
Q

At the slowest point of a meander what process happens

A

Deposition on the inside of the bend, a slip off slope is formed

26
Q

Physical factors which cause increased river discharge?

A
  • Precipitation
  • Relief
  • vegetation
27
Q

Human factors which cause increased river discharge?

A
  • Impermeable rock surface
  • Land use (Agriculture)
  • Removal of trees and hedges
28
Q

Hard engineering defences for rivers?

A
  • Dams and reservoirs
  • River straightening
  • Embankments
  • Flood relief channels
29
Q

Dams and reservoirs

A
  • Can be used to create energy
  • Very effective
  • Can harm fish and wildlife
  • Land has to be flooded
  • Expensive
30
Q

River straightening

A
  • More water can be held in the channel
  • Reduces risk of flooding
  • Dredging needs to be done more regularly
  • Speeding up the channel increases risk of flooding elsewhere
31
Q

Embankments

A
  • Cheap
  • Allows more water to be held without it flooding
  • Looks unnatural, eyesore
32
Q

Flood relief channels

A
  • Reduces flooding as removes water
  • Expensive
  • Could also flood if water rises
33
Q

Soft engineering defences for rivers?

A
  • Flood warnings and preparation
  • Floodplain zoning
  • Managed retreat
  • River restoration
34
Q

Flood warnings and preparation

A
  • People have time to protect their properties and evacuate
  • Possessions can be saved
  • Flash floods happen to quickly
  • People may not have access to the warning
  • Do not stop flooding at all
35
Q

Floodplain zoning

A
  • Most expensive and valuable buildings are at least risk of flooding
  • Less damage meaning less insurance claims
  • Planners have a hard decisions
  • Not always possible to change existing land uses
36
Q

Upper course of a river

A

The channel is narrow and shallow as there is not much water, water is flowing downhill

37
Q

Lower course

A

Less erosion than middle course, so the channel is its widest and deepest

38
Q

Erosional landforms of a river

A
  • waterfall and gorge
  • Interlocking spurs
39
Q

Waterfall and gorges

A
  • Soft rock is eroded hard rock is not creating a step
  • hard cut is undercut by the soft rock eroding forming an overhang
  • A plunge pool is created by erosion
  • Overhang becomes unsupported and collapses
  • Process continues and retreats upstream
  • == Gorge
40
Q

What is the lag time on a hydrograph

A

The time between peak rainfall and peak discharge

41
Q

How do you work out discharge?

A

Velocity x area

42
Q

What does a short lag time mean about a river

A

Flooding is more likely

43
Q

What does a steep rising limb mean on a hydrograph

A

A short lag time
so more likely to flood

44
Q

What does a gradual rising limb mean on a hydrograph

A

A long lag time
less likely to flood