Physical landscapes in the UK

Question 1

Where are UK’s upland areas?

Answer 1

North and west, wales and Scotland, formed of hard igneous rocks that are resistant to erosion

Question 2

What and where are England’s lowland areas?

Answer 2

South and east, made up of soft sedimentary rocks that erode more easily

Most cities are in lowland areas

Question 3

What is mechanical weathering?

Answer 3

The breakdown of rock without changing its chemical composition.

Question 4

Give an example of mechanical weathering that affects coasts

Answer 4

Freeze-thaw weathering:

When the temperature alternates above and below 0 degrees

Water enters rock that has cracks

When the water freezes it expands, which puts pressure on the rock

When it thaws it contracts, releasing pressure on the rocks

Doing this repeatedly widens the crack and causes the rock to break up

Question 5

What is chemical weathering?

Answer 5

The breakdown of rocks by changing its chemical composition

Question 6

Give an example of chemical weathering

Answer 6

Carbonation:

Rainwater has carbon dioxide In it, which makes it a weak carbonic acid

This dissolves certain rocks

Question 7

What is mass movement and when does it happen?

Answer 7

The shifting of rocks and loose material down a slope

It happens when the force of gravity acting on a slope is greater than the force supporting it

This causes coasts to retreat massively

Question 8

What are destructive waves?

Answer 8

Waves that are high and steep.

Their backwash is stronger than their swash do material is removed - eroding the coast

Question 9

What are constructive waves?

Answer 9

Low and long waves

Their swash is more powerful than their backwash so material is deposited - building the beach back

Question 10

What are the three processes of erosion?

Answer 10

Hydraulic power- waves crash against rock and compress air into the cracks. This puts pressure on it. Repeated compression cause the rock to break

Abrasion- eroded particles in the water scrape against rock, taking small pieces off

Attrition- eroded particles in the water collide, break into small pieces and become rounded

Question 11

How does material move along the coast?

Answer 11

Waves follow the most common wind

The waves hit the beach at an angle

The swash carries material up the beach then back down at a right angle

Over time material zigzags along the coast

Question 12

What are the four processes of transportation (in the water)?

Answer 12

Traction - large particles are pushed along the sea bed by water

Suspension - small particles like silt are carried in the water

Saltation- pebble sized particles are bounced along the sea bed by water

Solution- soluble materials dissolve in the water and are carried

Question 13

When does deposition occur?

Answer 13

When water carrying the sediment loses energy and slows down

Question 14

What is a discordant coastline?

Answer 14

When soft and hard rock alternate along the coastline

Question 15

What is a concordant coastline?

Answer 15

When layers of alternating hard and soft rock go into land from a coastline

Question 16

From which type of coastline are headlands and bays formed?

Answer 16

From discordant coastlines, the less resistant rock is eroded faster forming a gentle slope. The resistant rock erodes slower, forming steep sides to the bay

Question 17

How do headlands fork caves, arches and stacks form?

Answer 17

The hard rock that makes up headlands has cracks

Waves enlarge the cracks in the hard rock

Enlargement causes caves to form

Erosion continues until it breaks through to the other side, forming an arch

Water erodes the support for the arch until it collapses, creating a stack

Question 18

How are ‘wave-cut platforms’ formed?

Answer 18

Waves erode the foot of a cliff, causing a ‘wave-cut notch’

Repeated erosion causes the rock above to become unstable and eventually collapse

The collapsed material washes away and a new notch begins

After a few repeats the cliff moves back until a platform is created

Question 19

How are sand beaches made?

Answer 19

By low energy waves and are flat and wide - sand particles are weak and small so backwash can deposit them

Question 20

How are shingle beaches made?

Answer 20

By high energy waves and are steep and narrow - sand is washed away but larger shingle is left behind

Question 21

How are spits created?

Answer 21

Spits form at sharp bends in the coastline e.g a river mouth

Longshore drifts take sand and shingle past the bend and into the sea

Strong winds and waves curve the end of the spit

The area behind the spit is sheltered from waves so plants grow

Question 22

How do bars form?

Answer 22

When a spit joins two headlands together

The bay between the headlands gets cut off

This means a lagoon can form behind the bar

Question 23

How do sand dunes form?

Answer 23

When sand deposited by longshore drift is moved up the beach by wind

Obstacles like driftwood cause wind speed to decrease so sand is deposited

Vegetation grows on the sand, catching more sand for the sand dune

Question 24

How to identify if something is a coastal landform?

Answer 24

If there’re stacks, cliffs or wave-cut platforms on the map

Stacks look like little blobs in the sea

Cliffs are little black lines

Wave cut platforms are bumpy edges along the coast

Question 25

How to identify sand or shingle beaches on a map?

Answer 25

Sand beaches - yellow

Shingle beaches - yellow with speckles

Question 26

How to identify spits on a map?

Answer 26

Shown by a beach that carries out to sea but is still attached to the land by one end

Or a sharp turn

Question 27

What is a case example of an arch?

Answer 27

The Durdle door

Question 28

What is hard engineering and what are some examples?

Answer 28

Man-made structures built to control the flow of the sea and reduce flooding and erosion

Sea wall - a wall in the sea that reflects waves back

Gabions - a wall of wire cages filled with rocks to absorb energy

Rock armour - boulders that are piled up along the coast to absorb energy

Groynes - fences that are built at right angles to the coast to trap materials from longshore drifts

Question 29

What is soft engineering and what are some examples?

Answer 29

Schemes set up using knowledge of the sea and it’s processes to reduce the effects of flooding and erosion

Beach re-profiling and nourishment - sand or shingle from other places that is added to the beach

Dune regeneration - planting vegetation or adding more sand to a sand dune

Question 30

What are the pros and cons of sea walls?

Answer 30

It prevents erosion from the coast and acts as a barrier to flooding

It creates strong backwash that eroded the underside of the wall and is expensive to maintain and build

Question 31

What are the pros and cons of beach re-profiling?

Answer 31

It creates wider beaches which slow the waves, giving greater protection from erosion and flooding

Taking material from the sea bed can kill organisms and the method has to be repeated due to backwash

Question 32

How does a ‘managed retreat’ work on a coast?

Answer 32

Removes the defences from the water

The land will become marshland which then protects the land behind it from erosion and flooding

Question 33

What are the pros and cons of a managed retreat?

Answer 33

It is cheap and easy strategy, that doesn’t need maintaining and the marshland can be a habitat for new organisms

However it can flood farmland and can have a negative effect on existing ecosystems

Question 34

Why do the cliffs of Lyme Regis in Dorset need protecting from erosion?

Answer 34

Waves from the south west erode the cliffs

In May 2008, 400m of the cliff fell into the sea

Much of the town’s eastern side is built near the cliff edge and properties have been damaged from mud slides and slumps

Question 35

What is the population of Lyme Regis and how many tourists a year?

Answer 35

Over 3,600 people and around 500,000 tourists a year

Question 36

How much money was spent on tourism in Lyme Regis in 2015?

Answer 36

£42 million

Question 37

How is Lyme Regis cliffs being protected?

Answer 37

Rock armour in 1995 on the eastern end

In 2007, the beaches were renourished, existing rock armour was extended and drainage systems were improved

In 2015, 390m of rock wall and rock armour was installed

Question 38

What are the pros and cons of the strategies put in place at Lyme Regis?

Answer 38

The beaches have caused the economy a 20% increase
The rock armour absorbs most the shockwaves
People feel more safe

Greater number of tourists mean there’s more litter and pollution
The defences stop fossils from being exposed
Some residents think the defences are too expensive

Question 39

What is the path of a river if it flows downhill called?

Answer 39

It’s course

Question 40

How steep is the course of a river at its source, middle and mouth?

Answer 40

Source - steep
Middle - gentle slope
Mouth - almost flat

Question 41

How come rivers form channels and valleys when going downhill?

Answer 41

They erode the ground due to the water

Question 42

What does the cross profile show?

Answer 42

What a cross section of the river looks like

Question 43

What does vertical erosion in a river do?

Answer 43

Deepens the river valley and channel, making it V shaped.

Dominant in the upper part of the river

High turbulence causes materials to be scraped along the bottom, causing downwards erosion

Question 44

What does lateral erosion in a river do?

Answer 44

Widens the river valley and channel during the formation of meanders.

Is dominant in the middle and lower courses of the river