Physical Landscapes in the UK: Paper 1 Section C

Question 1

Waterfalls

Answer 1

-Form when river flows over hard then soft rock.
-Softer rock eroded by hydraulic action and abrasion creating a step in river.
-Step erodes more.
-A steep drop is created called a waterfall.
-Hard rock eventually undercut by erosion creating a capstone which is unsupported so collapses.
-Collapsed rocks swirl at foot of wtaerfall eroding soft rock to create a deep plungepool.
-Over time this process repeats, waterfall retreats leaving gorge.

Question 2

Levees

Answer 2

-Natural enbankments along the edges of a river channel.
-During a flood, erodoed material is deposited over the whole floodplain.
-The heaviest material is deposited closest to river.
-Over time, the depsoited material builds up creating levees.

Question 3

Erosion and Deposition Landform Part 1: Meanders

Answer 3

-The current is faster on the outside of the bend as it is the line of deepest water and fastest flow in a river called the thalweg.
-So more erosion takes place on the outside of the bend, forming river cliffs.
-The current is slower on the inside of the bend as it is hsallower so there is more friction.
-So eroded material is depostied on the inside of the bend, forming slip-off slopes.
-This repeats, creating more and more exaggerated meanders

Question 4

Erosion and Depostion Landform Part 2: Ox-Bow Lakes

Answer 4

-Meanders get larger over time.
-Erosion causes the outside bends to get closer until there’s only a small bit of land left between the bends called the neck.
-The river breaks through this land usually during a flood and the river flows along the shortest course.
-Deposition cuts off the remaining meander forming an oxbow lake.

Question 5

Glacial Transportation and Deposition

Answer 5

-Weight of ice can make them move downhill.
-Some glaciers have a thin layer of meltwater whcih accumulates beneath the ice and acts as a lubricant helping the glacier to move by basal sliding.
-Glaciers can move materials called till.
-Material can be frozen in glacier, carried on surface or pushed ahead called bulldozing,
-Material can be depsotied on the valley floor forming landforms such as moraines or drumlins.

Question 6

Medmerry flood management scheme

Answer 6

-Managed retreat.
-Allows water to enter land without spilling out and flooding due to built up enbankments.
-Protects area around it.
-Water slowly diffuses into the managed retreat area, reducing energy of water causing depsoition.
-Deposition created saltmarsh.
-Tourist attraction which brings in money.