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PHYSICAL - Rocks Flashcards

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1
Q

Name the 3 types of rock

A

Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic

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2
Q

How is igneous rock formed?

A

Igneous rock is formed when molten rock (magma) from the mantle cools down and solidifies.

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3
Q

How is intrusive igneous rock formed and what are its characteristics? Give an example

A

Intrusive igneous rocks are formed when the molten rock cools under the Earths surface

The magma cools down slowly - forming large crystals and making it have a coarse texture

eg Granite

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4
Q

How is extrusive igneous rock formed and what are its characteristics? Give an example

A

Extrusive igenous rock is formed when molten magma cools down after its been erupted from a volcano - when it cools onto the Earths surface

It cools down very quickly and thus forms small crystals and it has a fine texture

Eg Bassalt

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5
Q

Give 3 characteristics of igneous rock

A
  • Impermeable
  • Hard to erode
  • Crystalline
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6
Q

How is sedimentary rock formed?

A

Sedimentary rock is formed when layers of sedimet are compacted together until they form solid rock (lihification).

The particles are deposited in strata (layers)

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7
Q

In sedimentary rock, how are the strata separated?

A

The strata are separated by horizontal lines of weakness or cracks called bedding planes

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8
Q

Give 4 examples of sedimentary rock

A

Limestone, chalk, coal and sandstone

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9
Q

What are the characteristics of sedimentary rock?

A
  • Easy to erode
  • Permeable
  • Soft rock
  • Some vertical joints
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10
Q

How are metamorphic rocks fromed?

A

When other rocks (igneous, sedimentary or older metamorphic rocks) are changed by heat and/or pressure

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11
Q

Give the 3 ways metamorphic rocks can be formed

A
  • Rocks deep in the earth are changed by the pressure from the weight of the materials above them
  • When tectonic plates collide, rocks are changed by the massive heat and pressure that builds up
  • Magma from the mantle heats the rocks in the crust, causing them to change
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12
Q

When a metamorphic rock has been formed, what are their charateristics?

A
  • Harder
  • More compact
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13
Q

What rocks are found to the North and West of the Tees-Exe line?

A
  • Most rocks are **granite **and carboniferous limestone
  • They are there fore older, harder and more resistant to erosion
  • They form **mountenous areas **eg the Cumbrian mountains of the Lake District
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14
Q

What rocks are found to the South and East of the Tees-Exe line?

A
  • Mostly sedimentary
  • Much is low lying land, much flatter, more undulating
  • SE is mostly **clay **and chalk
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15
Q

What provides heat for the rock cycle?

A

Radioactive processes within the Earths core

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16
Q

Permeable

A

These rocks allow water to pass through them (through cracks and joints) by being porous (holes and spaces) or pervious (cracks and joints)

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17
Q

Imprtmrsblr

A

These rocks don’t allow water to pass through them

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18
Q

Porous

A

A rock with pore spaces or holes between the particles

The pores may be filled with air/water, most porous rocks allow water to pass through them

but Clay is an exception (pores are too small)

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19
Q

Non-porous

A

A rock with particles so tightly packed that there are no spaces between them

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20
Q

Pervious

A

A rock which posses joints/cracks through which water may pass

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21
Q

What is weathering?

A

The wearing away of rock/land in their origional place at or close to the ground surface. It is caused by elements of the weather such as rainfall and changes in temperature

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22
Q

Mechanical/Physical Weathering

A

The disintegration if rocks without any chemical changes taking place.

It often results in piles of angular rocks called scree found at the foot of bare rocky outcrops

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23
Q

Chemial Weathering

A

A chemical change occurs when weathering takes place.

Rainwater, being slightly acidic, can slowly dissolve certain type of rocks. Those minerals amd particles are unaffected by chemical weathering are usually left behind to form a fine clay deposit

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24
Q

Biological weathering

A

This involves the actions of flora and fauna

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25
Q

Name 2 examples of physical weathering

A

Freeze thaw/frost shattering and Exfoliation

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26
Q

Name 3 examples of chemical weathering

A

Carbonation, hyrolysis and solution

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27
Q

Explain freeze thaw weathering

A
  1. Water from rainfall or smow melt and ice becomes trapped in a crack or joint in the rock
  2. If the air temperature drops below freezing, the water will freeze and expand by 9-10 per cent putting pressure on the rock
  3. The ice will ment when the temperature rises above freezing
  4. The process repeats and the rock will weaken and eventually shatter into angular fragments called scree
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28
Q

Explain Exfoliation

A
  • In warm places (eg the desert) exfoliation occurs
  • In the day only the outer layer of rock is heated as rock is a poor conductor
  • When its warm, it expands and when its cool (aka at night) it contracts.
  • This repeats and eventually the outer layer peels off

(the presence of water helps weaken rocks and makes it more suseptable to flaking)

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29
Q

Explain carbonation

A
  • Rainwater picks up Co2 from the air
  • The rainwater becomes a weak carbonic acid
  • Acidic rainwater reacts with calcium to form calcium bicarbonate, which then dissolves limestone and chalk
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30
Q

Explain hydrolysis

A

Water reacts with the rock to produce a different substance

This occurs in granite and can produce clay, known and kaolin/china clay

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31
Q

Explain solution

A

Some minerals dissolve in rainwater, this is called solution.

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32
Q

Explain the formation of granite

A
  • Granite is an intrusive igneous rock that forms underground form molten rocks which has cooled and solidified
  • The magma often forces its way along bedding planes in sedimentary rocks to form horizontal layers of granite called sills and up joints to form dykes
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33
Q

What is a batholith and how can they be exposed

A

A huge dome shaped mass of granite that can be hundreds of 100km across

After millions of years, the overlyaing rocks may be worn away to expose the batholith

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34
Q

Give the characteristics of granite

A
  • Contains crystals of quartz, mica and feldspar
  • Very dense and therefore not porous
  • It’s pervious (as it cooled it contracted and cracks formed)
  • Relitivley impermeable
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35
Q

Name the weathering that granite can be damaged by?

A
  • Freeze thaw – widens joints
  • Exfoliation in some places
  • Hydrolysis (water reacts with feldspar crystal and turns them into kaolin or china clay)
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36
Q

Characteristics of granite landscapes

A
  • Tors
  • Bleak and treeless
  • Relitively flat topped moorland plateaus
  • Thin acidic soil
  • Frequent rock outcrops eg bowermans nose
  • Costal scenergy where granite and atlantic bleakers meet
  • Moorland vegetation of bracken and heather
  • V-Shaped valleys from Dart and Teigh
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37
Q

Explain the formation of Tors

A
  • The rock has horizontal cracks caused by pressure released, and vertical joints caused by cooling, these are formed at irregular intervals
  • The granite breaks up more quickly where there is a concentration of joins and they are close togetherm because water can enter the rocks and rapid weathering can take place
  • Each time the water freezes and expands in the joint, pressure is put on the rock until the rock splits apart
  • This debris is removed by rainwater and gravity in the process of solifluction
  • Where there are fewer joints, it takes longer for the granite to break ip and so it remains upstanding on the landscape (the tor)
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38
Q

What is granite quarried and used for? (and why for some)

A
  • Building stone eg kerbstone
  • Headstones, kitchen work surfaces - resistant, impermeable, looks nice when polished
  • After being attacked by hydrolysis, it forms china clay which is used in pottery, paper and toothpaste
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39
Q

Give some facts about farming in dartmoor

A
  • Over 90% of land within the National park is farmed.
  • Soils are poor and acidic and the environment is harsh therefore crops don’t grow well
  • Used for grazing livestock (cattle, sheep)
  • 34,878 acres are common land which sheep, cattle and horses graze on
  • Employs about 2000 people
40
Q

Using granite in Dartmoor: Water supply

A
  • Dartmoor is ideal for reservoirs
  • Several mandmade reservoirs are there
  • Avon Dam and Burratir
  • Supplies water to Plymouth, Exteter and Torquay (which brings in money)
41
Q

Using granite in Dartmoor: Tourism

A
  • Millions drawn by scenery and attractions
  • Popular areas: Hay tor, Yes Tor, Moorland, Lydford Gorge and Valley of the River Dart
  • Variety of wildlife
  • Dartmoor ponies
  • Old mine workings and historical museums
42
Q

Using granite in Dartmoor: Other minor uses

A
  • Many come to cycle, walk, hike, picnic
  • Hosts activities that rely on its remoteness: Prison built (so if convicts escape, no were to hide and granite hard to dig through)
  • Use for Gold d of e
  • (Army uses it for practises)
43
Q

Some labels you could put on a tor diagram?

A
  • Origional cracks from cooling
  • Rocks appear stacked upon eachother
  • Smooth surface due to weathering
  • Slower processes of weathering and faster processes of weathering
  • Cracks from weathering
44
Q

Using Limestone - Malhams landscape: Farming

A
  • Soil is too thin for cultivation and too dry so it’s not suitible for arable culvitation
  • Turf like grass cover surface so idea for sheep grazing
45
Q

Using Limestone - Malhams landscape: Settlement

A
  • Sparsely populated because of minimal water supply
  • Many dispersed farms, some villages boosted by tourism eg Malham and Grassington
46
Q

Using Limestone - Malhams landscape: Tourism

A
  • Tourists visit for walking, campling, climbing, pot-holing, caving, educational visits and for scenery
  • Over 8 million visitors provide employment (which helps boosts the economy)
47
Q

Formation of Limestone

A
  • Formed 355-290 million years ago
  • Formed in warm, tropical shallow seas and is made up from the remains of sea creatures and calcium carbonate
  • As the sediments were layed down in layers it formed horizontal bedding planes and it also has vertical joints in each layer
48
Q

Name weathering that affects limestone

A

Has lines of weaknesses which make it vulnerable to different types of weathering

  • Freeze-thaw: widens joints, shatters rock and creates scree
  • Carbonation (dominant): Removal rate about 4cm every 1000 years
  • Limestone reacts with water (not necessarily acidic) and dissolves
49
Q

Name the 3 surface features of Limestone

A
  • Limestone pavement
  • Sinkholes/swallow holes
  • Resurgent stream/spring
50
Q

What are limestone pavements?

A

Flat areas of limestone with blocks separated by weathered-down joints

51
Q

In limestone pavements, what are the joints been widened and enlarged by and carbonation to form deep gashes (grykesto form?

A

Joints have been widened and enlarged by carbonation to form deep gashes (grykes) and flat surfaced blocks called clints

52
Q

Name the detailed labels you would put on a limestone pavemnt diagram?

A
  • Limestone solution attacks joints and slowly widens them
  • Pitted surface caused by small pools of water which collect on top of clints and weather the surface away
  • The deep grykes are an idea, sheltered habitat for plants and animals (eg Harts tongue fern)
53
Q

What is a sink sold/swallow hole?

A

Where surface streams dissapear down joints at small holes (sink) or down large tunnel shaped hollows (swallow hole)

54
Q

Explain how sink holes/swallow holes work

A
  1. Water travels over impermeable rock
  2. As water reaches permeable limestone it disspears down a vertical joint
  3. The stream now travels underground along joints and bedding planes
55
Q

What is a resurgent stream?

A

This is where the stream reappears on the surface, after it has been flowing through the limestone. It usually occurs at the junction of limestone and an impermeable rock eg clay

56
Q

Explain how a resurgent stream works (labels)

A

The stream travels along joints and bedding planes until it is block by impermeable rock and can go no deeper

Undergound river travels along surface of impermeable rock

57
Q

In any GCSE answer what must you talk about (in reference to limestone)

A

Carbonation

58
Q

Explain how Limestone caves are made?

A

As the water travels along joints and bedding plaes, it enlarges them by carbonation.

Where there is a high concentration of these lines of weaknesses, the limestone will dissolve completely to form a cave

(A cavern is a large cave)

59
Q

What sort of features are stalactites, stalagmites and pillars?

A

Depositional features

60
Q

Explain how stalagtites, stalagmites and pillars are formed

A
  • In the process of carbonation, the limestone is dissolved and carried with the water, this water drips constantly from the roof of the caves
  • As the water drips, some of it will slowly evaporate and calcium carbonate is deposited
  • In time a stalatite will form. A stalagtite is a icicle-shapes feature which hangs downwards from the roof
  • As the water drips to the floor, further deposition of limestone forms stalagmites (features that grow up from the cave floor)
    • If the meet, pillars are created
61
Q

What is a dry valley?

A

These are steep sided valleys without a river flowing in it

62
Q

Explain how dry valleys are formed

A

Formed during the last ice age

  • When the ground was frozen, making it act like an impermeable layer. Water from melting ice then flowed over this rock because it could not infiltrate - carving a valley
  • When the climate warmed, the rock thawed out and became permeable again. The stream then dissapeared below the surface, leaving a dry valley.
63
Q

What is a gorge?

A

A steep sided valley left behihnd when a waterfall eroded the rock

64
Q

What type of rocks are chalk and clay?

A

Sedimentary

65
Q

What type of a certain rock is chalk, and what does it consist of and is made of?

A

Type of limestone

Consists of calcium carbonate

Made from the shells of dead sea creatures, falling to the sea bed and being compacted

66
Q

What is chalk made from?

A

Fine particles from the weathering of other rocks, laid down in the sea

67
Q

Why is is clay eroded faster than chalk?

A

Because its less resistant

68
Q

Characteristics of Chalk?

A

Permeable, porous, hard rock that is resistant to erosion

69
Q

What types of weathering is chalk vulnerable to and why?

A

Chemical weathering as it is made of calcium carbonate

Freeze thaw can shatter rock

70
Q

What are the characteristics of clay?

A

Impermeable (even though is porous, as the spaces are too small for water to go through)

soft and easily eroded (especially by rivers)

71
Q

How are chalk escarpments and clay vales formed?

A

Chalk stick ups forming escarpments and because the clay has been eroded faster it forms vales (wide areas of flat land)

72
Q

EXAM Q: Explain the formation of an escarpment and vales?

A

Harder chalk occurs next to softer clay. These layers are tilted at an angle to the surface as a result of earth movements. Both start at a similar height and weathering and erosion affect both – including carbonation on the chalk.

The chalk is more resistant to erosion than the clay as it is harder and therefore it erodes more slowly and lies above the surrounding clay in the lower lying vale.

There are two parts to the chalk cuesta/escarpment. There is a steeper slope that cuts across the diagonal organisation of the rock layers and the gentler dip slope that goes parallel with it. Thus, the rock structure is important in forming the landforms with its characteristic scarp slope at right angles to the tilt and the dip slope that follows it parallel to the tilt.

73
Q

Give the characteristics of a chalk landscape?

A
  • Escarpment with steep scarp slope and gentle dip slope
  • Thin, dry soil
  • Little surface drainage
  • Dry valleys on dip slope
  • Short, tough grass
74
Q

The characteristics of clay landscapes?

A
  • Low lying land
  • Thick, stickly soil
  • High drainage density
  • Many streams on the surface
  • Thick, lush green grass
75
Q

Chalk Escarpment: Describe Springs

A
  • Formed at the junction of permeable chalk and impermeable clay
  • Usually at the foot of a steep scarp slope
  • Can occur at the bottom of the dip slope, where the water table reaches the surface, often in the winter
  • Settlements will tend to cluster around these, often in a line = spring line settlements
76
Q

Chalk Escarpment: Dry Valleys

A
  • On the dip slope of the chalk
  • Relies of a time when rainfall was much higher so the chalk pores were full and the rock saturated, causing it to behave like an impermeable rock
  • Rovers flowed on the surface, carving a valley we see today
  • Or, due to frozen ground during the Ice Age
77
Q

Chalk Escarpment: Drainage

A

Chalk: Porous and permeable therefore a lack of surface drainage as water soaks into rock easily, dry landscape

Clay: Made from fine grained particles therefore virtually impermeable as pore spaces too small to allow water to pass through, drainage density is high

78
Q

Chalk Escarpment: Soil

A

Chalk: Thin soils, lack of moisture (may grow some cereals on) produces only short grassland uitable for (sheep) grazing

Clay: Thick, sticky, retains too much water, produces ideal pasture land

79
Q

What is chalk quarried and used for?

A

Building material

Cement, plaster and putty

Source of lime for industry and farming, to neutralise acidic soils

80
Q

What is Clay used for?

A

Making bricks and pottery

81
Q

Using Chalk and Clay landscapes: Agriculture

A

Clay: Dairy and pasture as the soil is too wet for arable

Chalk: Rough grazing on top of scarp due to poor soils

Some arable like wheat and barle at the foot of the dip slope as these crops don’t require much moisture and light

Soils are easy to plough, also southerm climate

82
Q

What is an Aquifier?

A

An underground reservoir of water stored in the pores and joints of a rock

83
Q

Where and what percentage of water if supplied by aquifiers?

A

Around 70% of water supplies in the SE of england (especially london) come from aquifiers

84
Q

Why are areas of chalk and clay good for aquifiers?

A
  • Chalk is permeable, so water can pass through it and can be stored in the pores in the rock
  • Clay is impermeable, so water in the chalk is trapped and cannot drain away
85
Q

Why are aquifiers useful?

A
  • Provides clean, non-polluted water (as water is naturally filtered as it percolates through the chalk into the aquifier)
  • Water is accesible by boreholes
  • Can be used to supply emergency water in times of drought
86
Q

How can using aquifiers be made sustainable?

A

Water use has to be kept to the amount that nature can replace

87
Q

(kind of) disadvantages of aquifiers?

A
  • Finite supply
  • Takes a long time for water to be replaced
  • Has a naturally limited storage capacity which cannot be increased
  • There is increased presure on this limited supply due to rising population
88
Q

Give 2 economic advantages of quarries?

A
  • Employ a lot of people - this brings money to the local economy
  • When a quarry’s built, good transport links are built for the tricks that carry the stone and an improved infrastructure will attract other businesses and boost local economy
89
Q

2 economic disadvantages of quarries?

A
  • Tourists could be put off from visiting the area - thus reduces the amount of money made from tourism
  • When a quarry is closed down it costs money to make them safe (eg by filling in holes and putting up warning signs)
90
Q

2 social advantages of quarries?

A
  • Some quarries are used by schools and colleges for educational visits
  • Quarries that have been closed fown can be used for recreational activities eg climbing, water sports
91
Q

2 social disadvantages of quarries?

A
  • People are annoyed by heavy traffic caused by slow vehicles leaving quarries
  • Quarries are a very dangerous environment, people could be harmed or killed in them
92
Q

An environmental advantages of quarries?

A
  • The landscape is often restored after the quarries are closed fown, this can create new habitats and attract new species of wildlife to an area
93
Q

An environmental disadvantage of quarries?

A

Whilst they’re operating, they have a massive impact on the environment as habitats are destroyed and the resources in the landscape are depleated

94
Q

LEARN HOPE QUARRY

A

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

95
Q

What is quarry restoration?

A

Restoring/improving the environmental quality of a quarry, either during its operation or afterwards

96
Q

Give some uses of exhausted quarries?

A
  • Museum
  • Reservoir (water supply)
  • Farmland (sheep grazing)
  • Waste clump
  • Mountain biking/motor course
  • Dry ski slopes
  • Lakes (wildlife reserve, fishing, watersports)

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