Summer F Terms

Question 1

Abrasion

Answer 1

Erosion caused by rocks and boulders in the base of a glacier acting like a giant file scratching and scraping the rocks below.

Question 2

Arête

Answer 2

A sharp, knife-like ridge formed between two corries cutting back by processes of erosion and freeze thaw

Question 3

Bulldozing

Answer 3

Ice pushes material of all shapes and sizes as it moves slowly forward.

Question 4

Conservation

Answer 4

Managing the environment in order to preserve, protect or restore it.

Question 5

Corrie

Answer 5

(Also called cirque) Armchair-shaped hollow in the mountainside formed by glacial erosion, rotational slip and freeze-thaw weathering. This is where the valley glacier begins. When the ice melts, it can leave a small circular lake called a tarn.

Question 6

Drumlin

Answer 6

A hill made of glacial till deposited by a moving glacier, usually elongated or oval in shape, with the longer axis parallel to the former direction of ice.

Question 7

Erratics

Answer 7

Rocks which have been transported and deposited by a glacier some distance from their source region.

Question 8

Freeze-thaw weathering

Answer 8

(Also called frost-shattering) It occurs in cold climates when temperatures are often around freezing point and where exposed rocks contain many cracks. Water enters the cracks during the warmer day and freezes during the colder night. As the water turns into ice it expands and exerts pressure on the surrounding rock, causing pieces to break off.

Question 9

Glacial trough

Answer 9

A river valley widens and deepens by the erosive action of glaciers; it becomes ‘U’ shaped instead of the ‘V’ shape of a river valley.

Question 10

Hanging Valley

Answer 10

A tributary valley to the main glacier, too cold and high up for ice to be able to easily move. It therefore was not eroded as much as the lower main Valley, and today is often the site for a waterfall crashing several hundred metres the main valley floor.

Question 11

Land use conflicts

Answer 11

Disagreements which arise when different users of the land do not agree on how it should be used.

Question 12

Moraine

Answer 12

Frost-shattered rock debris and material eroded from the valley floor and sides, transported and deposited by glaciers.

Question 13

Outwash

Answer 13

Material, chiefly sand or gravel, deposited by meltwater streams in front of, and underneath, a glacier. The material is sorted and rounded by water action.

Question 14

Plucking

Answer 14

A type of erosion where melt water in the glacier freezes onto rocks, and as the ice moves forward it plucks or pulls out large pieces around the rock joints.

Question 15

Pyramidal Peak

Answer 15

Where several corries cut back to meet at a central point, the mountain takes the form of a steep pyramid.

Question 16

Ribbon lake

Answer 16

A long, narrow lake found in glaciated valleys formed in locations where the glacier had more erosive power, e.g. in areas of softer rock, where the valley gradient temporarily steepened or a tributary glacier joined the main valley.

Question 17

Rotational slip

Answer 17

This occurs when the ice moves in a circular motion. This process can help to erode hollows in the landscape, and deepen hollows into bowl shapes.

Question 18

Till

Answer 18

An unsorted mixture of sand, clay and boulders carried on by a glacier and deposited as ground moraine over a large area.

Question 19

Truncated spur

Answer 19

A former river valley style which has been sliced off by a valley glacier, forming cliff-like edges.

Question 20

Abiotic

Answer 20

Relating to non-living things

Question 21

Biotic

Answer 21

Relating to living things

Question 22

Consumer

Answer 22

Creature that eats animals and/or plant matter.

Question 23

Decomposer

Answer 23

An organism such as a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down dead tissue, which is then recycled to the environment.

Question 24

Ecosystem

Answer 24

A community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment.

Question 25

Food chain

Answer 25

The connections between different organisms (plants and animals) that rely on one another as their source of food.

Question 26

Food web

Answer 26

A complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food.

Question 27

Nutrient cycling

Answer 27

A set of processes whereby organisms extract minerals necessary for growth from soil or water, before passing them on through the food chain - and ultimately back to the soil and water.

Question 28

Global ecosystem

Answer 28

Very large ecological areas on the earth’s surface (or biomes), with fauna and flora (animals and plants) adapting to their environment. Examples include tropical rainforest and hot desert.

Question 29

Producer

Answer 29

An organism that is able to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis.

Question 30

Biodiversity

Answer 30

The variety of life in the world or a particular habitat.

Question 31

Commercial farming

Answer 31

Farming to sell produce for a profit to retailers or food processing companies

Question 32

Deforestation

Answer 32

The chopping down and removal of trees to clear an area of forest.

Question 33

Logging

Answer 33

The business of cutting down trees and transporting the logs to sawmills

Question 34

Mineral extraction

Answer 34

The removal of solid mineral resources from the earth. These resources include ores, which contain commercially valuable amounts of metals, such as iron and aluminium; precious stones, such as diamonds; building stones, such as granite; and solid fuels, such as coal and oil shale

Question 35

Soil Erosion

Answer 35

Removal of topsoil faster than it can be replaced, due to natural (water and wind action), animal, and human activity. Topsoil is the top layer of soil and is the most fertile because it contains the most organic, nutrient- rich materials.

Question 36

Subsistence farming

Answer 36

A type of agriculture producing food and materials for the benefit of only the farmer and his family.

Question 37

What is left behind after glacial abrasion?

Answer 37

‘Striations’ - scratches on the rock.

Question 38

What is left behind after glacial plucking takes place?

Answer 38

‘Chatter marks’ or ‘crescentic gouges’ - gouges on the rock.