The changing UK landscape Flashcards
How are sedimentary rocks formed
Formed of small particles that have been eroded, transported & deposited in layers or from remains of plants and animals
How are igneous rocks formed
Created by volcanic activity when magma or lava cools, forming crystals that are usually hard
How are metamorphic rocks formed
- From other rocks changing by extreme heat and pressure
- Usually form from layers/ bands of crystals and very hard
- Shale (can be compressed into Slate) or Limestone (that is transformed into marble)
What are the 3 types of rock
Igneous
Metamorphic
Sedimentary
Name two types of sedimentary rocks
Sandstone
Chalk
Name two types of igneous rocks
Basalt
Granite
Name two types of metamorphic rocks
Slate
Marble
What is the line that divides upland and lowland areas of England
Exe-tees
Where is the Bowerman’s nose
Datmoor- South-West England
What is evidence that the Bowerman’s nose is still going under weathering process
It’s surrounded by clitter slates
Where is Malham Cove
Yorkshire Dale.
Northern England
Center of Britain
What is the storyline of Malham Cove?
- Over millions of years, earth movements caused the large middle craven fault to form with softer rock slipping, creating a line of limestone cliffs
- About 150 000 years ago at the end of the ice last age, melting water from glaciers created a massive waterfall that eroded the cliff back towards its current position. The combination of water flowing over the cave, as well as erosion, weathering, and mass movement processes, created the round face seen today
- along the top of Malham Cove the unique structure of the carboniferous limestone has created limestone pavements
- The rock has cracks
- as rainwater passes through the lines of weaknesses in the rock, which makes the joints bigger
- The widening and deepening of the cracks on the surface from grykes, exposing blocks of limestone called clints, and creating the pavement
What are grykes
The gaps in between clints
What rock are most North and the South Downs mostly made from
Chalk (sedimentry)
What is the South Downs place called
Seven sisters
True / false
Chalk forms gentle hill inland and steep cliffs at the coast Limestone and chalk have calcium carbonate. Carbonic acid wears it away
True
What does escarment mean
A cliff face/ serious of cliffs and ridges
What do bays and headlands form
Discordant
Name two types of metamorphic rocks
Limestone
Marble
What percentage of South Down National Park is farmland
85%
How many farm businesses operate in South Down National Park
1100
What are pros of farming in South Down National Park
- The income of farming is good for the economy 60% of the employment in the park
- Arable farming has contributed towards supporting rare bird species
- The formation of hedgerows and field margin has lead to wildlife corridors for bats
What are cons of farming in South Down National Park
○ Less farming and changing in farming practices has reduced the presence of arabile plant, which has damaged
○Less chalk from the chemicals in farming
○ The decline of traditional practices has led to overgrazing and scrubbing encroachment
Define national park
A large area of natural land protected by the government because of national beauty, plants and animals
Define arable farming
The farming of crops such as wheat and barley
Define coppices
Woodland where the trees or shrubs are cut back every few years for firewood ir timber
Define cultivation
The action of using the land for agriculture purposes
Define wildlife corridor
A link of wildlife habitat which joins two or more larger areas of similar wildlife habitat
Define scrub encroachment
The gradual invasion of bushes due to lack of management
Define biodiversity
The number and variety of living species found in a specific area
Define spring-line settlement
Where there is a ridge if permeable rock lying over impermeable rock; with a line of springs the boundary between the two layers
Define escarpments
A long, steep slope, especially one at the edge of a plateau or separating areas of land at different heights
How many people live in South Downs
120 000 people
Define Abrasion
A form of erosion where loose material and sediment ‘sandpapers’ the walls and floors of the river, cliff or glacier
What is backshore
The upper beach closest to the land, including any cliffs and sand dunes
What is beach nourishment
The addition of sand and sediment to an eroding beach by humans. The new material will be eroded by the sea which saves the cliffs or sand dunes from erosion or ressession
What is a concordant coast
A coast line where bands of alternate geology run parallel to the coast
What is corrasion
A form of mechanical erosion where material and sediment in the sea is flung at the cliff-face as waves break against it, this breaks up the rocks making up the cliff
What are facrors for the upper course
○ Steep slopes
○ Shallow, quite fast flowing river
○ V-shaped valleys, waterfalls
○ Erosion
What are facrors for the middle course
○ Gentle slopes ○ Gentle valley sides ○ River getting wider ○ Meandors ○ Ox bow lakes ○ Flood plain ○ Transpiration
What are facrors for the lower course
○Floodplains
○Deltas
What are uses of the River Dee
○94% of the catchment is rural, including forestry, sheep farming and pasture in the upper-valley and dairy farming and arable farming in the lower valley
○ The river is an important source of water for approximately three million people in Wales and north-west England
○The river supports large areas of important habitats, including rare plant and wildlife species such as those for the otter and water vole
○ The River Dee and its estuary are famous for commercial and recreational fishing
○Parts of the catchment, such as he Snowdonia National Park, contain beautiful landscapes which are popular for recreation and tourism
○ Key communication routes run alongside the River Dee, including the Chester to Holyhead railway line, as well as the A55 and A483 primary roads
What are physical factors physical changing the river (case study: River Dee)
○ Peroids of drought
○ Climate change
○ Heavy rainfall and high surface run off - leads to more water in the river channel
What are human factors physical changing the river (case study: River Dee)
○ Channelisation
○ Over-abstraction for domestic use
○ Reservoirs have been built to store water for the growing population
○ Irrigation for crops
How much water does llyn brenig collect per day
800 000 m³
Define reservoir
A large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply
Define over-abstraction
The process of taking water from a ground source, either temporarily or permanaetly. Most water is used for irrigation or treatment to produce drinking water
Define irrigation
The method in which a controlled amount of water is supplied to plants at regular intivls for agriculture. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetaion of disturbed solid in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall
Define channelisation
A method of river engineering that widens or deepens rivers to increase the capacity for flow volume at specific sections of the river. As a result, during flood times watercourses can move more efficiently and facilitate more water, which results in less damage to banks
What is the Evironmental Agency (EA) responsible for
For managing the risk of flooding in England
What is abrasion
A form of erosion where loose material and sediment “sandpapers” the walls and the floors of the river, cliff, or glacier
What is attrition
Rocks bang against each other chipping away to make smaller, smoother rocks
What is backshore
The upper beach closest to the land, including any cliffs or sand dunes
What is beach nourishment
The addition of sand and sediemnt to an eroding beach by humans. The new material will be eroded by the sea which saves the cliffs or sand dunes from erosion and recession
What is biological weathering
Rocks are broken apart by vegitation and roots, or chemical reactions from animal faeces erodes the rock face
What is a concordinat coast
A coastline where bands of alternate geology run parallel to the coast
What is corrasion
A form of mechanical erosion where material and sediment in the sea is flung at the cliff-face as waes break against it , this breaks up the rocks making up the cliff
What is chemical weathering
A weak acid in rainwater will dissole chemical compounds in the rock
What is discordane coast
A coastline where bands of alternate geology run perpendicular to the shore
What is dredging
Rubbish and sediment are dug up from the bottom of the river
What are embankments
The banks of the river are built up in brick and concrete, to increase the channel capacity
What is an estuary
The point at where the river meets an ocean, often muddy or slittly. Sometimes estuarys become exposed at low tide or hazadours to traverse in a boat due to sandbanks
What is fetch
The length of water over which the wind has travelled
What is floodplain zoning
Controlling where houses and buildings are built realitive to the river to reduce their risk of flooding
What is geology
The physcial structure and arrangment of rock
What is a groyne
A form of hard-engineering. Low-lying concrete or wooden walls, constructed perpendicular to the seafront and run out to sea. They encourage the trapping of sediment to reduce erosion caused by longshore drift and winds
What is hardmangment
The use of concrete structures to reduce or halt the ressesion of a coatline. Includes: Groynes, sea walls, rock armour
What are highlands
An area of land that is at a high elevation and tends to have larger riefs
What does impermeable mean
A rock that does not allow water to pass through it
What is a levee
The banks of the river
What is longshore drift
The transporation fo sediment along a beach. Long shore drift is determined by the direction fo the prevailing winds
What are lowlands
An area of land that has a similar rief, so tends to be flat at a low elavation
What does permiale mean
A rock that allows water to pass through it
What is relif
The difference in the hieght of land for a particular region. A large rief means a region has a large difference between the lowest and highest points
What is rock armour
Large rocks or conrete blocks, used as barricades to reduce marine erosion at the base of cliffs
What is a salt marsh
In sheltered bays or behind spits, salt and minerals will build up. Vegitation may establish, further stabalising the marsh
What is a sand dune
A depositional landform, where sand and sediment build up around driftwood and accumulate over time
What is a sea wall
A hard mangament coastal defense, where a concrete wall is built parallel to the seafront, to redirect the energy of waves from sensitive cliffs or the edge of a coastal town
What is soft managment
The use of nataral materials and environmentally sustainable approaches to reduce coastal recession
What is strom hydrograph
A graph to show the variation of river discharge over a short period of time
What is suspesion
Small rocks that are light enough to float are carried in the water, rather then along the bed
What is a spit
A long depositional landform, formed from sand and shingle
What is thalweg
A path of fastest water flow in a river
How does deforestation impact the risk of flooding
○ Lack of interception
○ So rain goes into the soil and saturates faster
○ Surface run-off
How does urbanisation impact the risk of flooding
○ The growing population, therefore, more homes
○ Increased surface run-off
○ Reduced infiltration
What are the advantages of embankments (levees)
○ They stop water from spreading into areas where it could cause problems, such as housing
○ They can be earth and grass banks, which blend into the environment
What are the disadvantages of embankments (levees)
○ Flood water may go over the top and then get trapped behind them
○They can burst under pressure, possibly causing even greater damage
What are the advantages of channelisation
This allows more water to run through the channel faster, taking it away from places of risk
What are the disadvantages of channelisation
○ Water taken downstream may put other places at risk
○ It doesn’t look natural
What are the advantages of flood relief channels
The relief channels can accommodate high floes so that river will not overflow its banks
What are the disadvantages of flood relief channels
○ They can be unsightly and may not be needed very often
○ Costs can be high
What are the advantages of dams and reservoirs
They are long-lasting ad can also be used to produce hydro-electric power (HEP) and provide a local water supply. They can be used for water sports
What are the disadvantages of dams and reservoirs
They are expensive to build and can cause the displacement of people and ruin the environment. Some lakes suffer from the growth of algae
What are the advantages of washlands
○ These give a safe place for floodwater to go and help slow floodwaters down
○ This also improves a river’s natural sedimentation processes -the soil structure in the flood plain is restored, making it more efficient at storing water
What are the disadvantages of washlands
Allowing land to flood may limit the use of the land, for recreation for example, or mean a change of land use, for example, a change in farmland
What are the advantages of river restoration
○ Restoring rivers to a more natural course by taking away embankments aims to slow them down, for example restoring meanders
○ Natural rivers are more attractive and create natural habitats for wildlife
What are the disadvantages of river restoration
Some flood banks are often still needed, and like flood-plain retention, changes in land use may bring some disadvantages
What are the advantages of flood-plain zoning
Flood risk management aims to prevent building homes and businesses in high-risk zones. Here, uses such as open space for pleasure and recreation are allowed because flooding would be less costly
What are the disadvantages of flood-plain zoning
○These may not be the best places for different activities in terms of public accessibility
○ Flood plains are attractive places to build
What are embankemtns (levees)
High banks built on or near riverbanks
What is channelisation
This involves deepening and/ or straightening the river
What is flood relief channels
Extra channels can be built next to the river or leading from them
What are dams and reservoirs
Barriers constructed to hold back water in artificial lakes
What is a washland
Areas on the flood plain that are allowed to flood
What is river restoration
Restoring the river’s original course
What is flood-plain zoning
Governments allocate areas of land of different uses, according to their level of flood risk
