the uk physical landscape Flashcards
What is 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 or sand dunes.
What is beach nourishment?
The addition of sand and sediment to an eroding beach by humans.
What is biological weathering?
Rocks are broken apart by vegetation and roots, or chemical reactions from animal faeces erodes the rock face.
What is a concordant 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 waves break against it.
What is chemical weathering?
The weak acid in rainwater will dissolve chemical compounds in the rock.
What is a discordant coast?
A coastline where bands of alternate geology run perpendicular to the shore.
What is a drainage basin?
The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.
What is attrition?
Rocks bang against each other chipping away to make smaller, smoother rocks.
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 silty.
What is fetch?
The length of water over which the wind has travelled.
What is a floodplain?
The low lying and wide floor of a river valley.
What is floodplain zoning?
Controlling where houses and buildings are built relative to the river to reduce their risk of flooding.
What is freeze thaw?
A form of physical sub-aerial weathering where water freezes in the cracks of a rock.
What is geology?
The physical structure and arrangement of a rock.
What is a groyne?
A form of hard-engineering. Low-lying concrete or wooden walls, constructed perpendicular to the seafront.
What is hard management?
The use of concrete structures to reduce or halt the recession of a coastline.
What are highlands?
An area of land that is at a high elevation and tends to have a larger relief.
What is hydraulic action?
The pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face will cause the rock to weaken and break apart.
What is igneous rock?
Rock that has formed from volcanic activity, often cooled magma on the Earth’s surface.
What is impermeable?
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 transportation of sediment along a beach.
What are lowlands?
An area of land that has a small relief, so tends to be flat and at a low elevation.
What is mass movement?
Where there is a large downhill movement of material usually from a cliff-face.
What is mechanical weathering?
The breakdown of rocks due to forces, not chemical reactions.
What is metamorphic rock?
Rock formed under intense pressure and heat, often close to tectonic plate boundaries.
What is permeable?
A rock that allows water to pass through it.
What is relief?
The difference in the height of land for a particular region.
What is rock armour?
Large rocks or concrete blocks, used as barricades to reduce marine erosion at the base of cliffs.
What is saltation?
A form of transportation where smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed pushed by currents.
What is a salt marsh?
In sheltered bays or behind spits, salt and minerals will build up.
What is a sand dune?
A depositional landform, where sand and sediment build up around driftwood.
What is a sea wall?
A hard-management coastal defense, where a concrete wall is built parallel to the seafront.
What is sedimentary rock?
Rock formed from the accumulation of sediment.
What is solution?
Acidic water dissolves chemicals from a rock face into the water.
What is a storm hydrograph?
A graph to show the variation of river discharge over a short period of time.
What is suspension?
Small rocks that are light enough to float are carried in the water.
What is a spit?
A long depositional landform, formed from sand and shingle.
What is a thalweg?
The path of fastest water flow in a river.
What is traction?
Large rocks and boulders are rolled along the bed of the river or sea.
