The Uk's changing PHYSICAL landscape Flashcards
Igneous rocks:
Rocks formed when molten (magma) from the mantle cools and hardens. It forms crystals as it cools.
Usually quite hard, eg. granite
Metamorphic Rocks:
Rocks formed when other rocks (igneous, sedimentary and older metamorphic rocks) are changed by high heat and pressure.
They become harder and more ompact, eg shale - slate - schist
Sedimentary Rocks:
Rocks formed when sediment has been compacted until it becomes solid rock.
2 types:
Carboniferous Limestone and chalk: formed from tiny shells and skeletons of dead creatures. Limestone is hard but chalk is much softer
Clay and shales: made from mud and clay minerals, they are much softer
Tell me the 3 ways which past tectonic processes have shaped the UK
Active volcanoes
Plate collisions
Plate movement.
How have active volcanoes shaped the UK?
520 million yeasr ago the land of the uk now used to be much closer to a plate boundary
Active volcanoes forced magma up which cooled the produced hard igneous rocks like granite
How has plate collisions shaped the Uk landscape?
Plate collisions forced rock up causing mountain ranges, some of which we still see today in uplands including the lake district and scottish highlands. The igneous granite is hard and therefore resistant to erosion
The plates colliding also caused extreme heat and pressue forming metamorphic rocks in northern scotland and ireland
How has plate movement affected the UK landscape?
Plate movements meant that 280 - 345 millions years ago, the uk was in the tropics, and higher sea levels meant it was partly underwater. Sedimentary rocks such as carboniferious limestone formed in the warm shallow seas. This can be seen in the uplands of peak district.
the younegst rocks in the uk (chalks and clays) in the south formed in the seas and swamps.
Theyre very soft and therefore form lowlands
How do physical processes affect the landscape?
Weathering: the breaking down of rocks into smaller poeces, either biological, mechanical or chemical.
Erosion: The process of wearing down rock faces due to friction over time
Post glacial processes: Glaciers melting resulting in rivers with higher velocities and power to erode the landscape.
Sloping: Eg rotational slumping, rockfalls, or soil creep
Human factors affecting landscape?
Agriculture: Arable farming wants flat land with good soil.
Dairy farms want warm and wet places with big grassy fields
Sheep farms want upland areas with harsh conditions as the sheeps are fine with it. Trees arent there as theyre eaten or trampled before they get a chance to grow
Forestry: Planting trees is often done in a very straight and ordered way, which makes the landscape look un natural
Settlements: Usually on flat areas. Cities near rivers for the sea for trade.
Roads built, embankments made to make land level, rivers diverted or put underground
