The UK's Physical Landscape Flashcards
What are the three types of rocks?
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
How are Igneous rocks formed?
- Formed from volcanic activity, which means they’re all created at plate boundaries
- Molten rock crystallises as it cools which can produce sparkly quartz within a rock
What igneous rocks are found in the UK?
Granite
- Formed underground from continental crust, regularly used in kitchen countertops
Basalt
- Lava flow that breaks onto the surface cools to basalt
How are sedimentary rocks formed?
- Form gradually over time as dead organic matter and eroded rocks are transported out to sea
- These sediments are deposited on the seafloor which over time accumulate and compress under pressure
What sedimentary rocks are found in the UK?
Chalk
- Made from plankton
Sandstone
- Formed from sand, and is the most common rock type in the world
Limestone
- Made from calcium carbonate, and formed from biological materials
- Highly vulnerable to chemical weathering
Conglomerate
- Large rocks and pebbles cemented together with sand and mud
How are metamorphic rocks formed?
- Start off as sedimentary rocks, found close to tectonic activity
- They are formed under extreme pressure and temperature
- Metamorphic rocks are often banded, so they’re hard to erode, but can be split if force is applied between horizontal layers
What metamorphic rocks are found in the Uk?
Slate
- Formed from a mixture of clay, shale and volcanic ash
- Most common metamorphic rock in the Uk
Marble
- Formed from limestone
- Extremely resistant to erosion and very dense
What processes have evolved the Uk landscape?
Weathering and erosion
Glacial erosion
Slope processes
Rock falls
Landslides
Mudflow
Rotational Slip
What are upland landscapes?
- Located in the North and West of England, Wales and Scotland
- Areas that are usually higher above sea level
What are upland landscapes like?
- Majority of the Uk’s Igneous and Metamorphic rock
- Usually older and more resistant to erosion and weathering
- Past tectonic activities have caused faults and uplifts here
What are lowland landscapes?
- Located in the South and East of England
- Located at lower levels to uplands
What are lowland landscapes like?
- Sedimentary rocks such as clays and sands usually found here
- Much younger than uplands
- Sedimentary rocks erode very easily
What is an example of an Upland and Lowland landscape?
Upland- The Lake District
Lowland- The Weald, Sussex
What is the Lake District’s landscape like?
- Full of high mountains and low valleys due to glacial and tectonic processes
What post-glacial river processes affect the Lake District?
- The Lake District was once covered in glaciers which carved the landscape into deep U-shaped Valleys
- Over time, the valleys filled up with water from lakes and now many small rivers flow through the valleys (Misfit rivers)
What weathering and slope processes affect the Lake District?
- Many slopes surrounding the Lake District are covered in angular rocks called Scree
- These landscapes have been created by freeze thaw weathering- as water in rocks freezes and expands, causing them to break off from the rock face, and due to the steep relief, fall to the bases of mountains
- The Lake District is a very wet area which leads to frequent landslides
- Rilling and Gullying (Erosion from water flowing into small channels on slopes) is also common
What is the Weald’s landscape like?
- Gently rolling hills that are located at much lower elevations than the Lake District
What weathering and slope processes occur in the Weald?
- The Weald used to be a large mound of layered rocks called an anticline, caused by tectonic uplift, however, over time, this mound has eroded away to create hills
- This type of topography is known as Scarp and Vale topography
What rocks are found in the Weald?
Chalk
- Resistant to weathering and erosion, only really affected by slow chemical weathering, when rainwater dissolves the calcium carbonate
- Chalk forms steep escarpments
Clays
- Soft and highly erodible
- Lay below the chalk to form low, flat vales
What post-glacial river processes occur in the Weald?
- When the climate was much colder, the ground over the Weald was completely frozen. Rivers flowed and created valleys and other river landforms
- When the climate warmed, the frozen land began to melt and water from the rivers began to seep through the very permeable chalk. This has left dry valleys in the Weald
What human activities affect landscapes?
Forestry
Settlements
How does forestry affect landscapes?
- Some regions have become more vegetated by plants and trees after humans have planted them, which results in new forests being created
- However, many forests have been felled or replaced with non-native trees, to improve the timber industry.
What are charities that help protect forests in the UK?
Forestry Commission
Woodland Trust
How have settlements affected landscapes?
- Land surrounding a village may be cleared and rotivated for farmland, clearing it of vegetation and some rocks
- Rock quarries can may carve into highlands and reduce the relief of the land
- Landslides are often cleared and used for building houses
- Land is cleared and sometimes flattened for houses
