theme 1.1.1 - what makes landscapes distinctive in wales? Flashcards
what is a landscape?
a part of the earth’s surface that can be viewed at one time from one place. it consists of geographic features that mark, or are characteristic of a particular area.
what is an upland?
a landscape that is hilly or mountainous.
what is a lowland?
an area of land that is lower than the land around it.
name the factors making a welsh landscape distinctive.
- land use
- culture
- geology
- vegetation
- land height
- coastal/inland
- natural processes
name the three national parks in wales.
- pembrokeshire coast national park
- snowdonia national park
- brecon beacons national park
name the factors of the welsh geological landscape.
- diverse upland landscape shaped by volcanic eruptions and extensive glaciation
- glacial features such as carries, u-shaped valleys and arétes
- mountain ranges that drop quickly to the sea
- contains the highest mountain in wales - snowdon.
what are the features of land use in wales?
- the landscape in many areas has been shaped by slate mining
- large areas of mainly pastoral agriculture and forestry
- national park status that attracts thousands of tourists. les to the growth of b&bs, camp sites and tourist facilities.
what are the features of vegetation in wales?
- diverse range of plant and animal life due to varied physical environments
- unique and rare species, eg. snowdon lily and snowdon beetle
- large areas of natural mixed deciduous forest and planted coniferous trees often harvested
what are the features of the people and culture in wales?
- snowdonia has a rich cultural history with many world heritage sites, including celtic shrines and fortresses
- welsh language widely spoken
what is a feature?
a specific part of the landscape that can be from either a human or physical environment.
what is a landform?
a feature of the earth’s surface that is part of the land, eg. mountains.
name some physical features of the pembrokeshire national park.
- distinctive headlands eroded by waves and hydraulic action, eg. green bridge
- bays give pembrokeshire a distinctive shape due to erosion. geology is limestone cliffs, eg. st govern’s head.
- pembrokeshire islands five the national park and have been historically inhabited.
- bosherston lakes are kept by a plateau of limestone, giving beautiful lily-pad areas attractive to visitors.
- waves and coves eroded by wave action on the coast.
name some human features of the pembrokeshire coast national park.
- st. davids is one of 163 campsites in the park as the land use is tourism
- small tourist led towns and villages, around 200,000 visit a year, boosting the economy
- farming (trehill farm) shows diversification as they have campsites and sell directly
- oil refinery employing 700 people with it’s own port, pembrokeshire dock
what is a process?
the actions that occur within a river including erosion, transportation and deposition.
what is given to a river the moment water begins to flow over the surface of land?
gravity
what does water have in it’s river channel?
energy
what is the term for the speed in a river?
velocity
what three processes occur in the river?
erosion, transportation and deposition
the faster the river flows, the more what does the river have?
energy
what is most of the river’s energy used to overcome?
friction
if there is lots of friction, what happens to the river?
it moves slowly
what does a river channel look like close to the source?
- shallow
- slower flow
what does a river channel look like close to the mouth?
- deeper
- faster flow
what is hydraulic action?
sheer force of the water pushing air into gaps causing rocks to crack.
what is abrasion?
when stones are carried by the river and wear away at the bed and banks.
what is attrition?
when stones knock into each other and break into smaller, smoother and rounder particles.
what is solution?
when the water dissolves rocks like limestone.
name the four types of erosion.
- hydraulic action
- abrasion
- attrition
- solution
name the four types of transportation.
- traction
- saltation
- suspension
- solution
what is traction?
large stones rolled along the bottom.
what is saltation?
pebbles bounced along the bottom
what is suspension?
a very fine mud carried by the river.
what is solution?
dissolved limestone in the water.
describe the formation of a v-shaped valley.
- hydraulic action causes water to get into small cracks and breaks down the sides of the river valley
- abrasion occurs when the riverbeds and banks are eroded by the load hitting against them
- solution occurs when water dissolves minerals from the rocks and washes them away
- weathering occurs on the valley sides
- as it eroded downwards, freeze-thaw weathering occurs, loosening rocks and steepening the valley sides
- the gravity causes mass movement of the broken rock into the river. these rocks assist in the process of abrasion
- the channel widens creating a v-shaped valley between interlocking spurs
explain the formation of a waterfall.
- river flows over bands of hard and soft rock
- soft rock is eroded quickly by hydraulic action, abrasion and solution
- when it is undercut, the hard rock hangs over the soft rock, forming an overhang
- overhang falls due to lack of support and gravity
- swirled down into the river causing a deep plunge pool. soft rock is eroded vertically and laterally by abrasion
- plunge pool deeps during times of high discharge when hydraulic action is most powerful
- this repeats, causing the waterfall to gradually retreat
- a gorge is formed as the waterfall cuts back
what is an interlocking spur?
- hill that a river meanders around in a v-shaped valley. when viewed from downstream, they appear locked together
what is a gorge?
a steep sided, narrow valley commonly found below a waterfall.
what is a plunge pool?
the pool of water found at the bottom of the waterfall. erosional feature created by hydraulic action and abrasion.
what is discharge?
the volume of water in a river passing a point in given time.
how does a meander form?
- the river erodes laterally, causing large bends and loops named meanders
- these form due to deposition and erosion migrating downstream
- hydraulic action and abrasion undercuts the river bank on the outside because it has the most energy due to lack of friction. this forms a river cliff
- on the outside bend the flow is slower, material is deposited and a slip-off slope is made
- transportation occurs when the river has lots of energy, through saltation and suspension
- the river breaks through the bends cutting off them. this forms an oxbow lake
describe the formation of a floodplain.
- the meander erodes away any high points leaving flat valley floor
- when the river bursts its banks the area is covered in water
- floodplains are wide due to erosion and deposition. it is a wide flat area, during floods material is deposited and the height of the floodplain increases
what are floodplains usually used for?
agricultural land as the area is fertile because alluvium is deposited from the river.
