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GCSE Geography > Topic 3 : UK Geology > Flashcards

Topic 3 : UK Geology Flashcards

1
Q

Describe the characteristics of an igneous rock

A 
Magma or lava cools
Cooling:
Underground-intrusive rocks
Overground-extrusive
Very resistant
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2
Q

Describe the characteristics of a sedimentary rock

A

Small parts of sand, mud and organic material
Sediments accumulates and compresses in layers
Less resistant

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3
Q

Describe the characteristics of a metamorphic rock

A

Heat and pressure changes the sedimentary + igneous rocks

Resistant

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4
Q

How does a U shaped valley form?

A

Glaciers alter the V shape to a U shape
Valley glacier moves down
Glacier moves down valley and plucks rock from beneath and those rocks erode
Truncated Spurs interlock

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5
Q

How is a Batholith formed?

A

Magma intrudes into the ground
Magma cools and solidifies
Large crystals form in the rock
They are domed shape and overtime exposed due to erosion

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6
Q

What is a mudflow?

A

Mixture of water, rock and sediment

They move very quickly

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7
Q

What is scree?

A

Angular rock pieces that has been created by freeze-thaw weathering

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8
Q

What are landslides?

A

A section of soil or rock suddenly gives way and moves down a slope

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9
Q

Name the types of weathering

A

Chemical
Biological
Physical

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10
Q

What are escarpments?

A

Higher areas of resistant rocks like chalk

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11
Q

What are vales?

A

Softer clay form lower and flatter ground

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12
Q

How is a v shaped valley formed?

A

When a river is near its source, it develops a V-shaped valley as the river erodes down
weathering breaks up material on the valley slopes.
Weathered material from the valley sides gets deposited in the river. This material is carried by the river and erodes the riverbed through abrasion.

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13
Q

What is a dip slope?

A

Behind the escarpment gentle slopes follow the angle of the scarp

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14
Q

How does physical weathering affect the UK’s landscape?

A

Uses freeze thaw weathering which shatters the ground

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15
Q

How does chemical weathering affect the UK’s landscape?

A

Uses acid rain which wears materials away

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16
Q

How does Biological weathering affect the UK’s landscape?

A

Plant roots can grow in cracks and make them wider and deeper by opening up the cracks as they grow

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17
Q

What type of rock would a sedimentary rock be like?

A

Soft rock

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18
Q

What type of rock would an igneous rock be like?

A

Hard rock

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19
Q

What is weathering?

A

The physical, chemical and biological breakdown of solid rock by the action of the weather and plants

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20
Q

What is rock fall?

A

When rocks and other sediments fall through the air and land at the bottom of a slope

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21
Q

What are landslides?

A

A slide happens when a section of soil or rock suddenly gives way moves down a slope

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22
Q

What is mud flow?

A

Flows are a mixture of water, rock and sediment
Move very quickly
Large flows can bury entire villages
Smaller ones can block roads

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23
Q

What is soil creep?

A

Very slow mass movement that goes on for years or even centuries

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24
Q

What are concordant coastlines?

A

When rock layers are parallel to the coastline

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25
What are destructive waves?
Waves that erode the beach Weak swash Strong backwash
26
What are constructive waves?
Waves that build a beach Strong swash Weak backwash
27
What is a headland?
A piece of land jutting out into the sea
28
What is a bay?
A broad coastal inlet often within a beach
29
What is a split?
A finger of new land made of sand jutting out into the sea
30
Why are erosion of cliffs greater in winter?
Destructive waves occur in winter as they are created in stormy conditions They also have a strong backwash
31
What is a salt marsh?
Low lying coastal wetland extending between high and low
32
What is a bar?
A spit that has grown across a bay
33
What causes cliffs to collapse?
Coastal erosion
34
What is coastal deposition?
Material being transported is dropped by constructive waves
35
What is attrition?
When rocks bang against each other and break
36
What is abrasion?
Process of weathering something away
37
What is hydraulic action?
Motion of water against a rock surface
38
What is a wave-cut notch?
A small indentation out into a cliff roughly at the the level of high tide caused by erosion
39
What is a wave cut-platform?
A wide, gentle sloping rocky surface at the foot of the cliff
40
What is a fetch?
Distance over which the world has blown
41
What are the differences between a concordant and discordant coastline?
Discordant coastline is rock layers which are perpendicular to the coast A concordant coastline is rock layers which are parallel to the coastline
42
How is a wave-cut platform formed?
Weathering attacks top of cliff Wave cut notch is formed by erosional processes - this a dent in the cliff As the notch increases in size, the cliff becomes unstable and collapses Backwash carries away the eroded material Process continues - the cliff continues to retreat
43
What is prevailing wind?
The dominant wind direction
44
What is hard engineering?
Construction of man-made structures to manage the coastline
45
What is soft engineering?
Construction of more environmentally friendly, less damaging and arguably more sustainable management solutions
46
Name types of hard engineering
Sea wall Groynes Rock armour Gabions
47
Name types of soft engineering?
Beach nourishment Dune regeneration Marsh creation
48
What would you find on the upper course of a river?
``` V - shaped valley Waterfalls and gorges Shallow water Slowest flow Narrowest part of the river Vertical erosion ```
49
What would you find on the middle course of a river?
``` Meanders River cliff and river beach Ox - bow lake Wider part Lateral erosion ```
50
What would you find on the lower course of the river?
``` Flooding Faster flow Deepest water Widest part Flood plains Deltas ```
51
The load particle size, channel bed roughness and slope angle is greater in the.........of a river?
Upstream
52
The discharge, occupied channel width, channel depth, average velocity and load quantity is greater in the.........of a river?
Downstream
53
Explain how two channel characteristics change along a river’s long profile
Discharge changes by getting wider due to lateral erosion | Channel depth changes by increasing due to vertical erosion
54
What is traction?
Large stones dragged along in the river
55
What is saltation?
Smaller stones or pebbles are picked up and dropped again
56
What is suspension?
Tiny particles of sediment are carried in suspension in the river’s current
57
Describe the formation of waterfall and gorges
Waterfalls occur when a river crosses a bed of more resistant rock Erosion of the less resistant rock underneath continues River’s energy creates a hollow at the foot of the waterfall known as a plunge pool Less resistant rock beneath is eroded more rapidly by abrasion and hydraulic action Created a hedge which collapses Waterfall takes up a new position leaving a steep valley or gorge
58
Describe how a V shaped valley forms
River erodes vertically down and leaves behind V shaped valley sides - it erodes straight down and leaves steep valley sides that are attracted by weathering This weakens the valley sides which may collapse or move down the slope due to slumping or soil creep River can then erode this material and move it away leaving behind the V shape
59
What is discharge?
Volume of water flowing in a river | Measured in cubic meters per second
60
What is a flood plain?
Flat area of land that the river splits into when it bursts its banks
61
What are levees?
A small ridge or raised area of land on the banks of the river Made up of the sediment from the river Can be natural or man made
62
How is a river delta formed?
When the river deposits its material faster than the sea can remove it
63
What is a fan shaped delta?
Land around the river mouth drones out into the sea and the diver splits many times on the way to the sea
64
What is a cuspate delta?
Land around the mouth of the river juts out into the sea
65
What is a bird’s foot delta?
River splits on the way to the sea | Each part of the river juts out into the sea
66
Explain the impact of tectonic processes on the UK’s landscape
Continental drift has shifted the UK’s location from the tropics Rock has been uplifted from the ocean by tectonic processes to create land This movement has created faults and distorted the layers of rocks This has changed the UK landscape
67
Name the main ways that tectonic activity shaped the UK landscape
Plate movements Plate collisions Active volcanoes
68
How did plate collisions shape the uk landscape?
``` Mountain ranges (e.g. Scottish Highlands, Lake District) were formed by rocks folding and uplifting as a result of plate collisions. These collisions also generated intense heat and pressure which led to the formation of hard metamorphic rocks in northern Scotland and Northern Ireland. ```
69
How did plate movements shape the uk landscape?
345-280 million years ago, the UK was in the tropics. At this time, sea levels were also higher, and so carboniferous limestone ended up forming in the warm and shallow seas. These areas are now found in the uplands of the Peak District, South Wales and south-west England. The lowland chalk and clay landscapes of southern England are the youngest rocks in the UK, and these also formed in the shallow seas and swamps all those years ago.
70
How did active volcanoes shape the uk landscape?
The UK was much closer to a plate margin 520 million years ago. Active volcanoes at this boundary erupted magma onto the UK landscape, which then cooled to form igneous rocks, such as granite
71
What does chalk form?
Escarpments
72
What does clay form?
wide and flat valleys because it is easily eroded
73
How are the joints spread in granite?
Unevenly spread | Fewer joints mean slower erosion and so these areas can end up sticking out as tors
74
What type of landscapes does granite form?
Upland landscapes
75
Why do igneous rocks form upland landscapes?
Because they are more resistance and impermeability
76
What type of weathering is limestone heavily affected by?
Carbonation weathering which happens mainly along joints and can end up creating some incredible features, such as limestone pavements and caverns
77
Why do sedimentary rocks from lowland landscapes?
Because they are less resistant and permeable
78
How doe u shape valleys form?
When a glacier flows through a v-shaped river valley + ice erodes the surrounding rocks to create a “U” shaped valley with a flat bottom and steel sides
79
What is a dip slope?
A surface which closes in the same direction as the dip of the underlying rocks
80
What is a scarp slope (escapement)?
The relatively steel face of a scarp
81
What is a vale?
Flat area of land
82
What is an anticline?
Layers of resistant rock at an angle
83
Explain how humans impact the landscape?
Yorkshire dales: Local limestone used to construct houses + drystone walls Glacial boulders removed to improve farmland Dispersed settlement due to space needed to graze the uplands
84
Explain the impact of tectonic processes
Continental drift has shifted the UK’s location from the tropics Rock has been uplifted from the ocean by tectonic processes to create land This movement has created faults and distorted the layers of rock This has changed the UK’s landscape
85
What are the human impacts on the landscape in East Anglia?
Fences/boundaries by use of hedges due to lack of suitable rock to build with Rich arable farmland Communal settlements
86
What are the human impacts on the landscape in the Yorkshire Dales?
Local limestone used to construct houses and drystone walls Glacial boulders removed to improve farmland Dispersed settlement due space needed to graze the uplands
87
What is the predominant rock type in the south and east of the UK?
Sedimentary rock
88
What is the predominant rock type in the south west of the UK?
Igneous rock
89
Which type of rock is mainly found on Scotland
Metamorphic

GCSE Geography (12 decks)

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