Topic 4: Evolving Physical Landscape Flashcards

1
Q

What are igneous rocks?

A

They are formed when molten rock (magma) from the mantle cools down and hardens, they are usually the strongest of the three rock types.

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2
Q

What are sedimentary rocks ?

A

They form when layers of sediment are compacted together until they form solid rock, there are two types:

  • Carboniferous limestone and chalk are formed from tiny shells and skeletons of dead sea creatures, limestone is strong and chalk much softer
  • Clays and shales are made from mud and clay minerals, they are soft
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3
Q

What are metamorphic rocks ?

A

These rocks are formed when other rocks (igneous, sedimentary or older metamorphic) are changed by heat and pressure, they become more compact and harder.

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4
Q

How have active volcanoes shaped the uk?

A
  • 520 million years ago the uk used to be much closer to the plate boundaries, this meant that active volcanoes formed here.
  • These volcanoes created igneous rocks
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5
Q

How have plate collisions shaped the uk?

A
  • Plate collisions created mountainous areas in Scotland

- The igneous rock there is hard

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6
Q

How have plate movements shaped the uk?

A
  • Britain used to be partly underwater, this meant that areas underwater formed chalks and clays (weak rocks) whereas northern areas above water formed much stronger rocks like Carboniferous limestone
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7
Q

How have glaciers shaped the uk?

A
  • Glaciers used to be in Scotland, they eroded to create valleys
  • When they melted they deposited a mineral called tilt in southern areas as the glacier water ran over leaving tilt behind
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8
Q

What does impermeable mean?

A

A rock that cannot have water run through it

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9
Q

Physical processes that have shaped upland uk?

A
  • Freeze thaw occurs on steep valleys, rock falls create a screen slope.
  • Most rocks upland are impermeable : therefore there are a lot of rivers meaning more erosion takes place
  • Glaciers formed u shaped valleys : in the u shaped valley lies a misfit river
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10
Q

Physical processes that have shaped lowland uk?

A
  • Meanders : They form on the impermeable rock
  • Wet climate : lots of rain causes flooding of the river which means silt is deposited on the valley floor creating a flood plain
  • Dry valleys : when the uk had a cold enough temperature for glaciers
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11
Q

Distinctive landscapes formed from human activity ?

A
  • Agriculture : cleared forests to make space for farming, hedgerows have been used to mark out fields
  • Forestry : most of the uk used to be covered in deciduous forests, this is mostly gone now
  • Settlements : concreted roads have effected drainage patterns, rivers have been diverted to underground tunnels and rivers have been straightened or had embankments to prevent flooding
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12
Q

Concordant?

A

A coastline with only one type of rock

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13
Q

Discordant?

A

A coastline with multiple types of rock, creating headlands and bays

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14
Q

How are headlands and bays formed?

A
  • Must be on a discordant coastline
  • Less resistant rocks are eroded to create bays
  • The wave energy is then directed towards the more resistant rock which will be eroded at the bottom to create steep cliffs
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15
Q

Rotational slumping?

A
  • The bottom layer of rock is impermeable (clay) but the top layer is permeable (sand).
  • When it rains water accumulates at the boundary and lubricates it
  • The permeable material (sand) will become saturated and slip rotationally
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16
Q

Mass movement : rock slides?

A
  • Joints holding the rocks together face the sea diagonally
  • Erosion occurs at the base or weathering at the top of the cliff
  • The cliff becomes unsupported
  • The rocks slide down into the sea
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17
Q

Hydraulic action?

A
  • Cracks form at the base of the cliff
  • Air get trapped in the cliff
  • As the waves hit the cliff it compresses the air increasing the size of the crack
  • The air blasts out creating more cracks
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18
Q

Abrasion?

A
  • When lose sediment is thrown against the cliffs by the waves and begins to erode the cliffs
19
Q

Attrition?

A
  • When rocks are swirled round by the waves and hit each other
  • The rocks wear each other down to create smaller, smoother rocks
20
Q

How does Long shore drift occur?

A
  • The waves hit the beach diagonally
  • Sediment is pushed up the beach diagonally then dragged back out, this process repeats again and again until the sediment has been transported all the way down the beach
21
Q

What is longshore drift?

A
  • It is the main transportation of sediment along the coast and occurs when waves hit the beach at an angle rather than parallel to it
22
Q

What are destructive waves ?

A
  • They have a short wave length
  • They have high wave height
  • Occur in winter
  • They have a high wave frequency (10-14 waves per minute)
  • It has a HIGHER backwash than swash
  • It REMOVES sediment from the beach
23
Q

What are constructive waves ?

A
  • They have long wave length
  • They have lower wave height
  • Occur in summer
  • Low wave frequency (6-8 waves per minute)
  • STRONGER swash than backwash
  • ADDS sediment to the beach (deposition)
24
Q

Formation of a stack?

A
  • Occurs at a headland
  • A crack occurs in the headland and waves erode through hydraulic action
  • Repeated hydraulic action causes a cave to form
  • The cave deepens over time until it breaks through the headland forming an arch
  • Different types of erosion wear away the rock supporting the stack, when it collapses it forms a stack
  • The base of the stack is eroded, eventually it collapses and forms a stump
25
Q

Formation of a wave cut platform ?

A
  • Occurs between low and high tide
  • Hydraulic action takes place at high tide and create a ‘wave cut notch’
  • The rock above the notch is unsupported and collapses
  • Over time the process is repeated and creates a wave cut platform only visible at low tide
26
Q

What is backwash?

A

When waves retreat to sea, it carries sediment off the beach

27
Q

What is swash ?

A

When go up onto the beach, it deposits sediment

28
Q

What is prevailing wind ?

A

The wind direction to the coastline, it decides which way longshore drift occurs

29
Q

Formation of a spit?

A
  • Forms at a sharp bend
  • Longshore drift transports sediment past the bend and deposits it in the sea
  • Strong winds can curve the end of the spit creating a recurved end
  • A sheltered area is created behind the spit (a mud flat or salt marsh can form here)
30
Q

Formation of a bar?

A
  • Same as a spit but it occurs across a headland and can cut the bay off from the sea
  • This creates a lagoon behind the bar
31
Q

What is the material underneath a misfit river in a u shaped valley?

A

Alluvium

32
Q

What is biological weathering ?

A
  • When a plants roots enter a crack in the rock, over time the roots pull the rock apart
  • Animals can burrow and compromise the integrity of the rock
33
Q

Agricultural effect on the coast?

A
  • Farming land has a low economic value and so it is left unprotected
  • Vegetation helps bind the soil together and hold the cliffs, this vegetation is removed for growing crops
34
Q

Development effect on the coast?

A
  • Coasts with lots of development has sea defences reducing erosion
  • However, some methods of coastal defence block natural sediment paths meaning other places do not get the sediment it needs to defend itself from erosion
35
Q

Industry effects on the coast?

A
  • Gravel has been removed for uses else where leaving beaches vulnerable
  • Coastal quarries exposes areas of the coast leaving them vulnerable
36
Q

Coastal management effects on the coast?

A
  • Some management strategies alter sediment movement

- Coastal defences prevent the landscape from retreating

37
Q

Swanage bay : effects of tourism ?

A
  • Tourism plays a major part in the local economy

- Groynes placed here to attract tourism cause problems further down shore

38
Q

Swanage bay : effects of agriculture?

A
  • Groynes built in Swanage create higher levels of erosion for farmland down shore as the sediment that would usually protect this land is not deposited as it does not leave swanage bay
39
Q

Swanage bay : Coastal management ?

A
  • Groynes here increase erosion at Ballards point as it does not receive the usual sediment from longshore drift
40
Q

Aspects of the sea wall?

A
  • Reflects wave energy back out to sea
  • Can defend high populated areas
  • Considered ugly
  • Is very expensive
41
Q

Aspects of groynes ?

A
  • Prevent long shore drift
  • Keeps beaches for tourism
  • Makes the beach more attractive
  • Increases erosion downstream
42
Q

Aspects of beach nourishment ?

A
  • Builds up the beach height
  • Beach absorbs the wave power
  • Looks natural and attracts tourists
  • Sediment may need to be replaced as it will be washed away
43
Q

Aspects of slope stabilisation?

A
  • Reduces mass movements
  • Looks natural
  • Difficult to install
  • Beach closed for a long time during installation