topic 4-physical landscape Flashcards
the UK landscape coastal changes and conflict formation of coastal features
tee-exe-line
separates the north and the south of the UK from the lowland in the south and highland in the north
upland areas are located in the
north-west of the UK eg Scotland
lowland areas are located in the
south-east of the UK
rock type in the lowland area
sedimentary rocks eg chalk erode easily
rock type in the upland area
ingenious rocks eg granite
land in the lowland is
low-lying flat formed by deposition of material eroded by glaciers
gentle relief
land in the upland areas is
steep relief
rocky
high above sea level
what is lowland mainly used for
arable farming
agriculture
this is because the soil is fertile and gentle relief
what are upland mainly used for
sheep farming
forestry - coniferous trees
difficult to grow crops
formation of sedimentary rocks
sedimentary rocks are formed when layers of sediments have been deposited in layers -strata. these layers of sediments are compressed together until they create sedimentary rocks eg chalk and limestom=ne
examples and formations of sedimentary rocks
Carboniferous limestone
- formed from shells and skeletons of dead marine organisms
- quite hard
clays and shale
formed like limestone but softer
clay is very soft made from mud and clay minerals
widely found in the lowland areas of England - north-west
formation of igneous rocks
due to volcanic activities .igenous rocks are formed when molten rocks from the mantel cool down and harden this occurs at conservative plate boundaries
example of igneous rocks
granite very hard and resistant
where are sedimentary rocks found
in the low land areas of England
where are igneous rocks found
found mainly in the upland areas scattered across Scotland, in the lake district and northern Ireland, northern wales
metamorphic rock
when other rocks eg sedimentary and igneous rocks are changed by heat and pressure ( the intense heat and pressure caused by plate collision forms hard metamorphic rocks)
where are metamorphic rocks found
found in large bands across Scotland and Northern Ireland and wales
example of metamorphic rocks
marble - very hard
shale becomes slate
slate becomes schist
what are the main ways The main ways that tectonic activity has shaped the UK landscape are:
plate movement
plate collisions
volcanic activities
how did active volcanoes shape the UK active volcanoes
the UK used to be much closer to a plate boundary. active volcanoes at this boundary erupted magma in the UK which cooled to form igneous rocks such as granite
how did plate collision form the shape of the UK
caused the rocks to be uplifted and folded forming mountain ranges. the intense heat and pressure caused by the plate collision formed hard metamorphic rocks
how did plate movement shape the Uk landscape
millions of years ago the UK was nearer to the tropics at this point, high sea levels were higher and so carboniferous limestone ended up forming in the warm shallow sea
Characteristics of Different Rock Types- carboniferous limestone
limestone is heavily affected by carbonation weathering which happened along the joints of the rock
permeable therefore forms dry valleys and resurgent rivers
Characteristics of Different Rock Types- chalk and clay
forms in escarpments in the UK lowlands
clays are softer than chalks
clays form wide valleys because it is easily eroded
Characteristics of Different Rock Types-slate and schist
slate is hard and resistant because it forms in layers
schist are bigger crystals
Characteristics of Different Rock Types-granite
very hard and resistant forms in upland areas
granite is impermeable which forms moorlands
Physical Landscape Processes
Erosion processes weathering post-glacial processes slope processes physical process affected by weather
Erosion processes
Erosion is the wearing away of rocks as a result of being picked up and moved elsewhere.
weathering processes
Mechanical, chemical and biological weathering describe the breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces
slope processes
slope processes include mass movement and soil creep.
Post-glacial river processes
melting ice at the end of glacial periods made rivers much ,more bigger