Topic 4: The UK's Evolving Physical Landscapes

Question 1

Abrasion

Answer 1

A form of erosion where loose material and sediment ‘sandpapers’ the walls and floors of the river, cliff or glacier.

Question 2

Attrition

Answer 2

Rocks bang against each other chipping away to make smaller, smoother rocks.

Question 3

Backshore

Answer 3

The upper beach closest to the land, including any cliffs or sand dunes.

Question 4

Beach nourishment

Answer 4

The addition of sand and sediment to an eroding beach by humans. The new material will be eroded by the sea which saves the cliffs or sand dunes from erosion and recession.

Question 5

Biological weathering

Answer 5

Rocks are broken apart by vegetation and roots, or chemical reactions from animal faeces erodes the rock face.

Question 6

Concordant coast

Answer 6

A coastline where bands of alternate geology run parallel to the coast.

Question 7

Corrasion

Answer 7

A form of mechanical erosion where material and sediment in the sea is flung at the cliff-face as waves break against it, this breaks up the rocks making up the cliff.

Question 8

Chemical weathering

Answer 8

The weak acid in rainwater will dissolve chemical compounds in the rock.

Question 9

Discordant coast

Answer 9

A coastline where bands of alternate geology run perpendicular to the shore.

Question 10

Drainage basin

Answer 10

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.
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Question 11

Dredging

Answer 11

Rubbish and sediment are dug up from the bottom of the river.

Question 12

Embankments

Answer 12

The banks of the river are built up in brick and concrete, to increase the channel capacity.

Question 13

Estuary

Answer 13

The point at where the river meets an ocean, often muddy or silty. Sometimes estuaries become exposed at low tide or hazardous to traverse in a boat due to sandbanks.

Question 14

Fetch

Answer 14

The length of water over which the wind has travelled.

Question 15

Floodplain

Answer 15

The low lying and wide floor of a river valley. Floodplains are found in the lower course and tend to act as overspill for the river when its channel is full.

Question 16

Floodplain zoning

Answer 16

Controlling where houses and buildings are built relative to the river to reduce their risk of flooding.

Question 17

Freeze thaw

Answer 17

A form of physical sub-aerial weathering where water freezes in the cracks of a rock, expands and enlarges the crack.
This weakens the rock overtime leaving it more open to erosion.

Question 18

Geology

Answer 18

The physical structure and arrangement of a rock.

Question 19

Groyne

Answer 19

A form of hard-engineering. Low-lying concrete or wooden walls, constructed perpendicular to the seafront and run out to sea. They encourage the trapping of sediment to reduce erosion caused by longshore drift or by winds.

Question 20

Hard management

Answer 20

The use of concrete structures to reduce or halt the recession of a coastline.
Includes: Groynes, Sea Walls, Rock Armour.

Question 21

Highlands

Answer 21

An area of land that is at a high elevation and tends to have a larger relief.

Question 22

Hydraulic action

Answer 22

The pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face will cause the rock to weaken and break apart.

Question 23

Igneous rock

Answer 23

Rock that has formed from volcanic activity, often cooled magma on the Earth’s surface.

Question 24

Impermeable

Answer 24

A rock that does not allow water to pass through it.

Question 25

Levee

Answer 25

The banks of the river

Question 26

Longshore drift

Answer 26

The transportation of sediment along a beach. Longshore Drift is determined by the direction of the prevailing wind.

Question 27

Lowlands

Answer 27

An area of land that has a small relief, so tends to be flat and at a low elevation

Question 28

Mass movement

Answer 28

Where there is a large downhill movement of material usually from a cliff-face. Here, the rock is often weak due to erosion and the movement is caused by gravity.

Question 29

Mechanical weathering

Answer 29

Sometimes called physical weathering, this is the breakdown of rocks due to forces, not chemical reactions.

Question 30

Metamorphic rock

Answer 30

Rock formed under intense pressure and heat, often close to tectonic plate boundaries.

Question 31

Permeable

Answer 31

A rock that allows water to pass through it

Question 32

Relief

Answer 32

The difference in the height of land for a particular region. A large relief means a region has a large difference between the lowest and highest points.

Question 33

Rock armour

Answer 33

Large rocks or concrete blocks, used as barricades to reduce marine erosion at the base of cliffs.

Question 34

Saltation

Answer 34

A form of transportation where smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed pushed by currents. This sediment is too heavy to be picked up by the flow of the water.

Question 35

Salt marsh

Answer 35

In sheltered bays or behind spits, salt and minerals will build up. Vegetation may establish, further stabilising the marsh.

Question 36

Sand dune

Answer 36

A depositional landform, where sand and sediment build up around driftwood and accumulate over time.

Question 37

Sea wall

Answer 37

A hard-management coastal defense, where a concrete wall is built parallel to the seafront, to redirect the energy of waves away from sensitive cliffs or the edge of a coastal town.

Question 38

Soft management

Answer 38

The use of natural materials and environmentally sustainable approaches to reduce coastal recession. Includes:
Beach Nourishment, Managed Retreat,
Sand Dune Encouragement.

Question 39

Solution

Answer 39

Acidic water dissolves chemicals from a rock face into the water. These chemicals can then be transported as chemical compounds in the water.

Question 40

Storm hydrograph

Answer 40

A graph to show the variation of river discharge over a short period of time (days).

Question 41

Suspension

Answer 41

Small rocks that are light enough to float are carried in the water, rather than along the bed.

Question 42

Spit

Answer 42

A long depositional landform, formed from sand and shingle

Question 43

Thalweg

Answer 43

The path of fastest water flow in a river