Topic 4 The UK's Physical environment Flashcards
Which type of rock is slate- igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic ?
Give one characteristic of this type of rock.
Slate is a metamorphic rock. Metamorphic rocks are usually very hard.
Where in the UK are chalks and clays found ?
Chalks and clays are found in the lowlands of southern England.
What are the main types of rock that you would expect to find in the UK’s uplands?
The UK’s upland areas are mostly formed from harder rocks- igneous and metamorphic.
How are sedimentary rocks formed? Give three examples found in the UK.
Sedimentary rocks are formes when sediment layers are compacted together until they become solid rock. Examples in the
UK include chalk, carboniferous limestone and clay.
How have plate collisions shaped the UK landscape ?
Plate collisions formed mountain ranges in the UK uplands (e.g. in north Wales) by folding and uplifting rocks. The intense heat snd pressure caused by plate collisions also formed the hard metamorphic rocks in northern Scotland and northern ireland.
Explain one way that glaciers have shaped the UK landscape.
During some glacial periods, parts of the UK were covered in an ice sheet. Glaciers shaped the UK by eroding large U-shaped valleys in upland areas, e.g. the Lake District. Landscapes were also formed by glacial meltwater and deposits, e.g large parts of eastern England are covered in till deposited by melting glaciers.
Give two examples of mass movement.
Any two from: Rockfalls,slides, slumps and soil creep.
What is ‘weathering’ ?
Weathering is the breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces- It can be mechanical, chemical or biological.
Omar wants to know if his favourite UK upland valley was formed by a glacier. What characteristics of the valley could help him work this out ?
Upland valleys formed by erosion from glaciers are U-shaped, with flat floors and steep sides.
How did the melting of glaciers affect river processes in the UK?
Melting glacial ice added lots of water to rivers, making them bigger and more powerful than normal with more power to erode the landscape and transport material.
Explain two ways in which rivers shape the landscape in the UK’s lowland areas.
Large rivers meander across flat lowland valleys. The rivers erode the landscape, which widens the valley floor. Rivers also deposit silt on valley floors when they overflow during floods, which forms flood plains.
Suggest three features that you could find on an OS map that show human activities have shaped the UK’s landscape.
Features include: buildings, railways, canals, embankments, straight blue lines (man-made drainage ditches) or tree symbols (coniferous plantations).
Give two ways in which arable (crop) farming has changed the UK’s landscape.
People have cleared the UK’s land of forest to make space for farming. Over time, hedgerows and walls have been put in to mark out fields, dividing up the landscape.
What type of landscape do large flocks of sheep live in ? How are they affecting this landscape ?
Sheep are often kept in upland areas, wear conditions are harsher. They could affect landscape by eating or trampling on young trees, meaning there are fewer trees in the area.
What is forestry ? How has it created distinctive landscapes in the UK ?
Forestry is the management of areas of woodland used for timber recreation or conservation. Forestry for timber has changed the landscape by replacing natural deciduous trees with straight lines of coniferous trees- the forests don’t look natural. When areas of forestry plantation are felled, the landscape is left bare.
