Topic 8 - Distinctive Landscapes Flashcards
what is a landscape
all of the visible features of an area of land. It can contain both natural features and man-made features.
what are the main 5 elements of making a landscape distinctive
- physical (mountains, valleys etc)
- Water (lakes, rivers etc)
- living (vegetation)
- Transority (weathering, the seasons)
- Human (Buildings, land use)
what are some physical charctersistics of lanscapes
- geology
- vegetation
- surface water
- Topography (height and shape of land)
what are some human characteristics of landscapes
- land use
- human activity
- accesebility
what is sedimentry rock
layers of rock combined together
what is igneous rock
made from volcanoes and cooled down lava
what is metamorphic rock
needs heat and pressure to form
what is freeze - thaw weathering
- caused by temperature changes like on mountains
- large temperature variation between day and night leads to freeze - thaw weathering
what is chemical weathering
- rain dissolves carbon dioxide in the air which forms weak carbonic acid, so the rainwater is naturally acidic
- the action of rainwater causes chemical weathering in rock
what is biological weathering
- caused by plants and animals
- tree roots can force there way into rocks which splits them appart
- smaller plants like mosses grow on the surface of the rock and slowly making it crumble
what is the physical process of shaping landscapes in rivers
- steep V - shaped valleys form in upland areas
- wide flat floodplains have developed over time in low land areas
- Most of UK have been affected by river to some extent
what is the physical process of shaping landscapes in glaciers
- glaciers no longer actively shape the Uk landscape
- large U - shaped valley, known as glacial thoughts, are carved out of the landscape in mountainous areas such as the lake district
what is the physical process of shaping landscapes in seas
- cliffs have been eroded and continue to retreat
- erosoinal landforms such as wave cut platforms, caves, arches and stacks are found along the coastline
- beaches are formed by the deposition of eroded sediment
what is the process of slumping
- formed by boulder clay, material is deposited by glacial periods, the soil or rock debris moves downhill along the concave or curved plane in a rotational manner
- description: saturated soil slumps along a curved surface
what is the process of sliding
- in areas of more resistant cliff material erosion is greatest when waves break at the base of the cliff
- creates a wave cut notch in the base of the cliff, the weight of the cliff above becomes too much to support and therefore landslides
- description: blocks of rock slide downhill
what is hydraulic action
waves crash against the coast, forcing air into cracks and breaking up the rock
what is attrition
pebbles picked up by the waves, bash into each other wearing them down into smaller round particles
what is abrasion
waves pick up rocks from the seabed and smash them against the coast, wearing it away