UK Geographical issues:Coasts, rivers and geology

Question 1

What is hydraulic action?

Answer 1

When waves hitting the cliff forces pockets of trapped air into cracks expanding the cracks and breaking them apart.

Question 2

What is abrasion?

Answer 2

When rocks picked up by the waves smash against the cliff wearing it away.

Question 3

What is attrition?

Answer 3

When pebbles carried by waves become rounder and smaller as they collide with each other.

Question 4

How are wave cut platforms created?

Answer 4

A wave cut notch creates an overhang which then collapses. the process repeats until there is a platform at the level of the wave cut notch.

Question 5

Describe how longshore drift happens

Answer 5

When the swash is at an angle to the beach, it pushes the sediment up the beach at an angle and hence always moving the sediment down the beach

Question 6

How are spits formed?

Answer 6

Long shore drift causes sediment to build up of at an angle when there is a change in the angle of the coastline. behind the spit, sheltered water becomes a salt marsh.

Question 7

What are the five main changes in the

river as you go down from the upper to lower course?

Answer 7

1) river discharge (amount of water) increases
2) channel width increases
3) Gradient decreases
4) Cross profile flattens
5) sediment size decreases`

Question 8

What is lateral erosion?

Answer 8

Erosion going sideways. e.g against the river bank

Question 9

where do the rich fish keep their money?

Answer 9

river bank

Question 10

Where do the poor fish keep their money?

Answer 10

Under the river bed

Question 11

How to draw a cross section of a map from contour lines

Answer 11

1) use a piece of paper and mark on the first contour line from where u are starting and note down height
2) mark on all the other contour lines
3) stick it as the x axis on the graph have height going up the y axis
4) plot a cross at the height of each contour line and in the same point as the contour line on the x axis.

Question 12

What does antecedent rainfall mean?

Answer 12

how much rain/moisture is already in the ground/drainage basin before further rain

Question 13

What can happen to rain in the interception zone?

Answer 13

When the rain hits dense vegetation, a lot of the rain is held up by the plants and then evaporated into atmosphere or slowly dropped onto the ground.

Question 14

What is infiltration?

Answer 14

when water is absorbed into the ground to make it saturated

Question 15

What factors affect lag time?

Answer 15

• the density of vegetation causing the interception zone
• antecedent rain which causes the ground to be saturated and make surface run off
• transpiration
• Im/permeable ground
• gradient of valley/surrounding area

Question 16

What is transpiration?

Answer 16

-water taken u by plants which is then evaporates into the atmosphere

Question 17

What type of hydrograph is likely to show a river which easily floods?

Answer 17

A steep rising limb and a short lag time.

Question 18

What are igneous rocks?

Answer 18

Rocks made from solidified magma, most are relatively resistant to erosion
e.g. granite

Question 19

What are sedimentary rocks?

Answer 19

Rocks formed compressed sediment made from eroded material, sediment deposited my rivers and the erosion caused by the sea.
e.g. limestone

Question 20

What are metamorphic rocks?

Answer 20

sedimentary rocks that have been further compressed and heated, hardening them.
e.g limestone becomes marble
slate

Question 21

What rock type is typical of upland areas?

Answer 21

Igneous and metamorphic rocks because they are more resistant

Question 22

What rock type is typical of low land areas?

Answer 22

sedimentary because they are less resistance.

Question 23

How has passed events influenced the UKs landscape?

Answer 23

Glaciation: Glaciers pressed down, eroding the land into U shaped valleys

Tectonic activities: Magma came up though volcanoes, which when cooled formed igneous rock which is resistant meaning it didn’t erode as fast as the surrounding landscape.

Question 24

What are the features of carboniferous limestone?

Answer 24

• Permeable

- Chemically weathered by rainwater

Question 25

How do rock types influence the shape of the coastline?

Answer 25

• Soft rocks like clay are easily eroded by the sea meaning the coast will be dented in the form of bays as the softer rocks are eroded and the hard rocks are left as headlands
• Soft rock cliffs will be less rugged and less steep than hard rock cliffs
• Hard rock cliffs have wave cut platforms, caves, arches and stacks

Question 26

What is the difference between a joint and a fault?

Answer 26

-joints are small cracks in the rock whereas faults are larger cracks in the rock, both making the rock more susceptible to erosion

Question 27

What factors affect rate of erosion at the coast?

Answer 27

• geology
• Wave climate; how powerful, which direction, wave height and fetch (how far winds travel)
• currents and tides strength
• ground water levels (saturated cliffs are more vulnerable to erosion)

Question 28

What are concordant coasts?

Answer 28

Coasts made from the same type of rock. These tend to have less bays and headlands

Question 29

What are discordant coasts?

Answer 29

When the rock type alternates in layers perpendicular to the sea, forming bays and headlands.

Question 30

What is swash?

Answer 30

When waves push sand and gravel up the beach

Question 31

What is the name of the process by which sand and sediment is brought down away from the beach?

Answer 31

Backwash

Question 32

What are constructive waves?

Answer 32

When waves deposit material onto the beaches because they have a strong swash and weak backwash

Question 33

What are destructive waves?

Answer 33

Waves which erode material and sediment away from the beach because they have a weak swash and a strong backwash

Question 34

What is traction?

Answer 34

When large boulders are rolled along the sea bed waves

Question 35

What is the name of the process by which smaller stones are bounced along the sea bed?

Answer 35

Saltation

Question 36

What is the name of process by which small particles are carried along in the flow of water?

Answer 36

Suspension

Question 37

What is solution?

Answer 37

When some minerals are dissolved in sea water and carried with the water particles

Question 38

What are the four wave transportation processes?

Answer 38

• Traction
• Saltation
• Suspension
• Solution

Question 39

What are the impacts of development on coastal landscapes?

Answer 39

Negative
-the weight of buildings increases cliff vulnerability
-changes in drainage can cause cliffs to become saturated
Positive
-raises interest in protecting coastal landscapes

Question 40

What are the impacts of Industry on coastal landscapes?

Answer 40

Negative
-can cause and increase in air, soil, water and noise pollution
-which can damage natural habitats
Positive
-Brings and incentive for coastal management to protect the coastline

Question 41

What are the impacts of agriculture on coastal landscapes?

Answer 41

Negative
-Increased soil erosion
-increased sedimentation
Positive
-Wildlife habitats can be created/preserved from other types of development

Question 42

What are the impacts of coastal management on coastal landscapes?

Answer 42

Negative
-can increase erosion further along the coastline 
Positive
- reduces risk of coastal flooding
-prevents erosion
-preserves salt marshes and spits

Question 43

What are the impacts of tourism of coastal landscapes?

Answer 43

Negative
-increased development for hotels can destroy natural habitats and increase mass movement/cliff collapsing
-increase al types of pollution
Positive
-Increases value of land so that sea defences are built to preserve the land