UK Physical Landscape

Question 1

Where is the UK’s main upland area?

Answer 1

north and west

Question 2

Where is the UK’s main low land areas?

Answer 2

south and east

Question 3

Igneous

Answer 3

formed when molten rock (magma) from the mantle cools down and hardens
the rock forms crystals as it cools
usually hard - granite

Question 4

Sedimentary

Answer 4

formed when layers of sediment are compacted together until they become solid rock

Question 5

Two main types of sedimentary rock in the UK

Answer 5

Carboniferous limestone and chalk - formed from tiny shells and skeletons of dead seas creatures
lime stone is quite hard
chalk is softer

clays and shales - made from mud and clay minerals, very soft

Question 6

Metamorphic

Answer 6

formed when other rocks (igneous, sedimentary or older metamorphic rocks) are changed by heat and pressure
new rocks become harder and more compact
shale becomes slate with further heat and pressure, slate becomes schist

Question 7

3 past tectonic processes that have shaped UK landscapes

Answer 7

Active volcanos
Plate collisions
Plate movements - UK position

Question 8

How has Active volcanos shaped the UK landscape?

Answer 8

520 million years ago UK land was much closer to plate boundary
Active volcanos forced magma through the earths crust which cooled down to form igneous rock such as granite

Question 9

How has Plate collisions shaped the UK landscape?

Answer 9

1) Plate collisions caused the rocks to be folded and uplifted - forming mountain ranges
many of these areas remain as Uplands - Scottish Highlands, Lake District, north Wales
2) Intense heat and pressure due to plate collision formed hard metamorphic rocks in northern Scotland and Northern Ireland

Question 10

How has Plate movements shaped the UK landscape?

Answer 10

345-280 million years ago Britain was in the tropics and higher sea levels - Carboniferous limestone formed
this can be seen in northern England, South Wales and south west England

Question 11

Granite

Answer 11

very resistant and forms uplands landscape
has lots of joints which aren’t evenly spread
impermeable - doesn’t let water through

Question 12

How are tors formed?

Answer 12

Granite has lots of joints which aren’t evenly spread
the parts of the rock where there are more joints wear down faster
areas with fewer joints are weathered more slowly than the surrounding rock and stick out at the surface which forms tors

Question 13

Moorlands

Answer 13

large areas of waterlogged land and acidic soil with low-growing vegetation
created by granite

Question 14

Slate and Schist

Answer 14

Slate forms in layers creating weak planes in the rock
slate is generally very hard and resistant to weathering but it is easily split into thin slabs

Schist has bigger crystals than slate and also splits easily into small flakes

both often form rugged upland areas
impermeable which can lead to waterlogged and acidic soils

Question 15

Carboniferous limestone

Answer 15

permeable so limestone areas have dry valleys and resurgent rivers
affected by carbonation weathering - happens along joints in the rocks creating features such limestone pavements, caverns and gorges

Question 16

Chalk and clay

Answer 16

chalk is harder than clay
chalk forms escarpments (hills) in UK lowlands and cliffs at the coast
chalk is permeable - water flows through it

clay is very soft and easily eroded
clay forms wide flat valleys in UK lowlands
clay is impermeable - water flows over the surface

Question 17

Physical processes that have shaped UK landscape

Answer 17

Weathering
Erosion
Post-glacial river processes
slope processes

Question 18

Weathering

Answer 18

breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces

types of weathering: mechanical, chemical, biological

Question 19

Erosion

Answer 19

erosion wears away rocks
during the last glacial period ice eroded the landscape
rivers and the sea now constantly erode the landscape

Question 20

Post-glacial river processes

Answer 20

melting ice at the end of glacial periods made rivers much bigger - with more power it erode the landscape
ice also left distinct landforms when it melted

Question 21

slope processes

Answer 21

including mass movement such as rockfalls, slides, slumps and soil creeps

Question 22

How have humans changed the landscape?

Answer 22

Agriculture
Forestry
Settlement

Question 23

Agriculture

Answer 23

People have cleared forests to make space for farming

Question 24

Forestry

Answer 24

the management of areas of woodland

can be used for timber, recreation or conservation

Question 25

Settlement

Answer 25

land was concreted over for roads and buildings - affected drainage patterns
some rivers were diverted through underground channels
river channels were straightened or had embankments built to help prevent flooding

Question 26

2 ways that past glacial processes have shaped upland areas in the UK

Answer 26

1) ice eroded landscape - carving out U-shaped valleys

2) as glaciers melted they deposited thick layers of unsorted material on the landscape