UKs PHYSICAL evolving landscape Flashcards
Geology
Rock type
Carbon dating
Uses radioactive testing to find the age of rocks which contained living material
Erosion
Wearing away the landscape
Upland
Mountainous/hilly landscape mostly consisting of igneous and metamorphic rocks what are older and more resistant
Lowland
Flatter landscapes mostly consisting of younger and less resistant sedimentary rocks
Abrasion
The scratching and scraping of a river bed and banks by the stones and sand in a liver
Antecedent rainfall
The amount of moisture already in the ground before rainfall
Arch
a curved passage through a headland created when a cave which was
eventually broken througn by erosion
Attrition
the wearing
away of particles of debris by the action of other
particles, such as river or beach pebbles
Backwash
the flow of water back to the sea after waves break on a beach
Bar
an accumulation of sediment that grows across the mouth of a bay,
caused by longshore dritt
Beach profile
the shape of a beach resulting from how waves break
Berm
Deposited sand formation
Channel
The bed and banks of a river
Concordant
coasts) follow the ridges and valleys of the land, so the rock strata
is parallel to the coastline
Constructive waves
build beaches by pushing sand and pebbles further up the beach
Cost benefit area
looking at all the costs of a project, social and environmental as
well as economic, and deciding whether it is worth going ahead
Class profile
shows a cross section of a river’s channel and valley at certain points in the river’s course
Delta
a low-lying area at the mouth of a river where a river deposits so
much sediment it extends beyond the coastline
Destructive waves
waves which erode beaches
Discharge
the volume of water flowing in a river, measured in cupic metres
per second
Discordant
(coasts) alternate between bands of hard rocks and soft rocks, so
Dissipate
means to reduce wave eneroy, which is absorbed as waves pass
througn, or over, sea delences
Dredging
througn, or over, sea delences
digging out drainage ditches and rivers to make them artificially
deeper
Dry valley
Valleys where rivers once’s flowed
Estuary
Where the river meets the sea
Fetch
the length of water over which the wind has blown, affecting the
size and strength of waves
Flood plain
flat land around a river that gets flooded when the river overflows
Glaciated
Formed or once covered by glaciers or ice sheets
Groundwater flow
Movement of water through rocks in the ground
Groynes
wooden or stone structures built at right angles to the coast to trap
sediment from longshore drift, allowing a beach to build up
Hydraulic action
the force of water along the coast, or within a stream or river
Igneous rock
Rock type formed from lavas and deep magmas. They were once
molten, then cooled and crystallised
Hard engineering
building physical structures to deal with natural hazards, such as
sea walls to stop waves
Infiltration
the soaking of rainwater into the ground
Interlocking spurs
hills that stick out on alternate sides of a V-shaped valley, like the
teeth of a zip
Levees
naturally formed or artificially built embankments beside rivers
Load
material carried by a river such as boulders or stones
Long profile
shows how a river’s gradient changes as it flows from its source to
its mouth
Longshore drift
when waves break at an angle to the coast, rather than parallel to
it. It usually occurs in one direction and transports sediment along
the coastline creating new landforms
Mass movement
the movement of material downslope, such as rock falls, landslides
or cliff collapso
Meander
naturally occurring sharp bend in a river
Metamorphic
sedimentary rocks that were heated and compressed during
igneous activity
Name features of a Middle course
Meander or oxbow lakes
Oxbow lake
a lake formed when a loop in a river is cut off by floods
Plunge pool
a hollow at the foot of a waterfall
Prevailing winds
the most frequent direction the wind blows in a certain area
River cliff
the steep edge of a river formed when a river erodes and
undercuts its outer bank
Salt march
salt-tolerant vegetation growing on mud flats in bays or estuaries.
These plants trap sediments
Saltation
the bouncing of material from and along a river bed or a land
surace
Scree
angular rock pieces created by freeze-thaw weathering
Solution
chemicals dissolved in water, invisible to the eye
Soft engineering
involves adapting to natural hazards and working with nature to
limit damage
Storm surge
a rapid rise in the level of the sea caused by low pressure and
strong winds
Spit
a nope of sand running away from the coast, uswally with a curvey
seaward end
Surface run off
rainwater that runs across the surface of the ground and drains
into the river
tiny particles of sediment dispersed in water
Upper course
the mountain stage of a river’s course with steep gradients, narrow
river channels and much erosion (waterfalls)
Traction
force that rolls or drags large stones along a river bed
Thalweg
the line of the fastest flow along the course of a river
Discharge
the volume of water flowing in a river, measured in cubic metres
per second
Rivulet
A small stream of water
Nave 4 ways of river transportation
SALTATION: Smaller stones or pebbles are picked upand then dropped again. ‘Skipping’
TRACTION: Large stones are dragged along
SOLUTION chemicals are carried along,invisible to
SUSPENSION: Tiny particles of sediment are carried in the river’s current.
Name 4 erosional processes
ABRASION - where sand and pebbles are dragged along the river bed, Or knock into it, wearing away the bed.
HYDRAULIC ACTION - where fast-flowing water is forced into cracks, breaking up the bank over time.
ATTRITION- where rocks and stones wear each other away as they knock together.
SOLUTION - where alkaline rocks, such as limestone, are dissolved by acidic rainwater.
Identify the physical processes
that have altered the landscape
of UK.
1) Weathering
2)erosion
3) glacial erosion
4) slope processes
Define weathering
.
Breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces. Can be mechanical, chemical or biological
Human causes of floods
Deforestation, urbanisation, burning of fossil fuels melt ice sheets
3 types of coastal erosion
Hydraulic action, abrasion and attrition
How is a spit formed
Through the process of longshore drift when the sediment moves along the coast, the sediment is deposited when it reaches a river estuary leaving a long sandy neck called a spit
Different types of hard engineering related to coasts
Rock armour, seawall, groins, gabions
What weathering processes have affected the UK landscape
Free-thraw where is weathering or chemical/biological weathering
What are the four choices that councils can make about how to manage the coast
- Hold the line, you see defences to stop erosion
- advance the line, use defences to move the coast further into the sea
- Strategic realignment , gradually let the coast erode and move people and businesses away from areas at risk
- Do nothing let, nature take its course
Explain why coastal management decisions can lead to conflict
Some people may lose land, businesses or homes.
It depends on costs and benefits
