Unit 2: 4-Physical landscape of the UK

Question 1

Descibe areas 1,2,3,4

Answer 1

1.Grampian mountains -> Highland, Ben Nevis ( highest mountain in UK). Grampians= steep, rocky + sparse pop
2.Cheshire planes-> Area of low, flat land formed by deposition of materials eroded by glaciers. very fertile land used mainly for dairy farming
3.Snowdonia-> Glaciated ulpland formed from volcanic rock from extinct volcanos. Steep mountains (e.g Snowdon ) and glaciated valleys.
4. The downs and the Weald-> lowland with wide valley situated between parallel hils of downs. Was coverd in forest now mainly agriculture

Question 2

Descibe the geological make up of the UK

Answer 2

Tees-Exe line:
->Above-harder rock e.g ignious +sedementary ( granite + slate)
-> Below- Softer,sedementary
( e.g. chalk sandstone)

Question 3

What is igneous rock and how is it formed?

Answer 3

• Formed when molten rocks ( magma) cools and hardens, crystals forms as it cools
• Usally hard rock like granite

Question 4

What is sedementary rock and how is it formed?

Answer 4

• Layers of** sedement are compacted** together untill they become solid rock
  2 types fo sedementary:
  ->** Carboniferous limestone + chalk**- Formed from tiny shells/skeletons of dead sea creatures. Limestone= harder, chalk=soft
  ->Clays and Shales- Made of mud and clay minerals very soft

Question 5

What is metamorphic rock and how is it formed?

Answer 5

• other rocks ( ignus sedimantary + older metaphorfic) rock are changed by heat + preasure=> new rock is harder more compact
• Shale->slate more preasure-> schist

Question 6

What are the 3 main reasons past tectonic processes have changed the UK?

Answer 6

1. Active volacanoes
   520m ago Uk’s land was closer to tectonic plate. Active volcanoes forced magma throgh Earth’s crust=> cools to form ignous e.g. granite
2. Plate collisions
   ->Caues the rocks to be folded and uplifted= mountains. Many of theses areas= uplands now. ignous granite= harder= more resistant to erostion.
   ->intese heat+ preasure caused by plate colltions formed hard matamorphic rocks in NScot.
3. Plate movements
   ->Plate movements= 345-280m ago britan= tropics+ higher sea levels= Carboniferous limeston forms in larm shalloe water= upland peak district
   ->Younges rock are chalks and clay in SEngland. They form in shallow sea+ swamps. Chalk+ clay= eailsy eroded= lowland areas

Question 7

What lanscape does granite rock create?

Answer 7

• Very resistant=> upland areas
• Lots of joints ( cracks) unevenly spread. More joints=wear down faster.
• Fewer joints= wear down slower (weathered more slowly= stick out to form tors
• Impermeable=> moorlands- lage areas of waterlogged land and acidic soil with low growing vegation

Impermianble=doesn’t let water through

Question 8

What lanscape does Carboniferous limestone rock create?

Answer 8

• Rain water slowly eats away at limstone ( via carbonation weathering)
• Most occurs at joints in rock=limesone pavements,caverns & gorges
• Permiable= dry vallys + resurgent rivers ( river pops out at surface when limstone is on top of impermable rock)

Limestone pavements- flat areas with deep weathered rock

Question 9

How has Slate and Schist shaped the UK’s landscape?

Answer 9

• ** Slate**= formes in layers=> weak planes in rock= generally very hard + resisitant to weatheirng but easily split into thin slabs
• **Schist **= bigger crystals=> easily splits into small flakes
• Both Slate and Schist form:
  -> rugged upland lanscape
  -> Imperiamable=> waterlogged + acidic soil

Question 10

How has Chalk and Clay shaped the Uk’s landscape?

Answer 10

• Clalk:
  ->harder then clay forms escarpments ( hills) in lowand area + clifs at coast on e side usalyy more steep than the other
  -> Permiable- water flows throught it and emergers as spring ( when it merts imperimable rock).
• Clay:
  -> very soft and easily eroded= forms wide flat valleys in lowland areas
  -> imperimable= water flows over surface => streams, rivers, lakes

Question 11

How much of the UK was covered in ice in the last ice age? What effects did this have on the uk’s landscape?

Answer 11

• Massive ice sheet
• covered most of Scot, Ireland, Wales and some parts of Bristol
  Effects:
• Eroding power: Carve out large U-shaped valley e.d. Lake district
• As glaciers melt= deposit lot of material as melting. Landscapes formed by glacial meltwater + deposits extend south emg lots of South England covered in till deposited by melting glaciers

all in the last ice age
Till-> unsorted mix of clay, sand and rocks

Question 12

How have physical processes altered the UK’s landscape?

Answer 12

Weathering- breakdown of rock into smaller pieces can be : mechenical, chemical or bio
Erosion- wears away rock ( e.g. ice eroding rock in last galcial period + rivers + sea = constantly eroding land scape.
Post-glacial river processes- Melting ice in the last glacial period = makes rivers bigger than normal with more erosion power. Also ice leaves dicstinctive landforms when ice meltes e.g. haginging vallys (little vallys left at higher level than main valley)
Slope processes- mass movement e.g. rockfalls, slides, slumps and soil creep
=>Physical processes afffected by climated eg. colder= more freeze thaw weatheing, wet = more rivers

Question 13

Exaple of an upland area shaped by physical processes.

Answer 13

Snowdonia:
* Tarns sitting in corrie basin hollowed our by ice in glacial times
* Freeze thweathering-> steep back of corrie, as rocks are brocken up there are rock falls wich form scree slopes
* Large U-shaped vally erroed by ice, flat floor erorded by steep sides
* lots of rain, as rocks are mostly impermiable there are lots of streems wich erode steep sides forming gullies

Question 14

Example of a lowland area shaped by physcial processes.

Answer 14

The Downs and the Weald
* Low land area made of chalk escapments( the downs)
* Lie eather side of a large flat clay area ( Weald)
* Falt valley
* Large rivers e.g. River Arun meandering on impermable clay widening on valley floor
* Wet climate= heavy rain=> flood overflowing river= deposit silt on vally floor= form silt plain
* Dry areas in lowland landscapes are vallys with no visible streams ( they flow underground) formed during glacial periods wich ahad more freezw thaw weathering + glacial snow melt = streams had more water

Question 15

How has agriculture changed the Landscape of the UK?

Answer 15

• Clear forest for farm land , hegrows+ wallls put in place to mark fields
  Diffrenct lanscaped and agreculture use:
  ->Arable : Falt land with good soil ( East England) f= arible farming= crops
  -> Dairy- Warm wet area ( South West England) lots of large grassy feilds
  -> Sheep: Harsher conditions in upland area=> leads to lack of trees on hills as young trees are eathen or trampled before maturation

OS maps influence of agreculture e.g. feild boundarys+ drainage baison

Question 16

How has Forestry changed the landscape of the UK?

Answer 16

Forestry-> management of woodland area wich can be used for: Timber, recreation or conservation
* Uk was covered in Decidouous woodland very little natural left
* Coniferous ( evergreen ) forest planted for timeber in unatural straight lines whe felled ( cut down ) landscape = bare
* Some forest being replanted to return to natualr state

Question 17

How has Settlement changed the landscape of the UK?

Answer 17

• Land concreted for roads + buildings= affect drainage patterns
• Some rivers diverted in undergound river channles
• Some river channles : staightened or embankments to prevent flooding
  => Most large cities= ports + inducatical area e.g. London = more urban than natural