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*Edexcel GCSE Geography B* > The UK's Evolving Physical Landscape > Flashcards

The UK's Evolving Physical Landscape Flashcards

1
Q

What is glacial abrasion?

A

A process of erosion involving the wearing away of the valley floor and sides. It also wears away shorelines in coastal zones.

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2
Q

What is glacial plucking?

A

A process of erosion involving individual rocks being plucked from the valley floor and sides as water freezes them to the glacier.

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3
Q

Outline the process of freeze thaw weathering and any outcomes of it:

A

Erosion caused due to water freezing in a crack, expanding, widening the rock and melting again.
This causes moraine and piles off scree.

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4
Q

What is the cause of meltwater and what does it do?

A

Ice melting in summer.

Lubricates the glacier, letting it move (basal/ rotational slip).

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5
Q

Why do glaciers move downhill in winter?

A

The glacier is frozen to the surface so its weight and gravity cause individual ice crystals to move. This is called internal deformation.

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6
Q

What are the 4 types of moraines?

A
  • Lateral moraine
  • Medial moraine
  • Terminal moraine
  • Ground moraine
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7
Q

How are Corries formed?

A

1) Snow accumulates in a hollow hillside
2) Snow turns to ice, compressing the land and forming a small Corrie glacier
3) The glacier repeatedly scoops out rock (due to rotational slip and plucking)
4) A raised lip is formed as ice is thinner near the Corrie edges
5) After a glacial period, the ice melts to form a Corrie lake (tarn)

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7
Q

How are arêtes and pyramidal peaks formed?

A

2 or more Corries form back to back

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9
Q

What is a hanging valley?

A

A valley which has been cut across by another deeper valley (usually resulting in a waterfall)

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10
Q

Name 7 glacial features of upland areas

A
  • Arêtes
  • Corries
  • Tarn (Corrie lake)
  • Hanging valley
  • Plucking
  • Misfit river
  • Dry valley
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11
Q

What is carbon dating?

A

Using radioactive testing to determine the age of rocks, which contained living material

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12
Q

What are the three types of rock?

A

Sedimentary, Metamorphic, Igneous

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13
Q

What are layers of rock called?

A

Strata

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14
Q

What types of rock are found in high relief areas?

A

Igneous and Metamorphic as they are more resistant

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15
Q

What type of rock is found in low relief areas?

A

Sedimentary rock as they are less resistant

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17
Q

Where is sedimentary rock found?

A

East of England

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18
Q

How did tectonic processes affect the Pennines?

A
  • Convection currents beneath the plate, uplifted rocks from below the sea, to form land
  • Some rocks snapped and moved along faults over thousands of years in a series of earthquakes
  • Each earthquake raised faults to different heights
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18
Q

Where is Metamorphic rock found?

A

West of England

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19
Q

Why are some parts of a valley worn away more easily than others?

A

They are made from a less resistant type of rock

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21
Q

How do V-shaped valleys form?

A

Rivers erode into the valley over time

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22
Q

How do U-shaped valleys form?

A

Glaciers erode further into the V-shaped valleys making wide troughs

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23
Q

How is igneous rock formed?

A

Molten magma or lava cools slowly, forming crystals.

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23
Q

Give an example of an igneous rock.

A

Granite

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25
Q

How is metamorphic rock formed?

A

Igneous or sandstone rocks get pushed under continental plates. The heat and pressure changes them into new rocks.

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26
Q

Give 2 examples of metamorphic rocks.

A

Schists

Slate

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27
Q

How is sedimentary rock formed?

A

Rocks and dead fossils which has been weathered, eroded and deposited on the sea- bed are compacted to form new rocks.

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27
Q

Give 3 examples of sedimentary rocks.

A

Chalk
Carboniferous limestone
Clay

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28
Q

What are the characteristics of igneous rock?

A

Heavy, dark, very resistant

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29
Q

What are the characteristics off metamorphic rock?

A

Resistant

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30
Q

What are the characteristics of sedimentary rock?

A

Soft and crumbly (Clay)
Permeable (Carboniferous limestone)
Porous and very resistant (Chalk)

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31
Q

What is slate made of?

A

Heated mud or shale

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32
Q

Where in the UK can you find sedimentary rock?

A

London- clay

Yorkshire dales- limestone

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33
Q

Where in the UK can you find igneous rock?

A

Dartmoor

Grampians

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34
Q

Where in the UK can you find metamorphic rocks?

A

Giants causeway

Stornaway

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35
Q

What are the 3 types of weathering?

A

Physical- weather
Chemical- acid rain
Biological- plants

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36
Q

Give an example of an upland UK landscape, the weathering types, the slope processes and the post-glacial processes:

A

The Lake District
Weathering: freeze thaw
Slope processes: rockfalls and landslides (large volumes of rain) forming steep, rocky crags
Post-glacial processes: misfit rivers and silt and mud deposition

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37
Q

Give an example of a UK lowland landscape, the weathering types, the slope processes and the post-glacial river and slope processes:

A

The Weald
Weathering: chemical and biological weathering
Slope processes: steep escarpments and flat vales (scarp and vale topography)
Post-glacial processes: dry valleys and flat land

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38
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of agriculture in the South Downs on the landscape?

A

+Hedgerows/field margins provide wildlife corridors

-Chemicals reduce soil fertility, erosion of chalk and shrub encroachment

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39
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of forestry in the South Downs on the landscape?

A

+

-

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40
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of settlement in the South Downs on the landscape?

A

+

-

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41
Q

What is a coastal zone?

A

A changing boundary between land and sea.

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42
Q

Give 2 examples of hard rock coasts.

A

Flamborough Head

Lulworth cove

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43
Q

Give 2 examples of soft rock costs.

A

Holderness coast

Happisburgh

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44
Q

What is a concordant coastline?

A

A coastline where the rocks are parallel to the wave front. Similar erosion rates throughout.

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45
Q

What is a discordant coastline?

A

A coastline were differential erosion may occur due to bands of hard and soft rock. This causes bays and headlands.

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46
Q

What is a joint?

A

A small, vertical crack found in many rocks

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47
Q

What is a fault?

A

A larger rack caused by past tectonic movements where rocks have formed

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48
Q

Describe how caves, arches, stacks and stumps are formed from hard rock cliffs.

A
  • A large crack is opened up by hydraulic action
  • The crack grows
  • A cave forms and becomes larger
  • The cave breaks through the headland forming a natural arch
  • The arch collapses to form a stack
  • The stack erodes into a stump
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49
Q

What causes waves?

A

Wind blowing across the sea causing friction.

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50
Q

What does wave size depend on?

A

Wind strength
Length of time wind is blowing for
Length of water

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51
Q

Describe a constructive wave.

A

Small, slow summer waves with long wavefronts and low amplitudes that break as spilling waves. They have a strong swash so lots of sand is deposited. They also have low backwash due to a gentle slope.

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52
Q

Describe a destructive wave.

A

Tall, quicker winter waves with a larger amplitude but shorter wavelength which breaks as a plunging wave. They have a strong backwash due to a steep beach which can form a rip current and offshore bars.

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53
Q

What is rotational slumping?

A

The rapid movement of a mass of earth or rock sliding along a concave surface. This occurs due to heavy periods of rain, human activity like new buildings and the nature of the material.

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54
Q

What is longshore drift?

A

Process by which sediment such as sand is transported along a beach. The direction is controlled by the direction of the dominant wind.

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55
Q

How do you find evidence of longshore drift?

A

Slanted beach
Groynes
Spits or sand dunes

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56
Q

What is a spit?

A

A neck of sand formed by deposition of sand on a river, halting its flow.

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57
Q

What is a beach?

A

Sediment on a coast forming a barrier between land and sea. This is usually due to a cove or bay.

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58
Q

What is a bar?

A

A line of sand covering/ blocking a bay from the sea due to longshore drift. This may form a lagoon.

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59
Q

What is a salt marsh?

A

A marsh behind a curved spit, protecting it from storms.

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60
Q

Which 4 human activities cause most risk to coasts?

A

Development
Agriculture
Industry
Coastal management

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61
Q

How does development impact coasts?

A

Tourism- pollution
Housing- slumping
Commercial activity/ businesses- slumping
Retirement homes- slumping

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62
Q

Why does development take place at the coast?

A

Businesses have easy access to trading ports.
Less money has to be spent on transport.
Fishing businesses have easy access to their docks.

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63
Q

How is agriculture impacted by coasts?

A

Sea level rise floods pastures with salt water

Increased coastal erosion leads to loss of farmland as it has low economic value

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64
Q

How does industry impact coasts?

A

Roads, railways and ports are built to link coasts to the rest of the world.
Oil refineries can cause leaks into the sea
Gas terminals and chemical plants produce many waste products
Wildlife is disturbed by ferry and shipping ports
Erosion due to sand and gravel removal disturbs wildlife

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65
Q

How does coastal management impact coasts?

A

Hard engineering protects coasts with artificial structures

Soft engineering protects coasts with natural process

66
Q

Give a named example of coastal change and conflict in the UK.

A

The Holderness Coast, Yorkshire

67
Q

Where is the Holderness Coast located?

A

The East Coast of England.
61km from Flamborough head to Spurn head.
It is in Yorkshire

68
Q

Why is there such a high level of erosion along the coast?

A

Narrow beaches

Made of soft boulder clay

69
Q

Name the type of erosion on a named location along the Holderness coast made of resistant chalk.

A

Flamborough Head

Hydraulic action causes the collapse of arches and stacks

70
Q

Name the type of erosion on a named location along the Holderness coast made of boulder clay.

A

Mappleton

Cliffs fall into the sea due to cliff-foot erosion and cliff-face weathering

71
Q

How does the presence of people impact the Holderness coast?

A

Leisure facilities, retirement homes, houses, etc. accelerate the rate of slumping on natural slip planes

72
Q

How does interfering with natural processes impact the Holderness coast?

A

Interfering with longshore drift with coastal defences can increase erosion rates in other areas due to the sediment starvation effect.

73
Q

Which coastal defences are implemented along the Holderness coast?

A

Hornsea: groynes and sea walls
Withersea: groynes and sea walls
Mappleton: groynes

11km of hard engineering

74
Q

How many people does the costal defences along the Holderness coast protect?

A

14000

75
Q

How are rising sea levels increasing flood risk?

A
  • Higher tides
  • More material is removed (cliff erosion)
  • Narrows beaches + exposes coasts to erosion

Threat to low- lying and coastal areas

76
Q

How is increased storm frequency increasing flood risk?

A
  • The sea has more erosional power
  • The sea has more transportation energy
  • More frequent and powerful storm surges (flood coast)
77
Q

What threats does coastal flooding have on people?

A
  • Low lying areas become uninhabitable
  • Coastal industries may have to shut down (equipment, building or land damage)
  • Damaged flood defences
  • Damaged infrastructure (e.g. roads)
78
Q

What threats does coastal flooding have on the environment?

A
  • Ecosystems are damaged by increased salt levels
  • Reduced soil fertility
  • Trees are uprooted and plants are drowned (flood water)
  • Threatened conservation areas
79
Q

Name the marine cliff foot processes that cause cliffs to collapse:

A

Erosion by hydraulic action and abrasion

The cliff face is made steeper

80
Q

Name the sub-aerial cliff face processes that cause cliffs to collapse:

A

Weathering weakens the cliff (mechanical, chemical + biological)

Heavy rain- saturation at cliff top, erosion and adds weight

81
Q

Name the human actions that cause cliffs to collapse:

A

Building- adds weight

82
Q

Define hard engineering:

A

Man- made structures built to control the flow of the sea and reduce flooding and erosion. E.g. sea walls

83
Q

Define soft engineering:

A

Schemes set up using knowledge of the sea and its processes to reduce the effects of flooding and erosion. E.g. beach replenishment

84
Q

What are sea walls? Assess the costs and benefits:

A 
A wall made of hard materials (mainly concrete) to reflect waves.
\+Acts as a barrier to prevent flooding
\+Prevents erosion
-Strong backwash, erosion under wall
-Expensive to build and maintain 
-Ugly
85
Q

What are groynes? Assess the costs and benefits:

A

Wooden or stone fences that trap material transported by longshore drift.
+Create wider beaches with slow waves which gives greater flood protection.
+Cheap
-Starve beaches further down the coast
-Erosion further down the coast where beaches become narrower

86
Q

What is beach replenishment? Assess the costs and benefits:

A

Sand and shingle from elsewhere added to the upper beach.
+Wider beaches slow waves
+Greater protection from flooding and erosion
-Taking materials from the seabed can kill organisms
-Very expensive
-His to be repeated

87
Q

What is slope stabilisation? Assess the costs and benefits:

A

Concrete nails inserted into a slope for reinforcement. The slope is also covered with a metal netting.
+Prevents mass movement by increasing slope strength
-Very expensive
-Very difficult to install

88
Q

What is strategic realignment? Assess the costs and benefits:

A

Removing an existing defence and allowing the land behind it to flood.
+New habitats created by land becoming marshland
+Flooding and erosion are reduced behind marshland
-Disagreements over which land should be flooded

89
Q

What is Holistic management?

A

Coastal management that takes into account the needs of different groups of people; the economic costs and benefits in the short a long term; and the environment on land and in the sea.

E.g. Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)

Shoreline management plans (SMPs) are drawn up to visualise the impacts.

90
Q

What are the 4 Holistic coastal flooding management choices?

A
  • Hold the line: sea defences stop erosion so coast stays in same place (expensive)
  • Advance the line: sea defences move coast further into the sea (v. Expensive)
  • Strategic realignment: gradually let the coast erode whilst moving people and businesses away (usually includes financial compensation)
  • Do nothing: no action. This can cause conflict as people may lose land, business or homes
91
Q

What 3 factors effect the rate of coastal erosion?

A

Geology of rocks
Cliff processes
Waves and wave energy

92
Q

Outline the hydrological cycle (a closed system) starting with evaporation:

A

Evaporation: Change of state from liquid to gas
Transpiration: Evaporation of water from the pores of plant leaves
Condensation: Change of state from gas to liquid
Precipitation: Any form of moisture that falls from the sky
Infiltration: Movement of water from land surface into the soil
Water table: The level below the surface where soil and rock is saturated
Ground water: Underground water which flows into water stores
Storage: Rivers, lakes, seas, etc.

93
Q

A drainage basin is…

A

The land surrounding a river where all the water flows int one river

94
Q

Define confluence:

A

Where two rivers meet

95
Q

Define mouth:

A

Where rivers meet the sea or lake

96
Q

Define source:

A

The beginning of a river

97
Q

Define store:

A

Water is kept in one place for a period of time

98
Q

Define tributary:

A

Smaller streams that flow into a river

99
Q

Define watershed:

A

The edge of a river basin

100
Q

Define estuary:

A

The tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide of the sea meets the stream of the river

101
Q

Define meander:

A

A river following a winding course

102
Q

Define river discharge:

A

The water that moves from the river’s flow into the sea

103
Q

Define groundwater flow:

A

The movement of water through saturated ground

104
Q

Define stem flow:

A

When intercepted water travels down the branches and trunks of vegetation

105
Q

Define through flow:

A

The movement of water through unsaturated ground

106
Q

Define percolation:

A

When water travels from unsaturated ground to saturated ground

107
Q

What is the rainfall like at each stage of the river Severn?

A

Upper course: Over 2500mm/ year
Middle course: Under 700mm/ year
Lower course: Less rainfall/ year

108
Q

What is the geology like at each stage of the river Severn?

A

Upper course: Shales, slates and grits (hard and impermeable)
Middle course: Sandstone, conglomerates, coal and marls (all covered in sand and grit)
Lower course: Clays, sands, sandstone, soft mudstones, etc. (All covered in sand and gravels)

109
Q

What is the channel shape like at each stage of the river Severn?

A

Upper course: Shallow and narrow
Middle course: Wider and deeper
Lower course: Widest and deepest

110
Q

What is the type of erosion like at each stage of the river Severn?

A

Upper course: Vertical- hydraulic action, abrasion and attrition
Middle course: Vertical and lateral- hydraulic action
Lower course: Lateral- very little erosion

111
Q

What are the landforms like at each stage of the river Severn?

A

Upper course: Waterfalls, gorges and v-shaped valleys
Middle course: Meanders and oxbow lakes
Lower course: Floodplains, estuaries and deltas

112
Q

What are the river processes like at each stage of the river Severn?

A

Upper course: Erosion
Middle course: Transport
Lower course: Deposition

113
Q

What is the particle size and shape like at each stage of the river Severn?

A

Upper course: Angular stones
Middle course: Rounder
Lower course: Sands

114
Q

How does discharge change at each stage of the river Severn?

A

It increases

115
Q

How does velocity change at each stage of the river Severn?

A

It increases

116
Q

What is the Bradshaw model?

A

A summary of how a river changes as you move down the course.
Factors that increase include: discharge, channel width and depth, velocity, load quantity
Factors that decrease include: particle size, channel bed roughness, slope gradient

117
Q

What does a river’s long profile show?

A

Height
Distance downstream from the source
River shape

118
Q

What is abrasion?

A

Abrasion cours when the load of the river repeatedly hits the river bed and banks, causing material to break off.

119
Q

What is attrition?

A

Attrition is when stones and boulders the river is carrying knock against each other, causing bits to fall off and reduce in size.

120
Q

What is hydraulic action?

A

The sheer force of water hitting the bed and banks causes air to become trapped, weakening the sides and causing them to wear away

121
Q

What is solution (corrosion)?

A

River flowing over certain types of rocks causes them to dissolve ans become part of the water

122
Q

What is solution (in terms of transportation)?

A

The dissolved load of the river

123
Q

What is suspension?

A

A means of carrying very fine material so that it floats with the river

124
Q

What is saltation?

A

The movement of small stones and grains of sand my bouncing them along the river bed

125
Q

What is traction?

A

The movement of the largest material which is too heavy to lose contact with the bed. Boulders are rolled along slowly.

126
Q

The more energy a river has, the _______ the river can erode.
The more energy a river has, the _______ the load it can carry.
The _____ energy a river has, the more material the over deposits.

A

Faster
Larger
More

127
Q

Which factors influence erosion?

A 
Volume of water
River gradient
Rock type
Friction
Type of flow
128
Q

Which factors influence deposition?

A

Gradient (reduction)
Volume of water (reduction)
Friction (increase)

129
Q

How are waterfalls (and gorges) formed?

Hint: this is vertical erosion

A

1) Hard, resistant rock is on top of softer rock in a river.
2) The soft rock gets eroded, leaving an undercut and an unstable overhand of hard rock. A plunge pool contains the eroded material.
3) Hard rock falls to the ground due to gravity, leaving large angular stones.
4) A gorge forms as this process continues. The sides are very steep.

130
Q

What is an interlocking spur?

A

Near their source, rivers are small without a lot of power. They mainly erode vertically so flow around valley side slopes (called spurs) instead of through them. The spurs are left interlocking are ove valley side overlaps the other.

131
Q

How are meanders and oxbow lakes formed?

A

1) The flow is the fastest around the external angles of a meander, widening that area.
2) The force of he river erodes the end further.
3) Where the flow is slower, material is deposited, making the meander neck narrower and weight ending the horseshoe shape.
4) The curve is eventually cut off, leaving an oxbow lake.

132
Q

How are levees and floodplains formed?

A

1) A flood occurs, causing excess water to ever flow its’ banks into the floodplain
2) Sediment is also moved from the river bed and is deposited near the river
3) The larger the sediment, the closer the the river it stays
4) The rocks stay out of the water after the water recedes, leaving a levee

133
Q

How are deltas formed?

A

1) The velocity of the river decreases and loses power to carry sediment nearer to the mouth
2) The sediment is deposited at the mouth of the river
3) Over time sediment develops a flat area of new land called a delta
4) The slow flowing river spreads out in many different channels over the new delta

134
Q

Erosion rate is influenced by climate because…

A

Erosion rate is greater where discharge and river energy is greater. These both occur more in wet climates rather than dry ones so there is more erosion there.

135
Q

Transportation rate is influenced by climate because…

A

Transportation rate is greater where the water energy is greater. This means that wet climates transfer more material.

136
Q

Weathering is influenced by climate because…

A

Weathering of rocks is greater in certain climates. E.g. freeze thaw weathering occurs mainly in cold climates (below freezing).

137
Q

The amount of discharge is influenced by climate because…

A

Wetter climates cause more discharge as there is greater water energy. Hotter climates have less discharge as there is more evaporation.

138
Q

Define biological weathering:

A

Plants and animals- small cracks in rocks allow plants into the rocks, widening the cracks and breaking them apart

139
Q

Define physical weathering:

A

Weather/ climate- physical force breaks rocks e.g. freeze thaw weathering

140
Q

Define chemical weathering:

A

Chemical changes- decay of solid rock. Rainwater often mixes wit acidic atmospheric gases and dissolves alkali rocks.

141
Q

Define mass movement:

A

The movement of weathered materials downslope due to gravity.
Mudflows are rapid and from heavy rain
Soil creep is slow and from light showers

142
Q

Define slumping:

A

Valley sides are eroded by the river, making the sides steeper and increasing the downward movement of material. Heavy rainfall can trigger this movement.

143
Q

What is the equation for river discharge?

A

Cross sectional area x rivers mean velocity

This is for a particular point in the river’s course.

144
Q

Label the parts of this storm hydrograph:

A

…

145
Q

What Dora’s a storm hydrograph show?

A

The response of a river to a rainfall event. It plots rainfall and discharge.

146
Q

What is lag time?

A

The time between peak rainfall and peak discharge

147
Q

Which factors give a river a short lag time?

A 
Impermeable rocks
Frozen soil
Round drainage basin (many tributaries)
Heavy precipitation
Towns and cities
Saturated antecedent conditions
148
Q

Which factors give a river a long lag time?

A

Long slim drainage basin
Slow light rain
Vegetated areas

149
Q

Which tributary meets the river Severn at Tewkesbury?

A

Warwickshire Avon

150
Q

Why does Tewkesbury have a high flood risk?

A

Flat land
Many buildings close to the river
Many tributaries
Built on floodplains

151
Q

What human processes cause flooding?

A

Urbanisation- less available soil for absorption
Building on floodplains- vulnerable to flooding
Overland flow from farms decreases infiltration and causes downstream flooding (can be combated with flood drains)

152
Q

Why is there an increased frequency of storms?

A

> Climate change
More intense storms
More periods of wet weather- more saturated ground is vulnerable to storms and flooding

153
Q

What land use changes cause flooding?

A

> Population growth
Urbanisation
Removal of vegetation
Development on floodplains

154
Q

How are people threatened by floods in Tewkesbury?

A
  • Many local schools and businesses have to close
  • Roads, railways and bridges are damaged, destroyed or blocked
  • Repair costs £20,000 to £30,000 per home
155
Q

What are flood walls? What are the costs and benefits?

A 
Artificial barriers built along river banks designed to increase the height of river banks.
\+Allow river channels to hold more water
-Very expensive
-Unsightly
-Block view of river
156
Q

What are embankments? What are the costs and benefits?

A

High banks that are built near or along river banks which stop the river flowing into built up areas during a flood.
+Protect buildings and infrastructure on flood plains
+Less unsightly as natural materials are used
-Quite expensive
-Risk of severe flooding if they break

157
Q

What are flood gates? What are the costs and benefits?

A

Gates built on river estuary to stop floods from storm surges and high tides. They can be shut when a surge is forecast.
+Protect a large area of land
-Very expensive

158
Q

What are demountable flood barriers? What are the costs and benefits?

A

Barriers that provide temporary protection against flooding. They are only put up when there’s a flood forecast.
+Don’t spoil the look of the land
-Quite expensive

159
Q

What is floodplain retention? What are the costs and benefits?

A

Maintaining a floodplain by not building on it. This slows down floodwaters and maintains the floodplains ability to store water.
+No money has to be spent on it
-Restricts development
-Can’t be used in urban areas

160
Q

What is river restoration? What are the costs and benefits?

A

Makes a river more natural e.g. removing man made levees. Let’s the floodplain flood naturally. This reduces river discharge and leaves the river in its natural state.
+Very little maintenance is required
- Can increase local flood risk

161
Q

Where is Tewkesbury located on the rivers course?

A

Between the middle and lower course

162
Q

How is flooding reduced on the river Severn?

A

Trees are planted upstream

The environmental agency has restored 2km of river

*Edexcel GCSE Geography B* (7 decks)

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