glacial landscapes

Question 1

what is a global environment?

Answer 1

(UK) during the last ice age snow, ice covered most of the landscape. Temperatures barely rose above freezing even in the summer.
- Huge glaciers radiated from the north and west and carved depp glacial balleys and troughs. Further south and east the land was permanently frozen with some meltwater rivers.

Question 2

Freeze-thaw weathering

Answer 2

In summer water flows into cracks in the rocks and freezes hard the following winter. The water expans by 9% when it freezes.

• It helps to shape jagged glacial mountain landscapes,
• Rocks become weakened by freeze-thaw making it easier for them to be eroded by glaciers,
• piles of large angular rock, called SCREE, collect at the foot of mountains- these become powerful erosion tools when trapped under moving glaciers

Question 3

glacial erosion

Answer 3

Abrasion- ‘sandpaper’ effect caused by the weight of the ice scouring the valley floor. It leaves a smooth, polished surface. Scratches (called STRIATIONS) caused by large rocks beneath the ice can often be seen.

Plucking- when meltwater beneath a glacier freezes and bonds the base of glacier to the rocky surface below, like glue. As the glacier moves any loose fragments of rock are ‘plucked’ away- leaving a jagged rocky surface.

Question 4

movement and transportation

Answer 4

basal slip- in the summer meltwater lubricates the glacier enabling it to slide downhill, this movement which can be quite sudden is basal slip.
rotational slip- in hollows high up on the valley sides, this movement may be more curved, in which it is called rotational slip.

transportation-
rock fragments resulting from freeze-thaw and eroded by the ice are transporated. this sediment is called MORRAINE- can be transported on the ice, in the ice (burried in snowfall) and below the ice.
As the glacier moves forward it pushes loose debris ahead of it effectively transporting it downhill. This is called BULLDOZING.

Question 5

deposition – why glaciers deposit sediment (till and outwash).

Answer 5

• Deposition occurs when the ice melts. As most melting occurs at the front (the SNOUT) of the glacier, this is where most deposition takes place.
• As a glacier slowly retreats it leaves behind a bed of broken rock fragments called TILL. due to the lack of water to transport it, till is poorly sorted, with jagged rock fragments of all sizes. TILL is also known as BOULDER CLAY.
• Ahead of the glacier, meltwater ru=ivers will carry sediment away. The process of attrition will cause the rock fragments to become smaller and more rounded. Sediment is well sorted, with larger rocks deposited close to the ice and finer material carried many kilometres away. This sandy and gravel material is called OUTWASH.

Question 6

corries

Answer 6

• also known as cirques and cwms
• large hollowed- out depressions found on the upper slopes of glaciated valleys. they are characterised by a steep back wall and a raised ‘lip’ at the front. They may contain a lake called a tarn.

Question 7

Arêtes

Answer 7

• knife edge ridge often found at the back of a corrie separating two glaciated valleys
• often extremely narrow
• very popular with hill walkers
• although strong winds can make them very dangerous
• typically form when erosion in two back-to-back corrries causes the land in-between to become narrower.

Question 8

pyramidal peaks

Answer 8

If 3 or more corries have formed on a mountain, erosion may lead to the formation of a single peak rather than a ridge. This feature is called a pyramidal peak

Question 9

glacial troughs

Answer 9

• steep-sided, wide and flat-bottom valley
• formed by abrasion
• most start out at v-shaped river valleys
• when the landscape becomes glaciated, individual glaciers occupy the river valleys, eroding them through the process of abrasion to form spectacular U-shaped glacial troughs

Question 10

truncated spurs

Answer 10

• unable to flow around existing interlocking spurs, the glacier cuts straight through them, forming steep-edged truncated spurs

Question 11

hanging valleys

Answer 11

• smaller tributary valleys above the main glacial trough
• smaller glaciers in these valleys were unable to erode down to the same as the main glacier
• today they are often marked by spectacular waterfalls.

Question 12

ribbon lakes

Answer 12

• long, narrow lakes often tens of metres deep
• often a result from severe erosion of the glacial trough
• this happens when the ice becomes thicker after a tributary glacier has joined, or where a weaker band of rock has eroded more easily
• sometimes a shallow ribbon lake may form in a glacial trough behind a dam of deposited morraine.

Question 13

Types of Morraine

Answer 13

Ground morraine- the material dragged underneath the glacier and left behind when the ice melts, it often forms uneven hilly ground

Lateral morraine- the morraine forms at the edges of the glacier. It is mostly scree material that has fallen off the valley sides due to freeze-thaw weathering. When the ice melts, the morraine forms a low ridge on the valley side

Medial morraine- when a tirbutary glacier joins the main glacier two lateral morraines will merge to produce a single line of sediment that runs down the centre of the main glacier. On melting the medial morraine forms a ridge down the centre of the valley.

Terminal morraine- huge amounts og material pile up at the snout of a glacier to form a high ridge often tens of metres in ehight across the valley. This is terminal morrine it represents the furthest extent of the glacier’s advance, hence the name ‘terminal’

Question 14

drumlins

Answer 14

• smooth egg-shapes hills about 10m high and several hundred metres long that are found in clusers on the floor of a glacial trough
• made of morraine that has been streamlined and shaped by the moving ice.
• They usually have a blunt end, which faces-up valley, and a more pointed end facing down-valley
• this indicates the direction of movement of a glacier

Question 15

erratics

Answer 15

• large boulder that is out of place, resting on a different type of rock
• scientists have used erratics to trace the history of glaciation in areas like the UK
• by studying the geology of the area, it is possible to work out where the erratic rocks came from nd what route they followed as they were carried by glaciers
• most large erratics were probably transported on or in glaciers.

Question 16

Identifying glacial landforms on an OS map

Answer 16

CADAIR IDRIS

• Corries, Arêtes and pyramidal peaks
• • corrie is shown on a map by a series of semi-circular horseshoe shaped contours (brown lines), its steep sides are indicated by a pttern of bold black lines- these black symbols indicate cliffs

– edges of corries are marked by arêtes, which are shwon by bold black (cliff) symbols

Pyramidal peaks- are shown by at least 3 corries back to back and with a spot height

• Glacial trough
• • often shown by a ribbon lake
• Truncated spurs
• • • shape of the contours, semi-circular at the top of the slope, to straighter at the bottom- shows where the interlocking spur has been cut off
• Depositional landforms
• • drumlins and outwash plains
• • black dots in several of the corries- rock debris which could be glacial deposits

Question 17

Economic opportunities in glaciated areas- Tourism

Answer 17

• The UK’s glaciate uplands provide oppurtunities for tourism
• Tourism can be the most important economic acitivity and provide employment for thousands of people
• Spectacular glcial scenery attracts tourists who enjoy outdoor activities and the cultural heritage
• Aviemore, near the Cairngorm mountains in Scotland, is one of the UK’s main mountain activity centres
• here people can mountain bike, ski and climb
• the area is criss-crossed wuth footpaths and there is lots of widlife to watch, photograph or draw
• Widlife park, folk museum, an adventure parkand a steam railway as well.

Question 18

Economic opportunities in glaciated areas- Farming

Answer 18

• In upland areas, glaciers scoured the land stripping away soil and vegetatopms
• as a result, soils in these areas are thin and acidic
• upland areas are not ideal for farming, but mainly used for grazing
• sheep can tollerate the cold, wet and windy conditions, and the poor vegetation
• soils in valleys are thicker due to deposition
• flat-bottom glacial troughs are ideal for using machinery and farming can be more production
• typical crops include cereals and potatos
• a lot of land is used to grow grass for iwnter feed (silage and hay) for livestock
• lowland glaciated areas may be covered by a thick layer of till, which is very fertiles
• much of central and eastern Britain has productive farmland growing wheat, barley, potatoes and other crops
• with a glat or gently rolling landscpe and a warmer, sunnier climate, these areas are well suited to intensive arable farming.

Question 19

Economic opportunities in glaciated areas- Quarrying

Answer 19

• upland glaciated areas are made of hard, resistant rock
• this can be quarried and crushed to provide stone used in the construction industry and for building roads
• limestone makes up much of he Pennine Hills in central England
• valuable resourve ised in the chemical industry for conditioning soils or for making cement
• In lowland areas, glacial deposits of sand and gravel, deposited by meltwater streams, are also valuable in the construction indsutry
• Sand is used for making cement and gravel is used to make concrete.

Question 20

Economic opportunities in glaciated areas- Forrestry

Answer 20

• many upland glaciated areas of the Uk are well suited to forrestry
• Large planatations of mostly conifer (cone- bearing_ trees have been planted throughout Scotland and across parts of Northern England
• Conifer trees are well adapted to cope with the aicidic soils
• they are one of the few economic ways of utilsiing steep slops
• once planted, they can be left to gorw for 20-30 years before being felled
• conifers produce ‘soft’ wood used for timber in the construction indsutry or for making paper

Question 21

Conflicts in glaciated areas

Answer 21

• quarrying- rocks such as limestone, slate and granite have economic value but quarrying can leas to pollution of land and rivers and spoil the landscape
• Tourism- can cause conflict with local landowners over access to land. Local people may be affected by traffic congestion and rising house prices
• Water storage- building resevoirs can conflit with environmental interests and require the flooding of farmland.

Question 22

1) Wind farms in the Lake District

2) Wind Turbines at Kirkstone Pass

Answer 22

1)
- wind turbines produce renewable energy
- The lake district is good for wind farms, due to its high elevation and westen location expose it to prevailing south-westerly winds from the Atlantic
Concerns about Wind farms (brothel LD)
- Impact on the local economy with fewer tourists staying in hotels and visiting cafes and pubs
- some people think they may spoil the natural landscape
- house prices may fall if views are spoilt by wind turbines
2)
- one of the LD’s most emote and beautiful valley
- National Park Authority granted permission for three 16m wind turbines in 2011
- cost of £150,000 completed in April 2012
- provides power to the Kirkstone Pass Inn, which relied on diesel generators for heat and light
- Despite opposition to the turbines, local groups like the Friends of the LD supported the scheme
– they argued that turning to ‘green power’ was good for the environment and helped secure the future of the pub and its employees.

Question 23

Conflicts between development and conservation

Answer 23

The proposal: Glenriding zip wire

• • 2014, Windermere based company ‘Treetop Trek’ put forward a proposal to construct 4 parallel one-mile long zip-wires above Glenridding in Patterdale
• they would run from the disuesed Greenside mine on land owned by the LD NPA, and end in fields above Glenridding

No-
conflict of interest of preserving the natural beauty and heriatge of the Park and becoming more commerical
- local opposition as it would likely drive away visitors who come to enjoy the peace and tranquality
– already a huge range of exciing outdoor activities
- cause pollution due to the rocks in the old mine if shuffled could release harmful gasses
- ruins natural landscape
- noise pollution
- increase traffic

Yes-
- Bring visitors/tourists to the area but then drive away others looking for peace

Question 24

Lake District- physical and cultural/historical attractions

Answer 24

Physical-

• lakes like Windermere and Ullswater offer water sports, cruishes and fishing
• mountain landscapes with peaks like helvellyn and Scafell Pike are popular for walking and mountain biking
• Adventure activities include abseilling, gorge scrambling and rock climbing

Cultural/historical-

• The landscape has inspired writers and poets, such as William Wordsworth
• Beatrix potter, author of the Peter Rabbit stories, lived close to Lake windermere. here home, Hill Top, is now a National Trust attraction
• scenic towns and villages, such as ambleside and Grasmere include monuments like Muncaster Castle at Ravenglass

Question 25

Social, econimic and environmental impacts of tourism- in the Lake District

Answer 25

Social- - in 2014 14.8 million trousist visited the LD. = impact on the 40,000 locals - over 89% of visitors arrive by car. Roads are narrow and winding and congestion is a mjor issue - House prices are high- 20% of property is either holiday rental or second homes - Jobs in tourism are mosly seasonal, poorly paid and unreliable Economic- - in 2014, tourists spent nearly £1000 million in the LD. This supports hotels, shops and restaurants - Thousands of local people work in shops, hotels and other services - New businesses like adventure tourism provide jobs for local people - Traffic congestion slows down business communications Environmental- - The main tourist ("honeypot") sites and footpaths show signs of overcrowding- footpath erosion, litter and damage to verges by cars - Pollution (oil, fumes) from vehical and boats can damage ecosystems - Walkers can damage farmland by tramping crops or leaving litter. Dogs can disturb sheep and cattle.

Question 26

Managing tourism- traffic congestion and footpath erosion

Answer 26

MTC- - several dual-carriageways have been built around the LD to improve access - transport hubs, like at Ambleside, help create an interchange between parking, buses, ferries, walking and cycling. This helps to relieve congestion elsewhere - Park-and-ride bus schemes, like the 'Honister Rambler', have been expanded for tourists - Traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps, have been introduced in villages MFE- - the upland path landscape resotration project has successfully repaired paths, created steps, re-surfaced paths with local stone and re-planted native plants - 'fix the fells' maintain and repair mountain paths- they're supported by organisations like the NT. They use many techniques including stone pitching, where large stones are dug into a path to create a hard-wearing surface. Local stones and sheep fleeces are being used to make a well-drained, solid surface - however there are still hundreds of kilometres of footpaths in need of constant attention, and their on-going maintenance represents a huge challenge.