Physical Uk - Geology Flashcards
(19 cards)
Igneous rock
Formed when molten magma or lava cools slowly eg. Granite
Sedimentary rock
Formed when rocks which have been weathered, eroded and deposited on the sea bed are compacted to form new rocks eg. Chalk/clay
Scree
Angular rock pieces that have been created by freeze thaw weathering
Physical weathering process
1) Water becomes trapped in crack
2) freezing temperatea freeze the water putting pressure on rock
3) when temperature rises ice melts
4) process repeats weakening the rock
Biological weathering process
Living things such as burrowing animals or plants attack rocks weakening their structure
eg. Rabbits burrow into rock making the crack bigger weakening the rock
Chemical weathering process
Carbonic acids attack rocks changing its structure
- water reacts with calcium carbonate in rocks (eg. Limestone/chalk) this dissolves and is washed away in solution
Rockfall
Fragments of rock break away from the cliff face due to weathering
Landslide
Blocks of rock slide downhill
Slumping
Saturated soil slumps along a curved surface
Mass movement
Downward movement of sediment due to gravity
Batholith formation
1) large mass of magma intrudes into the ground
2) large masses of magma cook and solidify
3) large crystals form in the rock
4) dome shaped and over time exposed due to erosion
Mudslide
Saturated soil flows down a slope
Metamorphic rock
Igneous or sandstone rocks undergo a change when pushed under continental plates - the heat and pressure changes them into new rocks eg. slate/marble
How has geology shaped the landscape
1) once covered by tropical seas
2) as fish died skeletons fell to the bottom
3) overtime they were crushed and compacted
4) calcium carbonate crystallised creating fossils
5) other rock deposited on top
6) more resistant rock resistant to erosion
How have tectonics shaped the landscape
1) tectonic plate that the uk sits on shifted towards the tropics
2) convection currents uplifted rock from below the sea to become land
3) during uplift some rocks snapped and moved along faults to form a steep edge where some areas are more uplifted than others
How has glaciation shaped the uk landscape
1) rivers flowed through creating v shaped valleys
2) during last ice age it brought huge glaciers
3) these affected river channels making V shaped valleys deeper
4) as they melted they left behind waterfalls
Anticline
a ridge or fold with many layers
Escarpments
Higher areas of resistant rock
Dip slope
Behind escarpments gentle slopes follow angle of the scarp
