Summer Test 2025

Question 1

What is soil creep

Answer 1

Soil creep is the slowest form of mass movement, it occurs when soil moves slowly down slopes at a speed of 1cm per year. Soil creep often causes small steps in the soil called terracettes. Soil creep may be obvious when poles lean in the direction down the slope, when tree trunks bend in the direction down slope and when soil piles up behind walls, causing them to bulge and break.

Question 2

Name 3 types of weathering

Answer 2

Mechanical, chemical and biological weathering are all different types of weathering

Question 3

What is freeze thaw action

Question 4

What is freeze thaw action

Answer 4

Freeze- thaw action, is common is cold and high altitude areas like the sugar loaf (co. Wicklow), when temperatures change above and below freezing. Water seeps into cracks in the rock, and the water expands when the temperature drops and expands by 9%, making the cracks wider. As the temperature rises again the ice melts goes deeper into the cracks. This process repeats many times until the rock breaks into smaller fragments called scree.

Question 5

What is Carbonation and how does it happen

Answer 5

Carbonation happens when rainwater (H2O) mixes with carbon dioxide (CO2) and then forms carbonic acid. This acid reacts with the calcium carbonate that is in limestone, which contains up to 95% calcium carbonate. The carbonic acid (H2CO3) dissolves the calcium carbonate, turning it into calcium bicarbonate, which is soluble in water. Over time, this process causes the calcium carbonate in the limestone to dissolve, leading to weathering.

Question 6

What are stalactites and stalagmites

Answer 6

A stalactite is a calcite structure that hangs from a cave ceiling. Through a chemical weathering process called carbonation, calcium carbonate comprises up to 95% of limestone, dissolves into soluble calcium bicarbonate in water.
This water seeps through limestone to the cave ceiling. As the water evaporates, calcite is deposited, gradually forming a stalactite. Stalactites are in Doolin Cave, the Burren, Co. Clare.

Question 7

What is Karst

Answer 7

Karst is an area of exposed limestone

Question 8

Name 2 features/Landforms of karst landscape

Answer 8

Clint’s and grikes

Question 9

What are the economic advantages of the burren

Answer 9

Many direct and indirect jobs are created in hotels and cafes with 800,000 visitors every year.

Question 10

What are the economic dis-advantages of the burren

Answer 10

Some jobs are seasonal running from April to September with most tourists visiting

Question 11

What are the social advantages of the burren

Answer 11

Out- migration for locals is reduced as spin off jobs are created in arts, crafts and wellness industries

Question 12

What are the social dis-advantages of the burren

Answer 12

House prices may increase as wealthy people buy holiday homes making it too expensive for locals to live there

Question 13

What are the environmental advantages of the burren

Answer 13

Strict planning laws within the geo park prevent over-development & protect the natural beauty of the area

Question 14

What are the environmental dis-advantages of the burren

Answer 14

Traffic congestion from busses and cars at popular attractions like the cliffs of mother is a major issue with CO2 emissions lowering air quality

Question 15

What is visitor management in the burren

Answer 15

Limits are placed on visitor numbers in sustainable areas to prevent environmental damage

Question 16

What is community collaboration in the burren

Answer 16

Local businesses, tour operations & governmental bodies work together to balance tourism growth

Question 17

What is eco tourism in the burren

Answer 17

Emphasis is placed on promoting law- impact activities such as walking tours and nature education

Question 18

What are tributaries

Answer 18

When the river flows downhill and other small streams join it

Question 19

What is the watershed

Answer 19

High ground between 2 or more drainage basins

Question 20

What are levees

Answer 20

Raised banks formed by the river on its floodplain over time

Question 21

What is the river mouth

Answer 21

The place at the end of a rivers course when it reaches the sea

Question 22

What is a meander

Answer 22

A loop like bend in the course of a river

Question 23

What are floodplains

Answer 23

Areas of land that are covered by water in times of heavy rain or very high tide

Question 24

What is the estuary

Answer 24

Near the part of the river effected by tides

Question 25

What is erosion

Answer 25

Erosion is the geological process in which earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind or water

Question 26

What are the five processes of erosion

Answer 26

Abrasion- Stones carried away by the river hit against the bed and banks of the river wearing it away Hydraulic-action- the force of fast flowing water that breaks up the bed and banks of a river like a power-hose Attrition- When stones roll along the bed or collide with each other which causes the river stones to become smoother over time Solution- When the river water dissolves the rock over which it flows Compressed air- Air trapped in cracks by powerful waves causes pressure forcing the rock to break

Question 27

What is a waterfall

Answer 27

Waterfalls form in the youthful stage of a river by differential erosion, when soft rock erodes faster than hard rock. Hydraulic action is the main force, with moving water wearing away the softer rock, while abrasion uses the river's load to further erode the bed and banks, shaping the plunge pool. As the river carries its load over the fall, it deepens the plunge pool. Solution erodes the back wall, creating an overhang of hard rock that eventually collapses into the plunge pool. This process repeats, causing the waterfall to retreat upstream, forming a gorge through headward erosion.