T4 - Rocks and Landscapes Flashcards
What is an upland area?
Areas high above sea level
- often mountainous
- igneous
- lower temperatures
- high rainfall
- windy
ex Scotland: The NW highlands
ex England: The Pennines
What is a lowland area?
Areas not very high above sea level
- often flat
- sedimentary like sandstone and clay
ex - beaches, valleys and cannons
What is glaciation?
The formation of huge bodies of ice called glaciers, and the way they erode and change the landscape as they move.
Igneous rock
- forms from volcanic eruptions
- magma cooling over time
- often have crystals
ex. basalt and granite
Sedimentary rock
- forms from loose sediments gathering and compacting
- often have fossils
ex. limestone and clay
Metamorphic rock
- intense heat and pressure on an existing rock
- can have fossils and crystals
ex. slate and marble
4 layers of the earth
- crust
- mantle
- outer core
- inner core
4 layers explained
Crust: thinnest, made of rock
Mantle: thick shell of molten
Outer core: dense liquid
Inner core: solid, largely metallic
What is relief?
Height and shape of the land
Case Study: Lake District
- igneous and sedimentary
U-shaped valleys - glacial erosion, steep sides, flat bottom
Scree: mass of loose stone
Corrie: arm chair shaped hollow
Types of weathering
Physical
Chemical
Biological
What is weathering?
Breaking down of rock where it is
Physical
Breaking down of rocks by changing their physical composition
Freeze thaw: cold climates, water between cracks, freezes then melts, repeats, breaks off
Onion-skin: deserts, rocks heat up and expand, cool and shrink, breaks
Chemical weathering
Breaking down rocks by changing its chemical composition
- rainwater and seawater are slightly acidic, chemical reaction, breaks down and dissolves
Biological weathering
Breaking down rocks by living organisms
plant roots break rock by growing into its crack
