The UK’s Evolving Physical Landscape

Question 1

Abrasion

Answer 1

A form of erosion where loose material and sediment ‘sandpapers’ the walls and floors of a river, glacier or cliff

Question 2

Attrition

Answer 2

When rocks bang against each other chipping away to form smaller smoother rocks

Question 3

Backshore

Answer 3

The upper back closest to the land, including any cliffs or sand dunes

Question 4

Beach nourishment

Answer 4

The addition of sand and sediment to an eroding beach by humans.
The new material will be eroded by the sea which saves the cliffs or sand dunes from erosion and recession

Question 5

Biological weathering

Answer 5

Rocks are broken apart by vegetation and roots, or chemical reactions from animal faeces erodes the rock face

Question 6

Concordant coast

Answer 6

A coastline where bands of alternate geology run parallel to the coast

Question 7

Corrasion

Answer 7

A form of mechanical erosion where material and sediment in the sea is flung at the cliff face as waves break against it, this breaks up the rocks making up the cliff.

Question 8

Chemical weathering

Answer 8

The weak acid in rainwater will dissolve chemical compounds in the rock

Question 9

Discordant coast

Answer 9

A coastline where bands of alternate geology run perpendicular to the coast

Question 10

Drainage basin

Answer 10

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

Question 11

Dredging

Answer 11

Rubbish and sediment are dug up from the bottom of the river

Question 12

Embankments

Answer 12

The banks of the river are built up in brick and concrete, to increase the channel capacity

Question 13

Estuary

Answer 13

The point at where the river meets an ocean.

Question 14

Fetch

Answer 14

The length of water over which the wind has travelled

Question 14

Floodplain

Answer 14

the low lying and wide floor of a river valley.
found in lower course
Overspill for the river when its channel is ful

Question 15

Floodplain zoning

Answer 15

Controlling where houses and buildings are build relative to the river to reduce their risk of flooding

Question 16

Freeze thaw

Answer 16

A form of physical sub-aerial weathering where water freezes in the cracks of a rock, expands and enlarges the crack.
This weakens the rock overtime leaving it more open to erosion.

Question 17

Geology

Answer 17

The physical structure and arrangement of a rock

Question 18

Groyne

Answer 18

A form of hard engineering. Build out low-lying wooden or concrete walls perpendicular to the seafront and run out to sea.
Trap sediment caused by longshore drift

Question 19

Hard managing

Answer 19

Using concrete structures to reduce or halt the recession of a coastline
Groynes, sea walls, rock armour

Question 20

Highlands

Answer 20

Area of land that is at a higher elevation and tends to have a higher relief

Question 21

Hydraulic action

Answer 21

The pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face will cause the rock to weaken and break apart.

Question 22

Igneous rock

Answer 22

Rock that has formed from volcanic activity, often cooled magma on the earths surface

Question 23

Impermeable

Answer 23

Rock that does not allow water to pass through it

Question 24

Levee

Answer 24

The banks of the river

Question 25

Longshore drift

Answer 25

Sediment is is transported along a beach in the direction of the prevailing wind

Question 26

Lowlands

Answer 26

Areas with small relief, tends to be flat and at low elevation

Question 27

Mass movement

Answer 27

There there is large downhill movement of material usually from a cliff-face. Here the rock is often weak due to erosion and the movement is due to gravity

Question 28

Mechanical weathering

Answer 28

Breakdown of rocks due to forces.

Question 29

Metamorphic rock

Answer 29

Rock formed under intense pressure and heat. Close to tectonic plate boundaries

Question 30

Permeable

Answer 30

A rock that allows water to pass through it

Question 31

Relief

Answer 31

The difference in height of land for a particular region

Question 32

Rock Armour

Answer 32

Large rocks or concrete blocks, used as barricades to reduce marine erosion at the base of cliffs

Question 33

Saltation

Answer 33

A form of transportation where smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed pushed by currents. The sediment is too heavy to be picked up by the flow of the water

Question 34

Salt Marsh

Answer 34

In sheltered bays or behind spits, salt and minerals will build up.

Question 35

Sand dune

Answer 35

A depositional landform, where sand and sediment build up around driftwood and accumulate over time

Question 36

Sea Wall

Answer 36

A concrete wall parallel to the seafront, to redirect the energy of the waves away from sensitive cliffs or the edge of a coastal town

Question 37

Sedimentary rock

Answer 37

Rocks formed from pre-existing rocks or pieces of once-living organisms

Question 38

Soft management

Answer 38

The use of natural materials and environmentally friendly sustainable approaches to reduce coastal erosion

Question 39

Solution

Answer 39

Acidic water dissolves chemicals within a rock face into the water . These chemicals can be transported as chemical compounds in the water

Question 40

Storm Hydrograph

Answer 40

A graph to show the variation of the river discharge over a short period of time (days)

Question 41

Suspension

Answer 41

A form of transportation when small rocks are light enough to float and are carried in the water, rather than along the bed

Question 42

Spit

Answer 42

A long depositional landform when shingle and sand is pushed along by Longshore drift

Question 43

Thalweg

Answer 43

The path of the fastest water flow in a river

Question 44

Traction

Answer 44

Large rocks and boulders are rolled along the bed of the river or sea