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Distinctive Landscapes (Upland areas (These are mostly found in the north…
Distinctive Landscapes
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Upland areas
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They are generally formed of harder rocks which resist erosion, e.g. slate, granite or some limestones.
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The harsh climate and thin soils allow rough vegetation to thrive, and some areas are used for forestry.
Land uses include sheep farming, quarrying and tourism.
Lowland areas
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They are generally formed from softer rocks, e.g. chalk, clay and some sandstones.
Vegetation grows easily in the more fertile soils and includes grassy meadows and deciduous forests.
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Land uses include quarrying and tourism, as well as dairy and arable farming (growing crops).
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Glaciated landscapes
Ice is very powerful, so it was able to erode the landscape, carving out valleys. It also deposited lots of material as it melted.
During the glacial period, ice covered the UK mostly in upland areas in the north-west.
Mechanical weathering
The breakdown of rock without changing its chemical composition. The main type of mechanical weathering that affects landscapes in the UK is freeze thaw.
Biological weathering
The breakdown of rock by living things, e.g. plant roots break down by growing into cracks on their surfaces and pushing them apart.
Chemical weathering
The breakdown of rock by changing its chemical composition. Carbonation weathering is a type of chemical weathering that happens in warm and wet conditions.
Transportation
Traction
Large particles, like boulders, are pushed along the river bed or sea floor by the force of water.
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Erosion
Attrition
Eroded particles in the water smash into each other and break into smaller fragments. Their edges also get rounded off as they rub together. The further the material travels the more eroded it gets.
Solution
Dissolved carbon dioxide makes river and sea water slightly acidic. The acid reacts chemically with some rocks e.g. chalk and limestone, dissolving them.
Abrasion
Eroded particles in the water scrape and rub against rock in the sea bed, cliffs or river channel, remoing small pieces and wearing them away.
Hydraulic action
Waves crash against rock and compress the air in the cracks. This puts pressure on the rock. Repeated compression widens the cracks and makes bits of rock break off.
Headlands and bay
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Headlands and bays form where there are alternating bands of resistant and less resistant rock along the coast.
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The more resistant rock is eroded slower and is left jutting out, forming a headland - headlands have steep sides.
Caves, arches and stacks
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Waves crash into the headland and enlarge existing cracks - mainly by hydraulic action and abrasion.
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River basin
A area of land surrounding a river, where any rain falling on the land eventually makes its way into that river.
River basins are separated by a boundary called a watershed. They are ridges of high land - water falling on either side of these ridges will go into different river basins.
Key river features
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Source
Where a river starts, usually a upland area.
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Waterfalls
The hard rock is then undercut by erosion and eventually becomes unstable and collapses. The collapsed rock is swirled around at the foot of the waterfall and creates a plunge pool where more erosion of the soft rock occurs.
Overtime this process is repeated and the waterfall will retreat leaving behind a steep sided gorge.
Waterfalls form where a river flows over an area of hard rock followed by an area of softer rock. The softer rock is eroded quicker (by hydraulic action and abrasion) than hard rock so a steep drop is eventually created, this is called a waterfall.
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Floodplain
A floodplain, found in the lower course, is the wide valley floor on either side of a river which occasionally gets flooded. When a river floods onto the floodplain, the water slows down and deposits the eroded material, this builds up the floodplain.
V-shaped valleys
In the upper course of a river, fast flowing water following heavy rain and high turbulence causes loose and rough particles and boulders to be transported by the river and scraped along the river bed.
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The sides of the valleys are exposed to weathering and so the weathered material that falls down the sides into the river causes further abrasion
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Levees
Levees, found in the lower course, are the natural embankments (raised bits) along the edges of a river channel. During a flood eroded material is depostited over the whole floodplain, however, the heaviest material is deposited closest to the river channel. This material builds up and creates what is known as a levee.