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topic 1- landscapes of the UK - Coggle Diagram
topic 1- landscapes of the UK
physical landscapes
how geology affects UK landscape
rock types
igneous- cooled magma, tough, not erosive, forms uplands, e.g. granite, gabbro and basalt
sedimentary- layers of sediment from bottom of sea, squished (compacted) all together, mostly soft ie sands and gravels in lowlands. but some is hard and not easily eroded ie chalk and limestone forming uplands
metamorphic- existing ricks which have undergone pressure or heat changing them, very tough, not erosive ie slate
geology has meant that some areas are better to urbanize than others
how climate affects UK landscape
freeze- thaw from cold climate especially in upland areas causes jagged landscapes and rocks
key words-
climate= long term average weather
UK has maritime climate with prevailing winds, lots of rain and moderate temperatures
weather= day- to- day conditions
ie temperature, wind, humidity, rainfall
rain shadow- an area behind a hill which is sheltered so has little rainfall
weathering- biological, physical and chemical
freeze- thaw cycle- repeated freezing and melting of water in a rock which expands and cracks
rivers are fast flowing due to lots of rainfall- very erosive in upland areas forming V-shaped valleys
previous extreme cold in upland areas has formed ice caps and glaciers forming different landcapes.
rainfall -lots in upland areas (ie in the west) and less in lowland areas (ie south and east) as moist air from Atlantic cools over the western uplands. drier regions in the east are in the 'rain shadow'
how human activity affects UK landscape
uplands- sparsely populated cos of harsh climate and steep land so limited human activity to just sheep farming, forestry and wind farming
lowlands- densely populated, moderate climate, flat land used for commercial farming, urbanization and transport.
human activity has changed landscape ie deforestation, urbanization, more agriculture
geomorphic processes
deposition- dumping of transported material when water loses energy which can create new landforms ie beaches- spits and bays, Stonehenge, on the inside bend of a meander
transportation- movement of eroded material
traction- large particles rolling along sea bed
saltation- bouncing pebbles- too heavy for suspension
suspension- particles suspended in water
solution- chemicals/ minerals dissolved in water
erosion- wearing away and removal of material by a moving force ie waves. types of erosion...
abrasion- the rubbing/ scraping of rocks against the bedrock they are carried along by rivers or waves.
hydraulic action- where water compresses air into cracks in the sea cliffs or river banks often, causing rock to break away
attrition- when rocks being transported by waves bump into each other and become smaller,
solution dissolving of soluble rocks
mass movement- movement of surface material caused by gravity
sliding- loose rock sliding downhill due to heavy rain or earth movement ie earthquake
slumping- collapse of weak rock ie sand, clay. often on the coast. happens when sediments become saturated and heavy from rain
rockfall- chunks of rock falling of a cliff face, often cos of freeze- thaw.
landslide- blocks of rock sliding down, usually because of heavy rainfall.
mudflow- saturated material (clay) flowing.
rotational slump- slumping of loose material often along a curved shear- plane (basically the area where the mud flows)
weathering
chemical weathering- decomposition of rock/ material, involving chemicals or chemical change
carbonation- carbon dioxide in rainwater makes carbonic acid which reacts with chalk and limestone to from weak rock/ calcium bicarbonate
oxidization- chemical reaction between substance and the air- can change appearance or weaken it.
physical weathering- the disintegration of material due to movement of materials around it and on it ie freeze- thaw
biological weathering- weathering as a result of the action of living organisms such as plants and animals
coastal landforms
headland - an area of land extending into the sea, usually higher than the surrounding land
bay- areas of coast where land curves inwards.
formation of headlands and bays- a headland is made out of stripes of hard and soft rock, the soft rock will erode away forming bays while the hard rock is more resistant and won't erode forming headlands
wave- cut notch- flat area at base of cliff, made when cliff retreats but leaves depositions forming wave cut platform
formation of an arch- 1) crack in headland caused by hydraulic action 2) notch- as crack gets eroded bigger 3) cave- starts to erode right through headland 4) cave erodes through forming arch 5) arch erodes at the bottom and top 6) top of arch collapses forming a 7) stack- will become unstable and break into a stump
sandy beach- found in sheltered bays, from low energy waves
pebble beach- from high energy waves as they remove fine sand and leave behind shingle ( have berms- ridges of shingle)
spit- sand or shingle piece of land into the sea, formed by longshore drift moving along the coastline
longshore drift- movement of sediments along coastline as result of wave action
wave actions
swash- forward moving water up the beach at same angle as wind.
backwash- backward moving water away from beach from pull of gravity
river landforms
v-shaped valley- a steep sided, narrow river valley that takes the form of a v- shape in its cross profile
U shaped valley- wide valley with steep sides and flat bottom carved by glaciers from v valleys
Truncated spurs- formed by the interlocking spurs as they get cut and rounded off.
interlocking spur- a part of land jutting into a river valley making the river wind around it
waterfall- steep fall of river water where its course crosses between different rock types resulting in more erosion in some areas causing a drop in levels
gorge- a narrow steep sided valley, often formed as a waterfall retreats up stream
meander- found in a rivers middle and lower course. the fast flowing water swings around the outer side of a bend eroding the banks forming a river cliff, the water is deep here. on the inside bend where velocity is slower, deposition occurs forming a slip-off slope.
meanders normally form in areas with gentle gradients, fine sediment and steady precipitation all year around
riffles- shallow areas in the straighter parts of the river in-between meanders, have rocky beds and turbulent flow due to friction with the river bead
pools- deeper areas in a meander bend, have fine sediment and are less turbulent
ox- bow lake- a horse shoe shaped lake formed when a meander is separated from the main channel because of erosion and flooding. the lake fills with silt
how is it formed? 1) the neck between two sides of a meander narrows as the two sides are eroded 2) during flooding the meander neck is broken through and river takes a new and shorter course. 3) deposition happens at the edges of the new river cutting off the meander. 4) the new ox bow lake gradually fill with silt and become marshland.
levee- a raised river bank found in the lower course of the river. naturally built during floods as the water retreats back to the river it looses energy dumping sediment at the edge of the river.
flood plains- during a flood river silt (alluvium) is dumped on the valley floor, over years this builds up making fertile soil. floodplain will widen as meanders cut into the river valley