GCSE Geography Physical Landscapes In the UK

What are the two main types of landscape in the UK?

Upland areas (north and west) and lowland areas (south and east)

Name three upland areas in the UK

Scottish Highlands, Lake District, Snowdonia, Pennines, Brecon Beacons

Name three lowland areas in the UK

South East England, East Anglia, The Fens, Midlands

What is weathering?

The breakdown of rock in situ (in place) by physical, chemical or biological processes

What is erosion?

The wearing away and removal of rock by a moving force (water, wind or ice)

Name the four main processes of coastal erosion

Hydraulic action, abrasion (corrasion), attrition and solution (corrosion)

What is hydraulic action?

The force of waves compressing air into cracks in the rock, causing it to weaken and break

What is abrasion (corrasion)?

Waves throwing pebbles and sand against the cliff, wearing it away

What is attrition?

Rocks and pebbles carried by the waves knock into each other and become smaller and rounder

What is longshore drift?

The zigzag movement of sediment along the coast caused by waves approaching at an angle

Name three landforms created by coastal erosion

Headlands and bays, cliffs, wave-cut platforms, caves, arches, stacks and stumps

How is a wave-cut platform formed?

Waves erode the base of a cliff forming a wave-cut notch; the cliff collapses and retreats, leaving a flat platform

How is a stack formed?

Cave → arch → stack (the roof of the arch collapses leaving an isolated pillar of rock)

Name three landforms created by coastal deposition

Beaches, spits, bars, sand dunes, salt marshes

How is a spit formed?

Longshore drift carries sediment past a bend in the coastline; it is deposited in quieter water, building out into the sea

What is hard engineering in coastal management?

Using man-made structures to control natural processes (e.g. sea walls, rock armour, groynes)

What is soft engineering in coastal management?

Working with natural processes to protect the coast (e.g. beach nourishment, dune regeneration, managed retreat)

Name the four main processes of river erosion

Hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition and solution

What is the long profile of a river?

A side-on view of a river from its source to its mouth, showing how gradient changes

Name three landforms found in the upper course of a river

V-shaped valleys, interlocking spurs, waterfalls and gorges

How is a waterfall formed?

A river flows over hard rock then soft rock; the soft rock erodes faster, creating a step; the hard rock is undercut and collapses

Name three landforms found in the middle/lower course of a river

Meanders, oxbow lakes, floodplains, levees, estuaries

How is an oxbow lake formed?

A meander becomes very curved; the river cuts through the neck during a flood; the old meander is left as a lake

What is a floodplain?

The flat area of land either side of a river that is covered in water when the river floods

Name three causes of river flooding

Heavy rainfall, prolonged rainfall, snowmelt, impermeable rock/soil, steep slopes, urbanisation (concrete surfaces)

What is hard engineering in river management?

Using man-made structures to control the river (e.g. dams, embankments, channel straightening, flood walls)

What is soft engineering in river management?

Working with natural processes (e.g. flood warnings, floodplain zoning, planting trees, wetland restoration)

Why do people live near rivers despite flood risk?

Fertile soil for farming, flat land for building, water supply, transport, trade, attractive scenery

Name three ways the UK coastline is protected from erosion

Sea walls, rock armour (riprap), groynes, beach nourishment, managed retreat