Physical landscapes in the UK - Glaciers

Maximum extent of ice cover across the UK during the last ice age.

-Ice sheets extended southwards from the Arctic and most of Britain and much of northern Europe was covered by an ice sheet.

-UK, the northern half of the country was covered with an ice sheet hundreds of meters thick.

-South of the UK would have been permanently frozen ground (permafrost) with icy winds blowing off the ice sheet and Tundra vegetation

Glacial Process: Freeze-Thaw Weathering

-Water seeps into cracks of the rocks

-When the temperature fell, causing the water to turn to ice; the water would expand putting pressure on the rock.

-Causing the crack to tear wider and the cycle would repeat shattering large blocks of rocks over time

Glacial Process: Plucking

-Ice moves over the rock surface below

-Meltwater freezes around loose section, pulling the rock away

Glacial Process: Abrasion

-Erosion caused by rocks and boulders embedded in the base of the glacier. Sand-Paper effect

Glacial Process: Rotational Slip

-As more snow is collected in a hollow, it becomes compressed and over thousands of years it then becomes glacier ice.

-Since it is unable to move in the hollow, gravity causes it to move in a circular motion.

-It causes ice to pull away from the back wall creating crevasses.

Glacial Process: Bulldozing

-The front of a glacier is called the Snout

-The Snout bulldozes the material, causing soil, rocks and boulders being shoved forward.

Glacial Process: Glacial Outwash

-During summer months, meltwater pours off the snout.

-The meltwater rivers transport vast quantities of water into the oceans, containing large amount of sediments.

-Larger material is deposited first as it’s heavier and takes more energy to carry

-Fine material is deposited furthest from the glacier and is sorted and reduced in size.

Glacial Deposition:

-Material can be carried on the surface of the glacier, this is due to Freeze-that weathering

-Material can be carried inside the glacier, this is due to some rocks falling into crevasses. The rocks on top of the glacier can be buried under fresh snow.

-Material can be carried beneath the glacier. this is due to Plucking

Glacial Process: Glacial Till

-Material is being brought down by ice

-The ice that’s carrying the material reaches the warmer lowland areas

-The ice temporarily becomes the snout, then melts and the material that was within the ice is deposited.

-The material is unsorted and angular.

What is a Corrie

A steep sided hollow deepened by the action of ice

Example of a Corrie

Red Tarn in Lake District

Formation of a corrie

-Snow collects in a natural hollow on the side of a mountain. Over time, the weight of the snow compacts and it turns into ice

-The hollow is deepened and widened by the corrie glacier through the processes of abrasion and plucking

-Plucking and freeze-thaw occurs on the back wall making it steep and abrasion occurs on the bottom of the Corrie making it deeper

-This leads to a deep hollow shape and a ‘rock lip’ to be formed as erosion at the front of the corrie is weaker.

-When the glacier melts a Corrie is left. It has a hollow shape, with steep back walls and a deep bottom.

-A tarn is sometimes left in the corrie too.

What is an Arete

A sharp ridge formed where two corries cut back into a mountain

Example of an Arete

Striding Edge in Lake District

Formation of an Arete

-two corries are eroding back to back towards each other,

-leaving behind a sharp ridge of rock once the ice melts at the end of glaciation

What is a Pyramidal Peak

A mountain top, carved and steepened by weathering and erosion

Example of Pyramidal Peak

The Matterhorn in the Alps

Formation of Pyramidal Peak

-Round-topped mountain, snow accumulates in hollows in the mountainside and is compressed into ice.

-Corries form,plucking steepens the back walls and abrasion widens and deepens the hollow; they erode into each other.

-Frost shattering attack exposed areas above the ice

-Aretes form when corries erode towards each other and sharpened by frost shattering. Three Aretes create a Pyramidal Peak.

What is Glacial Trough/ U shaped Valley

A valley with steep sides and a flat base, once occupied by a glacier.

Formation of Glacial Trough/ U shaped Valley

-Before Glaciation, it starts as a V-shaped valley, river meanders around interlocking spurs.

-During Glaciation, the glacier widens, deepens, steepens and straightens the valley by plucking and abrasion.

-After Glaciation, the glacier erodes the valley leaving a U-shaped valley with steep valley sides, flat valley floor and truncated spurs.

What is a truncated spurs

-A former river valley spur which has been sliced off by a valley glacier

What is an interlocking spurs

-A number of projecting ridges that extend alternately from the opposite sides of the wall of a V-shaped valley.

What is a Hanging Valley

-Hanging valleys are high-level tributary valleys, from which there is a sharp fall to the level of the lower,main valley.

Formation of Hanging Valley

-Before glaciation, it was a V-shaped valley with a tributary valley that had a river that flowed into the main river, which meanders around interlocking spurs.

-During glaciation, small glacier in tributary valley and larger glacier in main valley. Ice occupies the valleys,widening,steepening,deepening and straightening them by plucking and abrasion

-After glaciation, main U-shaped valley with steep valley sides and truncated spurs. Has a flat valley floor. Due to differential erosion, the tributary valley is left hanging above the main valley-hanging valley.

What is a Ribbon Lakes

-Are long,narrow lakes on the floor of a glacial valley

What is a Misfit Streams

-Are small streams in large glaciated valleys.

What is Moraine

Material carried by the glacier

What is Lateral Moraine

material deposited along both sides of the glacier.

What is Medial moraine

material deposited in the middle of the glacier

What is Terminal moraine

material deposited at the end of the glacier.

What is Erratics

Rocks that have been deposited by the glacier.They’re usually made of a rock type that would not be found in that area.

What are drumlins

-are elongated hills of glacial deposits, each one typically 30-40 metres high and 300-400 metres long.The long axis of the drumlin indicates the direction which the glacier was moving

Formation of the Drumlin

-Ice is pushed forward across a lowland area, but it is overloaded and melting

-Most deposition occurs around the upstream end of the obstacle, which forms the drumlins blunt end.

-The Glacial Till that is deposited is then molded into shape around the obstacle by the moving ice to form the tapered end downstream.

Economic opportunities in Glaciated Areas: Farming

-Upland area’s soil is thin and acidic, they’re used for animal grazing. E.g Highland cattle for specialty beef

-Soils in the valley are thicker, the land is used for arable(growing crops) farming, primarily cereals and potatoes

Economic opportunities in Glaciated Areas: Tourism

-Upland provides employment for people, the spectacular glacial scenery attracts tourists as well as the cultural heritage.

-Aviemore, near the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland, is one of the main mountain activity centre in the UK with mountain biking and climbing.

-There’s also an adventure park and wildlife park

Economic opportunities in Glaciated Areas: Forestry

-Coniferous woodland occupies 2 million hectares of land in the UK, most in the upland areas.

-Coniferous trees produce ‘soft’ wood, used for timber in the construction industry, as well as pine and spruce trees. Coniferous trees are also used for making paper.

-In Scotland the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park are used for industrial-scale plantation forestry.

Economic opportunities in Glaciated Areas: Quarrying

-Upland glaciated areas are made of hard, resisted rock, it can be quarried and crushed to provide stone for the construction industry and building roads

-Lake District State; used for roofing and decorative material

-Pennine Hill, in northern England; Pennines Limestone is widely used in building materials,making cement and conditioning soil(reducing acidity).

-Highland Granite; has a range of uses from pavement edges to kitchen work surfaces.Granite from glaciated Scottish island of Alisa Craig is used in the sport of curling.

Possible conflicts

Photography and filming vs Wind turbines

Walking and climbing vs forestry

photography and filming vs forestry

photography and filming vs miltary training

Tourists vs locals

Tourists vs farmers

Toruism in Lake District: Attractions

-Physical attractions: Windermere and Ullswater offer watersports,fishing etc. Windermere is the largest natural lake in the UK.

-Mountain landscapes are popular for walking and mountain biking, e.g Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England.

-Cultural/historical: landscape has inspired writers such as William Wordsworth

Tourism in Lake District: Impacts - Social

-In 2014, 14.8 mil tourist visited the Lake District, impacts 40,000 locals as tourism provides jobs

-House prices are high - 20% of property is either holiday rental or second homes

-Jobs in tourism are mostly seasonal, poorly paid and unreliable

Tourism in Lake District: Impacts - Economic

-In 2014, tourists spent nearly £1000 million in the Lake District. This supports hotels,shops and restaurants (local business)

-Thousands of local people work in shops, hotels and other services. New businesses like adventure tourism provides and income for people

-Traffic congestion slows down business communications.

Tourism in Lake District: Impacts - Environmental

—Over 89% of visitors arrive by car, and the roads are narrow and winding, pollution from vehicles.

-Main tourist sites and footpath show signs of overcrowding-footpath erosion,litter, damage to verges by cars

-Walkers can damage farmland by trampling crops or leaving litter

Tourism in Lake District: Management - Traffic Congestion

-Transport hubs, like at Ambleside, help create interchange between parking,buses,ferries,walking and cycling.This help relieves congestion everywhere

-Park-and-ride bus schemes, like the Houister Rambler have been expanded for tourists

-Traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps, have been introduced in villages.

Tourism in Lake District: Management - Footpath Erosion

-Upland Path Landscape Restoration Project has successfully repaired paths, created steps, re-surfaced oaths with local store and re-planted native plants

-’Fix the Fells’ maintain and repair mountain,paths supported by National trust. Uses many techniques and local stone and sheep fleece are being used.