Year 8 Geography: Landscapes and Landforms Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the Year 8 Geography curriculum on landforms, landscapes, tectonic processes, and the impacts of climate change on mountain regions.

Cathedral Gorge

A natural amphitheatre carved into the Bungle Bungle Range by water, weathering, and erosion.

Purnululu National Park

The home of the Bungle Bungle Range and part of Country for the Gija and Jaru Traditional Owners.

Mountain landscapes

Landscapes formed by tectonic plates pushing against each other, pushing land up to form ranges or ridges, such as the Himalayas.

Karst landscapes

A landscape associated with limestone features such as caves.

Coastal landscapes

The area where the land meets the sea; examples include Cape York and Shark Bay.

Riverine landscapes

A landscape associated with rivers and the process of water movement.

Desert landscapes

Also known as arid landscapes, these are areas that receive less than $250\,\text{mm}$ of rain per year.

Values of landscapes

The four main factors (cultural, spiritual, aesthetic, and economic) that people use to classify the importance of landforms.

Tectonic plates

Large sections of the Earth's crust that are pushed around by red-hot molten material called magma.

Convergent plate boundary

A region where two plates are being pushed together, typically producing fold mountains like the Himalayas.

Divergent plate boundary

A region where tectonic plates are being pushed apart, creating gaps in the crust that fill with magma to produce volcanoes, islands, and mid-ocean ridges.

Plateau

An extensive raised area with a flat surface and steep sides.

Ridge

A long, narrow, raised section of land.

Flood plain

A flat area around a river which can flood from time to time.

Glacier

A large frozen river of ice.

Spit

A narrow strip of sand protruding into the sea.

The Death Zone

An area of high altitude on mountains like Mt Everest where the conditions are extremely deadly for humans.

HACE

High altitude cerebral oedema, a dangerous condition that occurs due to extreme mountain altitudes.

Alpine ibex

A wild goat species in the European Alps that is showing signs of stress and potential extinction due to habitat loss from climate change.

Water Tower of Europe

A term for the Alps because they provide water to major rivers such as the Rhine, the Rhone, and the Po.

Prevention, Mitigation, and Preparedness

The three geographical principles used to minimise the harmful effects of geomorphic hazards.

LEDC

Less Economically Developed Countries, which are often more vulnerable to tectonic hazards due to factors like lack of education and building standards.