Eduqas GCSE Geography A Paper 1

A list of key words for Paper 1

Place

A geographical concept used to describe what makes somewhere special, unique or distinct (Human and Physical characteristics).

Scale

A geographical concept used to describe the size or area covered by a feature. Scale varies from small (or local) through to regional, national and global.

Spatial (Distribution)

Patterns or geographical features that vary over two dimensions so that they can be shown on a map.

Geology

The rock type, structure and layout in a particular area/landscape

Relief

The shape and height of the land.

Upland

A landscape that is hilly or mountainous. It contains large areas of open space with few field boundaries (e.g. hedges).

Lowland

An area of low relief (flatter land, closer to sea level), which tends to have more human use e.g. agriculture and urbanisation (settlements)

Mountain/Valley landscape

A landscape with steep slopes, and deep river valleys, often with lakes. Mountains are mostly made of more resistant igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Plateau/Valley landscape

A landscape which has high relief but is very wide and flat. At the edges of the plateaus are steep vertical cliffs called 'scarps', and wide valleys. Plateaus are often made of resistant sedimentary rocks e.g. sandstone or limestone.

Sedimentary

Rocks which are made of layers of 'sediment' (broken down pieces of rock, shells, plant remains etc) which have been compacted and cemented into a new rock. Often formed within rivers and oceans e.g. Sandstone or Limestone

Metamorphic

Rocks which have been 'changed' due to heat and pressure e.g. Marble (originally Limestone) and Slate (originally Mudstone)

Igneous

Rocks which have been formed due to the melting of rock into magma, which has then cooled to form a new rock. E.g. Granite or Basalt

AONB

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - an area of countryside in England, Wales or Northern Ireland which has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value.

National Park

Areas protected by the Government for public enjoyment because of their beautiful countryside, wildlife and cultural heritage. There are 15 in the UK.

Visitor Pressure

Challenges brought about by people visiting a place.

Changing Rural Economies and Societies

Changes to the types of job/industries (economies) and people/ways of life (societies) in the countryside (rural = population of less than 10,000)

Diversification (Diversify)

Where a much wider variety of new business opportunities and jobs are created in a region.

Carrying capacity

The ability of a landscape (or ecosystem) to absorb the activity of people without any lasting damage. Some landscapes/ecosystems have larger carrying capacities than others.

Honey pot sites

Places that attract many tourists and which are often congested at peak times.

Abrasion

Erosion caused by friction which occurs when a river carries sand, gravel or pebbles and uses them to wear away the landscape.

Attrition

A type of erosion where rocks smash against each other making them smaller & more rounded.

Deposition

The laying down of material in the landscape. Occurs when the force that was carrying the sediment is reduced.

Differential Erosion

Where different rock types (geology) erode at different rates, as they have varying resistance.

Floodplain

The flat area beside a river channel that is covered in water during a flood event.

Fluvial Erosion

Erosion due to moving water in a river.

Gorge

A steep sided, narrow valley often found below a waterfall, where the waterfall has retreated.

Hydraulic action

Erosion caused when water and air are forced into gaps in rock or soil.

Interlocking spurs

A feature of V-shaped valleys where the river meanders from side to side so that the hillsides interlock rather like the teeth of a zip.

Landform

A natural feature in the landscape e.g. waterfall, meander

Lateral erosion

The process by which a river can cut sideways into its own river bank.

Load

The sediment carried by a river (Dissolved, Suspended and Bed Load).

Lower Course

The lowland section of the river, near the sea, where deposition is the most important process and the valley becomes wider and flatter.

Meander

A sweeping curve or bend in the river's course.

Middle Course

The section of the river between the uplands and the lowland, where transport of eroded material is the most important process and the river begins to cut sideways.

Mouth

The end point of a river (usually where it meets the sea).

Oxbow lake

The loop of an old meander that is no longer connected to the river channel by flowing water.

Plunge pool

The pool of water found at the base of a waterfall. Plunge pools are erosional features created by abrasion and hydraulic action of the plunging water.

River Cliff

The steep outside bank of a river channel which is continually undergoing erosion.

Saltation

Medium sized material bounced along the bed of the river (Bed Load).

Slip-off slope

The gentle slope on a river beach that is formed by deposition of sediment on the inside bend of a meander.

Solution

Rocks such as limestone slowly dissolve in acidic water (erosion, also known as Corrosion), and are carried along as dissolved minerals known as Dissolved Load (transportation).

Source

The starting point of a river (in an upland area).

Suspension

Very small and light material, usually fine clay and silt, transported within the flow of water in a river channel (known as Suspended Load)

Traction

Large material rolled along the bed of the river (Bed Load)

Transportation

The movement of material as it is carried by a river through the landscape.

Unintended Consequences

The accidental, negative impacts of Human Activity/ Intervention e.g. river management.

Upper Course

The upland stage of a river with a steep gradient and erosion is the most important process.

Vertical erosion

When the force of water, that is wearing away the landscape, is concentrated downwards.

V-shaped Valley

A deep v-shaped valley is usually found in the upper course of the river where the water has considerable erosive power.

Waterfall

A vertical drop in the river channel, formed where the river meets a band of softer (less resistant) rock after flowing over an area of harder (more resistant) material.

Weathering

The process by which rocks are broken down into small grains and soil.

Annual regime

The way in which a river's discharge varies throughout the year.

Cumecs

An abbreviation of cubic metres per second - which is a measure of the discharge of a river.

Discharge

The amount of water flowing through a river channel or out of an aquifer. Measured in cubic metres per second (cumecs).

Drainage Basin

An area of land drained by a river and its tributaries (smaller channels which feed into a main channel)

Floodplain Management

The management of flooding and/or land use development on a Floodplain

Flash floods

Flooding caused by a sudden downpour of rain. The rain falls so quickly it cannot soak into the ground.

Floodplain Development

Building or new developments on a floodplain

Flow

Movement of water from one part of the drainage basin to another

Frequency

A number that describes the mean time gap between similar events such as floods or landslides.

Groundwater (store)

Water in the ground below the water table.

Hard Engineering

Artificial/Man-made structures/defences to control natural processes

Groundwater flow

The flow of water through rocks.

Hazard map

A type of plan or that shows the extent of a hazard such as flood risk.

Hydrograph

A type of line graph that shows variation in discharge of a river. Time, which is on the horizontal axis, could be in hours, days or weeks.

Impermeable

Soil or rock which does not allow water to pass through it, such as clay.

Infiltration

The movement of rain water or snow melt into the soil.

Lag Time

The time delay between peak rainfall and peak discharge in a river.

Landuse Zoning

Restricting the type of development on floodplains into certain zones.

Magnitude

The size or scale of an event (such as a Flood/Cyclone)

Overland flow

The flow of water across the ground surface. Also called Surface-Run Off

Permeability

The ability of a rock to allow water to pass through it.

Permeable

A rock which allows water to pass through it, such as limestone.

Porosity

The ability of a rock to store water in tiny air spaces (pores).

Porous

A rock which has many tiny gaps within it (pores) that allow it to store water, such as chalk and sandstone.

River Channel/ Drainage Basin Management

Strategies to reduce flooding, by making changes to the river channel or within the drainage basin.

Soft Engineering

Using natural methods/working with the environment, rather than trying to control it.

Store

Water that is held temporarily at a location within the drainage basin.

Surface storage

Places where water is found on the surface such as lakes and rivers.

Throughflow

The downhill flow of water through soil.

Water cycle

The continuous flow of water between the earth's surface and the atmosphere - also called the hydrological cycle.

Abrasion

Erosion caused by friction when waves carry sand or pebbles and uses them to wear away the landscape.

Arch

Natural arch-shaped feature formed by the erosion of a cave in a headland.

Attrition

A type of erosion where rocks smash against each other making them smaller and more rounded.

Backwash

The flow of water back into the sea after a wave has broken on a beach.

Beach

A pebbly or sandy shoreline, between high- and low-water marks.

Bedding Planes

Lines of weakness that mark the boundary between layers of sedimentary rocks (normally horizontal).

Coastal Processes

Processes caused by the action of the sea/waves (occur below High Tide Mark) e.g. Erosion

Concordant Coastline

A coastline where the structure of the local geology is parallel to the shoreline.

Constructive Waves

Low energy waves which have a bigger swash than backwash. Depositing material onshore.

Deposition

The laying down of material. Occurs when the force carrying the sediment is reduced.

Destructive Waves

High energy waves which have a bigger backwash than swash. Eroding material from the coastline.

Differential Erosion

Where different rock types (geology) erode at different rates, as they have varying resistance.

Discordant Coastline

A coastline where the structure of the local geology is at right-angles to the shoreline.

Fetch

The distance over which wind has blown to create waves. The greater it is, the larger the waves.

Headlands & Bays

More resistant rock which sticks out into the sea, with inlets of less resistant rock in between.

Hydraulic action

Erosion caused when water and air are forced into gaps in rock or soil.

Joints

Cracks within rocks which create weaknesses. These are at 90° to bedding planes (normally vertical).

Landform

A natural feature in the landscape e.g. arch or wave cut platform.

Landslide

The sudden collapse of a part of a coastline under its own weight. Sometimes triggered on a cliff by erosion at the foot of the slope (a type of mass movement).