THEME 1

definitions

What is a distinctive landscape?

a landscape made up of different features and landforms, showing special or unique features

What factors can influence landscapes?

Geology

Land use

Vegetation

People and culture

What is a honeypot site?

a place of special interest that attracts tourists

What is visitor pressure?

the increased impact on the landscape, resources and services of an increased number of people due to tourism

What are the processes of river+coastal erosion?

Hydraulic action: the force of water hitting a surface it compresses water into air spaces undermining the material and washing it away.

Attrition: stones/pebbles colliding against each-other and breaking down becoming rounder and smaller.

Abrasion: stones/pebbles hitting a surface’s face and the river/sea bed wearing them away.

Solution: the slightly acidic river water dissolves chalk and limestone rocks which are made from calcium carbonate.

What are the processes of river+coastal transportation?

Solution: minerals dissolved in water.

Saltation: small pebbles/stones that are bounced along the river/sea bed.

Traction: larger boulders/rocks are rolled along the river/sea bed.

Suspension: fine, light material is held up and carried in the river’s flow.

What is deposition?

the dropping of material carried by the river

What is a V-shaped valley, and how is it formed?

a narrow valley with steep sloping sides found in the river’s upper course, it is formed from vertical erosion (deeper into the landscape, leaving steep valley sides) and weathering

What are interlocking spurs?

hard, resistant rocks that a river cannot easily erode and therefore goes around them

What is glacial erosion?

where waterfalls have formed due to the erosive power of a glacier during the ice age and carved steep valleys

What is differential erosion?

where waterfalls are formed due to a change in rock structure which leads to the river bed being eroded at different rates

How is a waterfall formed?

1. As the river bed crosses on to soft rock from hard rock it is eroded at a faster rate and a step is created.
2. As the water ’falls’, hydraulic action continues to erode the rock underneath the hard rock as it splashes against it.
3. As the soft rock is further eroded the overhang becomes too heavy and the rock collapses causing the position of the waterfall to retreat upstream.
4. A plunge pool is created underneath the waterfall due to the sheer force of the water hitting the river bed and the abrasion caused by the rocks from the overhang being moved by the water.

What is a gorge?

a steep-sided narrow valley formed by a retreating waterfall

Where are meanders found?

usually in the middle and lower course of a river valley (more on a floodplain)

Factors of the outside bank of a meander

1. erosion
2. river cliff
3. deeper water
4. faster flow

Factors of the inside bank of a meander

1. deposition
2. slow flow
3. slip off slope
4. shallow water

What is a floodplain and how is it formed?

an area of land which is covered in water when a river bursts its banks, form due to both erosion and deposition, erosion removes any interlocking spurs , creating a wide, flat area on either side of the river.

What is freeze-thaw action?

the breakdown of rocks due to water entering cracks and repeatedly freezing and thawing making a rock erode

What is carbonation?

where chemicals in rainwater react with chemicals in rocks allowing big crack to start to form

What is mass movement?

when soil, rocks or stones move down a slope e.g. rockfalls+landslides

What is longshore drift?

the process by which sediment is moved along a coastline and is determined due to swash, backwash and the wind and wave direction

What is a headland?

an area of land that juts into the sea

What is a bay?

a recessed area of coastline often found between two headlands

What is a wave-cut platform?

a coastal landform made of a rocky shelf in front of a cliff, formed by a notch collapsing

What is a wave-cut notch?

a slot with overhanging rocks that has been cut into the bottom of a cliff by wave action

What is an arch?

a natural opening in a cliff where the sea is able to flow through, formed by two caves either side of a headland are cut through leaving the remaining connecting arch

What is a stack?

a vertical pillar of rock left behind after the collapse of an arch

How is a beach formed?

by a gradual build up of deposition from waves

What is a spit and how is it formed?

a sand or shingle beach that is joined to the land but projects outwards into the sea in the direction of the prevailing wind, longshore drift transports this material

What is an offshore bar?

an area of deposition that is slightly off the coastline in the estuary of a river

What is a concordant coastline?

when rocks are formed parallel to the sea so that erosion rates along the coastline are even

What is a discordant coastline?

when rocks are formed at right angles to the sea and so erosion rates vary along the coastline depending on the rock type

What are groynes?

a low wall or barrier on a beach built at right angles to the sea to restrict longshore drift

What is a drainage basin?

an area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

What is interception?

when rainfall does not reach the ground as it is blocked by trees, buildings etc

What is infiltration?

the movement of water into the soil

What is through-flow?

the flow of water through the soil

What is groundwater flow?

the flow of water across the ground surface

What is transpiration?

water given off by plants

What is stem-flow?

movement of water that has been intercepted down the stem or trunk of a plant

What is percolation?

the movement of water from the soil into the bedrock

Why can flooding occur?

Climate: increased rainfall will increase the chance

Vegetation: influence the speed of the flow

Geology: different rock can either allow rain to be stored or released influencing the risk of flooding

Urbanisation: can cause more overland flow due to impermeable surfaces

What is a hydro-graph?

a line graph used to display the discharge of a river over a period of time

What is lag time?

the time between the peak of rainfall and peak discharge in a river