leaving cert geography - short questions

what is carbonation & example

chemical process where slightly acidic rain falls and wears down rock over time

forms limestone pavement

what is freeze thaw action

physical process where water falls into cracks in rocks, freezes, expands & breaks off pieces off rock

forms scree

what is exfoliation

physical process where layers of rock break off due to heat variations, aka onion weathering

what is hydrolysis

chemical process where acidic water breaks down rock into clay

what is isostasy

vertical movements in the earth's crust

why would a river's base level change

isostatic adjustment - fall & rise

what is a sand bar

a beach formed by longshore drift that encloses a lagoon

what is a sand spit

unfinished sand bar, juts out into sea

what is a tombolo

sand bar or spit that connects island to the mainland

constructive waves backwash vs swash

swash is greater than backwash in constructive waves

destructive waves backwash vs swash

backwash is greater than swash in destructive waves

focus vs epicentre

focus is in the crust, epicentre is on land

lines on a map joining equal areas of sunshine

isohels

benefit of increased tree planting

prevent soil erosion & remove CO2 to help environment

normal fault

right side rises

reverse fault

left side rises, right side falls

what is a tor

a tall free standing stack of rocks

what is a corrie/cirque

a hollow in a mountainside formed by glacial erosion, the lake inside is called a tarn

what is a sill

horizontal sheet of rock in the crust

what is a batholith

large body of igneous rock in the earth's crust

what term is used for the wind that flows most frequently over an area

prevailing wind

what is a plateau

flat landscape with slight drops either side formed from tectonic uplift

plutonic features that form when magma cools

sills & dykes

name for crust & upper mantle

lithosphere

how can census data be used by governments

to identify population & what resources are needed

what is a hot spot & example

an area along a plate boundary where lots of volcanic activity occurs eg pacific ring of fire

what is a laccolith

mass of rock in the crust in the shape of a dome

what is a dyke

a long rock that cuts through other layers of rock

what are crevasses

a crack in the surface of a glacier

what are moraines

the material left behind after a glacier

two processes of glacial erosion

plucking & abrasion

what is lithification

compact layers of rock being cemented into solid rock

what are lines joining equal areas of rainfall called

isohyets

landforms formed by faulting

horsts and grabens

2 landforms formed by glacial deposition

drumlin & outwash plain

what causes the snout of a glacier to advance

accumulation

what is a radial drainage pattern

flows outward from a peak eg volcanic cone

what is a dendritic drainage pattern

many tributaries combine before joining the main river

what is a trellised drainage pattern

tributaries join main river at right angles

which is stalactite and stalagmite

stalacTite comes from the Top

what is percolation

the downward movement of water through rock or soil

what are striations

grooves in rock from glacial movement

what is an anticyclone

an area of high atmospheric pressure associated with good weather

what is a depression

low pressure system that brings wind & rain

what is pastoral farming

rearing livestock

what is silica

a substance in magma that binds particles of sedimentary rock together and high contents of it cause high viscosity eruptions

what is a point bar

an area of deposition on the inside of a meander

what are terracettes

ridges on a hillside formed by soil creep

what is an outwash plain

plain formed by fluvoglacial deposition at the end of a glacier

lines on a map that join areas of equal atmospheric pressure

isobars

2 processes of coastal erosion

hydraulic action & attrition

what is a geo

an inlet on a cliff formed by coastal erosion

what is a volcanic plug

a volcanic object created when magma hardens within the vent

what is a shield volcano

a volcano formed by layers of liquid low viscosity lava

2 coastal features formed by isostatic rise

raised beach & cliff

2 coastal features formed by isostatic fall

incised meanders & knickpoints

what is rejuvenation

renewal of erosive activity in the old stage of a river

what is the hinterland

the area beyond a major town or city

what is a nodal region

a core region organised around a central feature

what is a ribbon/paternoster lake

a long, deep narrow river at the floor of a u-shaped valley formed by a glacier

types of aerial photograph

vertical - camera pointing directly downwards

high oblique - taken from an 60° angle high up, lots of land can be seen

low oblique - taken from a 30° angle, less land can be seen

where is sandstone found in ireland

munster ridge valley

where is granite found in ireland

wicklow mountains, sugarloaf mountain

reverse fault - compression, tension or shearing

compression

transform fault - compression, tension or shearing

shearing

normal fault - compression, tension or shearing

tension

thrust fault - compression, tension or shearing

compression

what are barchan dunes

crescent shaped sand dune formed by wind deposition in deserts

2 periods of fold mountain building from last 400 million years

caledonian & armorican

what is a turlough

seasonal body of water found in limestone karst areas of ireland

coastal defence walls on beach that go out into sea

groynes

what is oxidation

chemical process that breaks down rock using oxygen and water, usually changing the colour

what is basic lava

lava with low silica content

what is a river of resurgence

a river that disappears underground & reappears

what is a joint

a vertical gap in rock

what is a bedding plane

a horizontal gap in rock

what is a wave cut platform

narrow flat area found at the bottom of a sea cliff formed by erosion

what is slumping

mass movement where wet soil & rocks move down a slope

2 gases emitted by a volcano

carbon dioxide & sulfur dioxide

benefit of volcanic activity

geothermal energy

what is a caldera

large hollow left behind after a volcanic eruption

2 challenges facing the EU today

tariffs & migration

a negative impact of tourism

pollution, littering etc

a way to reduce the effect of earthquakes

deep foundations in buildings to prevent them falling

what is a regolith

layer of loose rocky material covering bedrock

2 factors that influence speed of mass movement & how

slope - a steeper slope means faster mass movement

vegetation - slows down mass movements as plant roots bind the soil

benefits of a low unemployment rate in a country

increase in tax revenue to be spent on infrastructure & increased standard of living for citizens

what is a peneplain

large flat area of land

what is the moho line

the boundary between the Earth's crust and mantle

an EU policy that influences agricuclture

common agricultural policy (CAP)

what is wave refraction

the bending of waves as they approach the shore

pyroclastic materials ejected from a volcano

ash & cinders

main irish fishing ports

howth & killybegs

irish mountain range formed during armorican folding

the galtees

definition of compression

plates are pushed together & crust becomes shorter and thicker

what is a doline

a feature formed when a cave system collapses

what is plucking

moving glaciers melt & freeze around rocks, picking them up as they pass