geography paper 1: topic 3- distinctive landscapes

what is a landscape?

comprises all visible features of an area of land

main elements of any landscape

• physical- like mountains/valleys

• water- rivers/lakes

• living- trees/grass

• transitory (temporary)- weather/seasons

• human- buildings, other land uses

natural landscape vs built landscape

• a natural landscape has more physical features e.g. mountains/ forests

• a built landscape has more visible human features e.g. a town/city

upland areas distribution

north and west UK

lowland areas distribution

south and east UK

glaciated landscape distribution

north and west UK

features of an upland area

• formed of harder rocks that resist erosion (e.g. slate, granite, limestones)

• many are glaciated

• gradient is steep

• cooler, wetter climate

• low temperatures

• often mountainous

• harsh climate and thin soils are good for vegetation

• land uses- sheep farming, quarrying, tourism

features of a lowland area

• made from softer rocks (e.g. chalk, clay, sandstones)

• landscape flatter with gently rolling hills

• warmer drier climate

• milder temperatures

• not high above sea level

• vegetation grows easily in fertile soils

• land uses- quarrying, tourism, dairy/ arable farming

• urban areas and industries found here

features of a glaciated landscape

weathering

break down/ dissolving of rocks

freeze- thaw weathering

water enters cracks in rocks and when temperatures drop, the water freezes and contracts putting pressure on the rock. the ice melts, making its way deeper into the crack. repeated freezing and thawing causes the rock to widen until it splits

chemical weathering

breakdown of rock by changing its chemical composition

this happens when theres a reaction between water and the atmosphere, CO2 reacts with water making acid rain which weathers down rocks like sandstone and limestone

biological weathering

breakdown of rock by living things

movements of plants and animals e.g. a rabbit could burrow into a crack in a rock or a plant could grow making it bigger, eventually splitting it

mass movement

the movement of material downhill due to the force of gravity

examples of mass movement

• rock falls

• landslides

• slumping

• soil creep

erosion

process in which rocks are broken down by natural forces e.g. wind/water

4 types of erosion

• hydraulic action

• attrition

• abrasion

• solution

hydraulic action

waves crash against the coast, compressing air into the cracks. this puts pressure on the rock, repeated compression widens cracks and makes bits of rock break off

attrition

pebbles are picked up by waves and bash into each other, wearing down into smaller rounder particles

abrasion

waves pick up rocks from the seabed and smash them against the coast wearing them away

solution

rocks like limestone slowly dissolve in water due to dissolved co2 in the rivers/ sea which make the water slightly acidic

4 types of transportation

• traction

• saltation

• suspension

• solution

traction

large boulders and stones are dragged along the river bed/ sea floor due to the force of the water

saltation

pebble sized particles are bounced along the river bed/sea floor due to the force of the water

suspension

tiny particles of silt/sand/clay are carried along by the flowing water

solution

soluble materials dissolve in the water and are carried along invisible to the eye

constructive waves

• steep beach profile

• smaller wave height

• strong swash moves sediment up beach

• weak backwash carries away little sediment

• less frequent waves

destructive waves

• gentle beach profile

• larger wave height

• weak swash moves little sediment up beach

• strong backwash carries away lots of sediment

• steep angle of wave break scours material away

• waves break less often due to shallow wave angle

• more frequent waves

headlands and bays formation

headlands and bays are formed where there is alternating bands of resistant and less resistant rock along a coast

the less resistant rock is eroded quickly, forming a bay with a gentle slope

the resistant rock is eroded more slowly and is left jutting out forming a headland with steep sides

what do headlands form

headlands are eroded to form caves, arches, stacks and stumps

cave

headlands are made of resistant rocks that have weaknesses like cracks

waves crash into the headlands and enlarge the cracks mainly by hydraulic action and abrasion

repeated erosion+ enlargement of the cracks causes a cave to form

arch

repeated erosion deepens the cave until it breaks through the headland forming an arch

stack

erosion continues to wear away the rock supporting the arch until it eventually collapses which forms a stack -an isolated rock separate from the headland

stump

the stack is eroded forming a stump

coastal deposition

when the waves do not have adequate energy, they drop the sand, pebbles & rocks they are carrying

beaches formation

beaches form in sheltered environments such as bays. when the swash is stronger than the backwash, deposition occurs

spit

a coastal landform, a stretch of land that projects out to the sea and is connected to the mainland at one endcha

characteristics of a spit

• curved end

• made of rock, sand and pebbles

• by a river estuary

• thin

• narrow

how a spit is formed

material is carried along the shore in a zigzag motion by waves as they swash material up the beach at an angle and then backwash the material down the beach at a right angle. the angle of the swash is decided by the prevailing wind.

where theres a break in the coastline then material is deposited closest to the shore

over time this material builds up out to sea forming a spit

a spit generally curves inwards towards the land as a result of the prevailing wind

hard engineering

using artificial structures to control the forces of nature

soft engineering

fitting in and working with the natural coastal processes

mouth

where a river flows into the sea or a lake

source

the area in which the river begins

confluence

where 2 rivers join

watershed

the area of high land forming the edge of a river basin

tributary

a smaller river that joins a larger river

upper course landforms

• v shaped valley

• waterfall

• gorge

formation of a waterfall

1. forms where a river flows over an area of hard rock followed by an area of soft rock

2. softer rock is eroded by hydraulic action and abrasion more than the hard rock creating a ‘step’ in the ruver

3. as water goes over the step, more and more of the soft rock is eroded

4. a steep drop is created called a waterfall

5. the hard rock is undercut by erosion. its unsupported now and collapses causing a plunge pool

6. the collapsed rocks that fall into the plunge pool act to erode it further by abrasion

7. a gorge is formed. this takes thousands of years until the whole process starts again causing a retreat upstream

v shaped valley

1. a small stream will naturally follow small depressions in the landscape

2. as the stream flows downhill steeply, the bedload erodes downwards and scrapes away the bottom of the channel (this is vertical erosion)

3. vertical erosion deepens the valley making the sides more exposed and steep

4. over time, gravity and weathering wear away steep valley sides forcing material into the stream which cuts the valley deeper

middle course landforms

• wider valleys

• meanders

• ox-bow lakes

formation of a meander/ ox-bow lake

1. time and disturbance causes a bend.

2. the water’s momentum slams against the wall causing more and more bends

3. the outside bend begins to erode

4. this causes the gap to narrow

5. hydraulic action

6. the river is lazy/idle and doesn’t flow through the bend

7. when in flood, the river will break through the narrow gap

8. the current along the straight path is more dominant

9. the old path is now dry and deposition from the upper course has built up

10. abandoned meander

lower course landforms

• flood plains

• levees

• ox-bow lakes

flood plain

the land is flat with a large flood plain next to the river. material is deposited in this course, when the river floods, it deposits silt/ alluvium which is good soil for farming

levees

when the river floods, it spreads water and alluvium across the flood plain. a layer of alluvium builds up on the flood plain, deepening it. the levee now raises the height of the river bank. the river returns to its normal level.