geo section C paper 1

Upland areas

Hills/mountains located in the north and west of the UK, such as Scotland and Wales.

Lowland areas

Flat regions found in the south and east of the UK, including The Fens and South Downs.

Coastal Landscapes

Landscapes that are shaped by the interaction between land and sea.

Erosion

The process that wears away the coast through various mechanisms.

Hydraulic action

A type of erosion where waves force air into cracks in the rock.

Abrasion

Erosion caused by rocks scraping against the cliff.

Attrition

Erosion that occurs when rocks smash together and break.

Solution

Erosion process where water dissolves some types of rocks.

Transportation

The movement of material along the coast by waves.

Longshore drift

The process by which waves move sand along the coast.

Traction

A method of transportation where large rocks are rolled along the riverbed.

Saltation

A method of transportation where smaller rocks are bounced along the riverbed.

Suspension

A method of transportation where small particles are carried within the water.

Deposition

The process where material is dropped when the sea has less energy.

Headlands and bays

Landforms created when hard rock sticks out while soft rock wears away.

Cliffs

Steep rock faces formed by erosion.

Wave-cut platforms

Flat areas at the base of cliffs formed by wave action.

Caves, arches, stacks, stumps

Landforms that are formed over time through erosion.

Beaches

Depositional landforms made of sand or pebbles along the coast.

Spits

Depositional landforms that are sand sticking out into the sea, such as Spurn Head.

Bars

Depositional landforms that join two headlands.

Hard engineering

Coastal management techniques that involve building structures to protect the coast.

Sea walls

Structures built to stop waves from reaching the shore.

Groynes

Structures that trap sand to help build beaches.

Rock armour

Big boulders placed along the coast to absorb wave energy.

Soft engineering

Coastal management techniques that work with nature to protect the coast.

Beach nourishment

The process of adding sand to a beach to make it bigger.

Dune planting

A method to help sand dunes grow by planting vegetation.

Managed retreat

A strategy that allows the sea to flood safe areas.

Case Study: Holderness Coast

An example of fast erosion with cliffs made of soft clay, protected by rock armour and groynes.

River Processes

The processes of erosion, transportation, and deposition that occur in rivers.

V-shaped valleys

Landforms created in the upper course of a river where erosion is steep and narrow.

Waterfalls

Vertical drops in the river's course, such as High Force.

Meanders

Curves or bends in a river typically found in the middle course.

Floodplains

Flat areas adjacent to rivers that are prone to flooding.

Levees

Raised banks along the sides of a river that help contain floodwaters.

Ox-bow lakes

Curved lakes formed when a meander is cut off from the river.

Flooding causes

Heavy rain, snow melt, and impermeable rock that prevent water from soaking into the ground.

Flooding effects

Loss of homes or power, damage to businesses and transport, and pollution of land.

Case Study: River Tees

Features include High Force waterfall, meanders near Yarm, and floodplains near Middlesbrough.

Dams/reservoirs

Hard engineering structures used to control water flow in rivers.

Embankments

Raised banks built to contain river water.

Flood walls

Structures designed to stop water from reaching towns during floods.

Plant trees

A soft engineering method that slows down rainwater to reduce flooding.

Zoning

The practice of not building in flood-prone areas.

River restoration

Allowing rivers to flow naturally to improve ecosystem health.

Key Case Studies

Important examples to remember, such as Holderness Coast for coastal processes and River Tees for river processes.