unit 3 - the uk's evolving physical landscape

what are the main uk physical landscapes?

rivers coasts and glaciers

what is a drainage basin?

area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

what is a watershed?

boundary separating drainage basins

where is source of river usually?

in a highland area

what is mouth of river?

where river meets sea or lake

what is tributary?

smaller river joining main river

what is confluence?

point where two rivers meet

what is erosion?

wearing away of rock by water movement

what is hydraulic action?

force of water breaking rock

what is abrasion?

rocks scraping river bed and banks

what is attrition?

rocks colliding and breaking into smaller pieces

what is solution?

dissolving of minerals in water

what is transportation?

movement of sediment by river

what is traction?

large rocks rolling along river bed

what is saltation?

bouncing of small particles

what is suspension?

fine particles carried in water

what is deposition?

dropping of sediment when energy decreases

what is v shaped valley?

steep sided valley formed in upper course

what is waterfall?

vertical drop in river course caused by hard and soft rock erosion

what is meander?

bend in a river

what is oxbow lake?

cut off meander loop

what is floodplain?

flat land next to river formed by deposition

what is levee?

raised river bank formed by deposition

what is estuary?

wide river mouth affected by tides

what causes flooding?

heavy rainfall, saturated ground and river discharge increase

what is hydrograph?

graph showing river discharge over time

what is peak discharge?

highest river flow during storm

what is lag time?

time between rainfall and peak discharge

what is coastal erosion?

wearing away of coastline by sea

what is cliff?

steep rock face formed by erosion

what is wave cut platform?

flat area at base of cliff

what is headland?

land jutting into sea

what is bay?

sheltered coastal inlet

what is longshore drift?

movement of sediment along coast by waves

what is deposition in coast?

build up of sediment creating beaches

what is spit?

narrow ridge of sand extending into sea

what is bar?

ridge of sand joining two headlands

what is beach?

deposited sediment along coast

what is stack?

isolated rock pillar from cliff erosion

what is stump?

collapsed stack

what is hard engineering?

man made coastal defences like sea walls

what is soft engineering?

natural coastal management like beach nourishment

what is managed retreat?

allowing coast to erode in controlled way

what is uk glacier landscape?

land shaped by ice during past ice ages

what is glaciation?

process of land being covered by ice

what is plucking?

glacier pulling away rock fragments

what is glacial abrasion?

the process by which rock fragments embedded in the base of a glacier erode underlying bedrock, eroding and smoothing the landscape.

what is freeze thaw?

water freezing in cracks breaking rock apart

what is corrie?

armchair shaped hollow formed by glacier erosion

what is arête?

sharp ridge between glaciers

what is pyramidal peak?

sharp mountain peak formed by erosion

what is u shaped valley?

valley carved by glacier

what is moraine?

glacial deposits of rock debris

what is drumlin?

elongated hill formed by glacial deposition

what is uk climate?

temperate maritime climate with mild temperatures

what affects uk rainfall?

prevailing westerlies and relief rainfall

what is relief rainfall?

rain caused by air rising over mountains

what is frontal rainfall?

rain formed when warm and cold air meet

what is air mass?

large body of air with uniform temperature and humidity

what is uk river example?

river thames or river severn

what is uk coastal example?

jurassic coast dorset

what is sea level change?

rise or fall of ocean levels due to climate and geology

what is isostatic change?

land rising or sinking due to weight changes

what is eustatic change?

global sea level change due to ice melt or thermal expansion

what is geology?

study of rock types and structure affecting landscapes