PHYSICAL LANDSCAPES IN THE UK

PHYSICAL LANDSCAPES IN THE UK

1. UK Physical Landscape

   • RELIEF = the height, steepness +shape of the landscape. = determained by geology
   • LANDSCAPE = result from the interaction between natural / physical factors
   • IN THE UK = N/W = upland more resistnat rock. = S/E = lowland weaker rocks.

2. Coastal Landscapes in the UK

   • Constructive / Destructive
     • CONSTRUCTIVE WAVE = formed by a storm often hundreds of km away. common in summer
     • DESTRUCTIVE WAVE = formed by local storms close to the coast. common in winter
   • How a wave is formed
   • WEATHERING = the weakening / decay of rock due to the actions of weather, plants and animals
     • MECHANICAL (physical) = the disintegration of rock
       • eg: Freeze-thaw
     • CHEMICAL = caused by chemical changes
       • eg: Carbonation
     • BIOLOGICAL = caused by the actions of flora and fauna
       • eg. plants roots grow in rocks / animals burrow into weak rocks
     • TYPES OF MASS MOVEMENT = downward movement (sliding) of weathered material and rock
       • Deposition - occurs when water slows down and waves lose their energy
   • COASTAL EROSION
     • Solution - Dissolving of soluble chemicals in rock
     • Corrasion - rocks fragments picked up by the sea are thrown at the cliff. they scrape and wear away the rock
     • Abrasion - the "sandpapering" effect of pebbles grinding over a rocky plateform
     • Attrition - rocks fragments carried by the sea knock against each other becoming smaller / more rounded
     • Hydraulic action - the power of the waves as they hit a cliff. trapped air is forced into cracks in the rock, eventually causing it to break up
     • Erosion Landforms
       • Factor 1 = ROCK TYPE - some rocks are harder / softer than other so easier to erode
       • Factor 2 = GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE - the way the rocks has been folded / tilted. Faults (cracks) form lines of weakness.
   • Transportation
     • Longshore Drift - the movement depends on the direction that waves approch the coast sue to prevailing wind direction
     • Deposition Landforms
       • • SANDY beeches - mainly found in sheltered bays and are created by conservative waves
         • Along high-energy coast sand is washed away leaving behind a PEBBLE beech

3. River Landscapes in the UK

Images and files in the map