Physical Landscapes in the UK
1.Where are the location of the major upland and low land areas and river
systems in the UK?
To the north and west, there is predominantly upland areas indicating the
presence of hard rock such as granite and slate
To the south and east, this is predominantly low land areas, indicating the
presence of soft rock such as clay and limestones
There is an extensive river system usually having their source in the mountains
and then gradually flow to sea
2.What is a constructive wave?
a constructive wave, is low energy wave that deposits sediment on the
beach(depositional), it has More of a shallow beach gradient, usually in sand
beaches, “spilling” motion, as it has a strong swash and weak backwash
3.What is a destructive wave?
a destructive wave, is a high energy wave , that erodes the beach, it is usually
in a more steeper gradient beach , it has a weak swash and strong backwash
4.What are the five processes of erosion?
corrasion
abrasion
attrition
hydraulic action
corrosion(solution)
5.What is Corrasion?
Corrasion is when sand and pebbles are picked up by the sea and hurled
against the cliffs at high tide, causing the cliffs to be eroded. The shape ,
Physical Landscapes in the UK 1
, weight and quality of sediment picked up, as well as wave speed, affects the
rate of erosion
6.What is Abrasion?
This is the process where sediment scrapes and bangs against the base of a
rock face, and so wear away the face gradually(sand papering effect).The
pieces of rock brush past the rock face, rather than being launched against
the rock face in corrasion
7.What is Attrition?
Wave action causes rocks and pebbles to hit against each other, wearing each
other down and so becoming round and eventually smaller. Attrition is an
erosive process within the coastal environment, but has little to no effect on
the erosion of the coastline itself.
8.What is Hydraulic Action?
As a wave crashes onto a rock or cliff face, air is forced into cracks within the
rock. The high pressure causes the cracks to force apart and widen when the
wave retreats and the air expands. Over time this causes the rock to fracture.
9.What is Corrosion(solution)?
The mildly acidic seawater can cause alkaline rock such as limestone to be
eroded. This is similar to chemical weathering where acid rain dissolves
limestone from the rock face.
10.What are the three different types of weathering processes?
Mechanical(physical)
Chemical
Biological
11.What is Mechanical(physical) weathering?
freeze thaw
when the water gets into the cracks of a rock or cliff, and during the night in
cold temperature freezes and expands and in the day when it melts, this
process repeats till the rock is weakened
12.What is Chemical weathering?
Physical Landscapes in the UK 2