What makes a landscape distinctive?

• Definition of a landscape

  • the character of an area, resulting from the action and interaction of natural and human elements.
• Concept of landscape

  • a landscape's character will depend on its initial geology, which gives it a relief, which in turn attracts human action.
  • the UK's landscape is dynamic which means its constantly changing.
• Elements of a landscape

  • natural physical, physical features such as mountains or coastlines, water like lakes, rivers and ponds.
  • human, human aspects like farmland or buildings, infrastructure like pylons and fences, landscaped road verges and gardens.
  • biological, the living element like trees, grass and animals, habitats like marshlands and hedges.
  • variable, temporary such as seasonal or weather dependent such as frozen lakes or thunderstorms, weather and cloudscape, smells and sounds.
• Distribution of UK landscapes

  • the UK has a varied landscape.
  • uplands are found mostly in the north and west such as northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and north England
  • the lowlands are in the south and east of the UK, central and southern England.
  • most cities are in lowland areas and often on main river courses.

  
• Glaciation and the UK

  • Europe's last ice age peaked 20,000 years ago, and ended 11,500 years ago.
  • at this time 30% of the world's land was covered in ice.
  • temperatures remained below 0 degrees Celsius all year round, particularly in Scotland which allowed a 1km thick ice sheet to cover most of the country.
  • today much of upland Britain is covered in u-shaped valleys along with steep, eroded mountain peaks.
  • during the ice age areas covered in ice were weathered and eroded, creating these mountains, and after those areas were exposed as deep valleys.

  
• Igneous rock

  • forms when magma from the mantle cools down and hardens.
  • as it cools, crystals form in the rock.
  • igneous rocks are hard and more resistant to erosion like granite and basalt.
• Sedimentary rock

  • layers of sediment are compacted together until they become solid rock.
  • limestone and chalk come from shells and skeletons of dead sea creatures.
  • limestone is harder than chalk but both are less resistant to erosion.
  • clays and shales are made from mud and clay minerals and are softer than limestone and chalk.
• Metamorphic rock

  • rock is put under pressure and heat, the original rock becomes a new type of rock.
  • this new rock becomes harder and more compact, such as shales becoming slate, and then slate becoming schist.
• UK's geology

  • uplands are mostly igneous and metamorphic rock with the softer sedimentary rock found in the lowlands.
  • plate movement has moved the UK from the tropics, where it was partially submerged in warm shallow water which formed the limestones of the Peak District.
  • when the plates collided, it forced the rocks to fold and uplift creating the mountain ranges of the uplands like the Scottish Highlands.
  • the pressure and heat created slate, shale and schist of the upland.