Landscapes of the UK

• Upland

  Upland are defined as being an area of land that rises considerably above the surrounding land which is 600m above sea level
• Lowland

  Lowlands areas are closer to sea level and lie below 200m. They are found in central and southern England
• Glaciated

  Glaciated are higher lands that experience colder weather (temp drops 1 degrees Celsius for every 100m of altitude) and more mist, cloud and snow which can increase physical weathering because of the presence of water and greater changes in temp either side of freezing
• What's a chloropleth map?

  It's a map with colour and is easy to read
• Factors affecting upland and lowland areas

  -Geology

  -Climate

  -Human activity
• Geology affects lowland and upland areas

  Harder rocks erode and weather more slowly than soft rocks as they have fewer weaknesses leading to higher land and more uneven landscape. Softer rocks erode faster leading to more even flatter land
• Climate affect lowland and upland areas

  Wetter and warmer environments have higher levels of weathering. Areas where temp fluctuates regularly from above to below freezing are more likely to have weathering causing uneven landscapes
• Human activity affects lowland and upland areas

  Impact rates of weathering and erosion and directly affect landscapes through economic activity and transports links
• What do upland areas have?

  Lower average temp and higher average rainfall and opposite for lowland
• What type of weathering occurs in upland areas of the UK?

  Freeze-thaw weathering
• What may this lead to?

  Bare rock, uneven surface and steep slopes as it mainly affects weakness in rock
• Where are the harder rocks?

  Tend to be found in upland areas of Uk (e.g. granite and limestone)
• Where are the softer rocks?

  Found in lowland areas (e.g. chalk and clay)
• Why do harder rocks erode and weather at a slower rate?

  As they are impermeable which leads to distinct landscapes
• What does impermeable mean?

  Water can't pass through it (rocks)
• What do harder rocks generally have?

  Steeper slopes, higher quantities of topography that reflects the weakness only being found in parts of the rock
• What does topography mean?

  the shape of the land
• What do softer rocks have?

  Have gentle slopes, flatter land and topography that reflects the weakness in rock being more uniform
• What is weathering?


  Weathering is the process of rocks being broken by weakness in their structure by biological, chemical and physical methods.
• Process of exfoliation (mechanical weathering)

  -Rock surface heats up and expands

  -Rock surface cools and contracts

  -Joint form in the outer part of the rock

  -Over time the rocks keeps expanding and contracting causing outside layers to break off. This process repeats
• diagram of this

  
• Process of Biological weathering (plant roots)

  -Roots gradually grow into and open up joints in the rock-during the decay of organic material

  -Gradual opening of the joints as the root grows
• diagram of this

  
• Process of Burrowing animals (biological weathering)

  -Soil gets burrowed by an animal

  -The animal is making a hole

  -the animals goes all the way through the soil causing the soil to collapse and the rock to fall
• Diagram of this

  
• Process of chemical weathering (carbonation)

  -Rainwater picks up carbon dioxide from the air

  -Rainwater becomes a weak carbonic acid

  -Acidic rainwater reacts with the calcium carbonate to form calcium bicarbonate, which then dissolves
• diagram of this

  
• The movement downslope of rock fragments and soil under the influence of gravity
• What is sliding?

  Movement along a plane
• What is slumping?

  Rotational on the surface
• Process of rockfall

  -Fragments of rock break away from the cliff face often due to free-thaw weathering

  1.Water enter weakness in rock

  2.Freeze thaw takes place

  3.Rock breaks of surface

  4.Falls to ground at base of the cliff
• Process of Landslide

  -Blocks of land or rockslide downhill

  1. Rock detaches itself from the slope due to weathering and gravity falling down slope

  2. Base of cliff eroded weakening stability of slope

  3. Saturated soil/rock is heavier and slides due to the base of the slope being removed
• diagram of this

  
• Process of mudflow (soil)

  -Saturated soil and weak rock flows down a slope

  1. Layers of soil that are permeable on a slope that may be unstable due to the undercutting at the base

  2. Heavy rainfall saturates the soil - this causes weight to increase. If this overcomes friction then the mudflow will slide down a slope
• Process of Rotational slip

  -Saturated soil and rocks slumps along a curved surface
• Diagram of this

  
• What is erosion?


  To wear away gradually with the movement of wind, water or rice
• 4 major ways water in river erode

  -Abrasion/corrasion

  -Attrition

  -Corrosion

  -Hydraulic Action
• Process of Abrasion


  -Rock is abrading the river bed by wearing it away by the load carried by a river causing some of the material to break off

  -This causes the river bed to crack up due to the rock wearing away the river bed
• diagram of this