TOPIC 3 – Distinctive landscapes

Comprehensive guide and resources to all distinctive landscapes in the UK

http://coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE/AQA/Physical_Landscapes_Home_Study.php

Built landscape

Natural landscape

Landforms

Glacial processes

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Geomorphic processes

Mechanical processes

Chemical processes

Biological processes

Geology

Igneous

Sedimentary

Metamorphic

Coniferous

Deciduous

Impermeable

Freeze-thaw cycle

Tides

Sub-aerial processes

Oxidation

Rotational slumping

Rock slides

Waves

Abrasion

Hydraulic action

Solution/corrosion

Attrition

Wave-cut notch

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Swash

Backwash

Longshore Drift

Headland

Arch

Stack

Stump

Wave-cut platform

Sea wall

Gabions

Rip-rap

Waterfall

Plunge pool

Floodplain

Levees

Meander

Ox-bow lake

Answer the following questions for each photo:

1) What makes the landscape in the picture distinctive?
2) What is natural about this landscape?
3) How have people influenced this landscape?
4) What evidence is there that the landscape is changing?

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What are the different elements of landscapes?
Natural –

Biological –

Human –

Variable –

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 3.1 What makes a landscape distinctive?

a) 3.1a - What is a landscape?
Upland and lowland landscapes
1. Label the main upland and lowland areas of the UK on the map.
2. Characteristics of upland areas are …..
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Characteristics of lowland areas are …..
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b) 3.1b - Where are the physical landscapes of the UK?
Landscape these consist of natural features such as
rivers, beaches and no man-made features
Natural landscapes these are the visible features that make up
the surface of the land.
Built landscapes these have a large number of man-
made features e.g. buildings, roads.
Glaciated landscapes
1. Label the glaciated areas of upland Britain, the glaciated areas of
lowland Britain and the unglaciated areas.
2. Describe the characteristics of glaciated landscapes in the UK
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3. Describe the distribution of upland and lowland landscapes in the UK

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Human Activity
Explain 3 ways in which different human activities can alter the
landscape.
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Geology and landscape - Rocks which helped to shape the UK’s landscapes
Igneous rock: is a volcanic rock made from molten materials brought up to Earth’s surface and cooled into solid rock.
Sedimentary rock: is made up of broken fragments of rock worn down by weathering on Earth’s surface. It is deposited in layers, often under water.
Metamorphic rock: is folded and distorted by heat and pressure as Earth’s tectonic plates move.

Describe the distribution of these 3 types of rock (sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous) in the UK.

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Can you make any links between the geology (types of rocks) and the relief (shape of land) in the UK?

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Geology has a strong influence on landscapes. In many cases, it is possible to identify the underlying rock just by looking at the landscape. The
different properties of each rock – hardness, permeability (if it lets water through) and structure – give rise to the varied landscapes of the UK.
The two rocks commonly found in the UK are granite and chalk.

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 Granite Chalk

Formation

Composition

Properties

Soils and farming

Exam question: Explain how the geology of the UK gives rise to distinctive landscapes. Refer to one or more named rock types. (4 marks)

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Knowledge retrieval

Characteristic Upland (and glaciated) areas Lowland areas

Geology

Soil

Climate

Human activity (land use)

Outline the physical characteristics of lowland areas of the UK [2 marks]

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Compare the characteristics of upland and lowland areas in the UK [4 marks]

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HOMEWORK: Find at least 2 images of distinctive physical or human landscapes in the UK. Briefly explain their location. Annotate
your pictures to describe the distinctive characteristics of the landscape.

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Climate and landscape - The Effects of Climate & Weather on Landscape How are the rocks
worn down?
Mechanical weathering: The breakdown of rock caused by temperature changes, especially on
mountains.
Chemical (Limestone) weathering: The breakdown of rock caused by the action of rainwater in rock.
Biological weathering: The breaking up of rock caused by plants and animals.

Describe the distribution of the annual average rainfall in the

UK.
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How do the variations in rainfall affect the UK landscape?

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Exam question: Explain how the climate of the UK gives rise to distinctive landscapes.
Refer to one or more named locations. (4 marks)
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Human activity and landscape

Which of those activities, in your opinion, (explain) has the highest:

a) pollution impact

b) visual impact

c) noise impact

d) wildlife impact (loss of natural habitats)

e) human impact (number of people affected)

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 3.2 – What influences the landscape of the UK?
3.2a – What physical processes shape landscapes - Geomorphic processes: The Work of a
River and Sea
The UK landscape is constantly changing. Some of these changes happen so gradually you won’t notice
them. Other changes happen as you watch – like the sand moving up and down a beach or a cliff
collapsing.
There are 3 main agents of natural change:
1. Rivers: They flow by gravity over the land from their source to the sea (mouth of a river; in the UK it
is usually an estuary). There are rivers all around the UK, but especially in the north and west where
there is more rain.
2. Glaciers: they once covered much of the country like giant rivers of ice. There are no glaciers in the
UK now, but they left their mark on the landscape.
3. Sea: It surrounds the whole of the UK, making us an island (or group of islands). The sea erodes
the coastline and constantly changes it.

Weathering and Erosion Transportation Deposition

Processes of erosion: Match the process to the definition

Fragments of rock carried by the water rub against the

river bed/ banks/cliff gradually wearing them away. When
Corrosion/Solution a river is in flood it carries lots of material therefore the
effects are greater. This is the process most responsible
for deepening valleys in upland areas.

Attrition Pebbles and rocks collide with each other and knock
together. This reduces their size and makes them smaller,
smoother and rounder.

Waves crash against the river bed/coast, forcing air into

Abrasion
cracks. As the air can’t escape it expands and when the
wave retreats small explosions are created.

Chemical reaction(s) occur when slightly acid water

Hydraulic Action dissolves calcium. This breaks down rocks such as
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Diagram: Processes of erosion

Processes of transportation: Match the process to the definition

Traction When large fragments roll along the river bed

Suspension When fragments are bounced along the river bed

Solution Smaller fragments carried in the flow of a river

Saltation Dissolved materials carried in the water

Diagram: Processes of transportation (rivers)

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Diagram: Processes of transportation (coasts) – Long shore drift

What is mass movement? – Using the diagrams on the board, annotate the photo below to explain mass
movement, sliding and slumping.

Processes of deposition and types of waves

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On many coastlines the dominant process results from the action of waves. Waves are usually created by
the transfer of energy from the wind blowing over the surface of the sea (the exceptions are tsunamis which
result from submarine (underwater) earth movements usually after an earthquake). The larger the wave,
the more energy it contains. The maximum distance of water over which winds can blow is called the fetch.
In the case of south-west England the fetch is from the south-west. This also coincides with the
direction of the prevailing wind. In Eastern England the fetch is generally from the east.
Water particles within a wave move in a circular orbit. Each particle tends to move vertically up and down. It
is only the shape of the wave and its energy that is transferred horizontally towards the coast. When
a wave reaches shallow water, the velocity at its base will be slowed due to friction with the sea-bed, and
the circular orbit is changed to one that is more elliptical. The top of the wave, unaffected by friction,
becomes higher and steeper until it breaks. Only at this point does the remnant of the wave, called the
swash, actually move forwards. The swash transfers energy up the beach, the backwash returns energy
down the beach.

HOMEWORK: Complete the tasks below

1) Seneca – Distinctive landscapes revision

2) Article to read: https://www.ft.com/content/2f93cc1b-08ea-49d0-8c5a-
dfd2ad3c2177 Britain’s disappearing coastline: ‘Right now we abandon people’
3) Clip to watch: https://www.tutor2u.net/geography/blog/britains-
disappearing-coastline

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3.2a What physical processes shape landscape - Coastal landforms created and/or shaped
by coastal erosion and weathering: headlands, bays, caves, arches, stacks and stumps.
The UK coastline is continually being shaped by the power of waves. The resulting landforms depend
mainly on the type of rock (geology) along the coast. Headlands form where hard, more resistant rocks are
slot to erode. Between the headlands, bays are formed where soft, less resistant rocks easily erode. Most
coastal erosion happens when waves are at their most powerful.

Exam question: Outline the role of erosion and weathering in shaping a headland. Refer to a named
example you have studied. (4 marks).
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Exam question: With the help of an annotated diagram explain the formation of headlands and bays

[4 marks]

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Knowledge retrieval – Complete the annotations on the photo with the words missing.

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What physical processes shape landscape - Coastal landforms created and/or shaped by
processes of transportation and deposition: Formation of a beach and spit
A beach is made of material, or sediment, deposited by the waves. The power of the waves also
moves the material and changes the shape of the beach. Spits are formed by the process of long
shore drift and deposition across a bay or a estuary of a river.

Task: Using the diagram above, annotate the aerial view of Hurst Castle spit (photo below)
explaining how it has formed.

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Geographical exam skills

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