1.4 Glaciated Upland Landscapes & Processes (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)

Basal sliding occurs when friction between the glacier and the surface causes a thin layer of ice at the base to melt. This thin layer of meltwater acts as a lubricant to help move the glacier downhill.

The front of a glacier is called the snout.

Glacial till is deposited directly by the moving glacier, whereas fluvioglacial till is deposited by the streams flowing from a melting glacier.

Glacial till is any material carried or moved by the glacier.

False.

Freeze-thaw weathering is a repeated process that occurs over a long period of time and eventually breaks the rock apart.

Mass movement is the downhill movement of material under the influence of gravity.

The types of mass movement include rockfalls and soil movement.

A rockfall is the fast movement of rocks from the steep glaciated slopes to the valley floor.

Soil movement occurs when:

• Soil particles are saturated

• The soil structure is weakened by frost action

• The ground below (often still frozen) acts as a slip plane

A slide is a movement of material 'en masse', which remains together, until hitting the bottom of a slope.

The UK has a temperate climate.

A temperate climate means there are warm summers and cold, wet winters.

True.

Colder winters lead to temperatures below 0°C, particularly in upland areas, increasing freeze-thaw weathering.

Freeze-thaw weathering in colder winters leads to rockfalls and slides.

High rainfall levels, particularly in autumn and winter in upland areas, lead to an increase in landslides and soil movement.

Diurnal variation refers to the daily cycle of changes in temperature and other environmental conditions.

A pyramidal peak is a three-sided, pointed mountain peak formed when three or more back-to-back glaciers carve away at the top of a mountain, creating a sharply pointed mountain summit.

An arête is a narrow, steep-sided ridge formed when two glaciers flow back-to-back, eroding either side of the ridge and making it narrower with a jagged profile.

A truncated spur is an interlocking spur edge from past river action that has been cut off, forming a cliff-like edge on the valley side in an inverted 'V' shape, found between hanging valleys.

A ribbon lake is a long, thin lake formed when a glacier carves a deeper trough over softer rock, and water collects in these deeper areas after the glacier melts.

A roche moutonnée is a resistant, bare mass of rock on the valley floor that has been sculpted by flowing ice, with a smoothed upstream side (stoss) due to abrasion and a jagged, plucked downstream side (lee).

False.

Corries are formed in hollows where snow can accumulate, usually on a north-facing slope.

A drumlin is an elongated, egg-shaped hill made of glacial till, formed beneath the glacier when it meets an obstruction, resulting in the deposition of ground moraine that is then shaped by the moving ice.

A drumlin has a round, blunt, and steep front (stoss) end, and a gently sloped, elongated, tapered tail (lee slope) in the direction of ice flow.

A crag and tail is a landform formed when a 'crag', a large section of hard, resistant bedrock, protects a section of softer, unconsolidated material, the 'tail', from glacial erosion.

An example of a crag and tail landform is Castle Rock (crag) and Royal Mile in Edinburgh (tail).

False.

Drumlins can be found individually or in swarms/baskets of eggs.

Upland glaciated areas present challenges such as:

• Low temperatures

• Heavy rainfall

• Steep slopes

• Thin, infertile soils

The most common economic uses in upland glaciated areas are:

• Forestry

• Farming

• Small settlements

Evergreen (coniferous) forests are planted in upland areas.

New forests can help reduce soil erosion and offset the impact of deforestation elsewhere. They also provide job opportunities and boost the local economy through timber production.

Felling trees removes habitats for animals and plants, and coniferous forests do not support high biodiversity and limit species numbers, making them less attractive to visitors.

Due to the steep slopes and poor soils, sheep farming is the most common activity in upland areas.

Farming harms the environment when clearing trees and vegetation to provide grazing, and overgrazing can lead to soil erosion, and water pollution and may reduce biodiversity.

Population density is low in upland glaciated areas, with the Lake District having a population density of 17 people per km².

Tourism has led to an increase in second homes and holiday cottages, with areas like Keswick and Borrowdale having over a third of homes being holiday lets or second homes, leading to few residents in winter and inundation with tourists in summer.

Economically viable means capable of making or sustaining a profit or having a good chance of succeeding financially.

False.

Coniferous forests do not support high biodiversity and limit species numbers.

A relict landscape is a landscape that has been shaped by processes that are no longer active, such as glaciation.

True.

Managing a relict landscape involves preserving and protecting its features that were formed by past processes like glaciation.

Conservation is the protection and preservation of natural resources and environments.

National parks play a crucial role in managing relict glaciated landscapes by implementing conservation strategies and policies to protect these areas.

Sustainable tourism is tourism that is developed and maintained in a manner that minimises negative impacts on the environment, while still providing economic and social benefits.

False.

Relict glaciated landscapes are valuable for tourism activities, but these activities need to be managed sustainably to preserve their unique features.

The types of development in upland glaciated landscapes include:

• Water storage and supply

• Renewable energy

• Recreation and tourism

• Conservation

The advantages of recreation and tourism development in upland glaciated landscapes are that it increases jobs and puts money into the local economy.

A disadvantage of conservation development is that limited funds may mean that conservation projects take a long time to complete or that they are expensive to maintain.

False.

Conservation development can have economic impacts, such as providing grants and subsidies to farmers for conservation efforts, and supporting local services through tourism.

True. The Lake District was covered in ice over 20,000 years ago.

The Skiddaw Group and the Windermere Group are sedimentary rocks found in the Lake District.

The area of the Lake District is 2,362 km2.

The population density of the Lake District is 18 people per km2.

True.

Both human and physical factors have been influential in changing the landscape of the Lake District.

The average annual rainfall in the Lake District is over 2000mm.

True.

Most settlements are located in the valleys of the Lake District.

Tourist activities bring over £2.1 billion to the economy of the Lake District.

Quarrying and mining for lead, copper, slate and limestone have impacted the Lake District.

Downsizing of quarrying was a condition of being granted the UNESCO World Heritage Status.

There are over 15 wind turbine sites in Cumbria.

There are concerns regarding the visual impact of wind turbines on the landscape.

False.

Wind turbines are allowed in Cumbria but are restricted to areas outside the Lake District National Park.

Tourist activities affect the landscape in a range of ways

• Soil erosion

• Air, land and water pollution

• Ecosystems are impacted by pollution

• Erosion of the lake banks

• Building of tourist facilities