Different rocks create contrasting landforms and landscapes. Some of the most common rocks in Britain are granite, chalk, clay and Carboniferous limestone. For the GCSE, you will have made some case studies of several areas, each with a different geology, to learn about the features associated with these types of rock. You will also have studied how we use these areas, but this quiz is only concerned with helping you to revise about the landforms and how they are linked to the properties of the underlying rocks.
Granite is an igneous rock that underlies a lot of highland Scotland and the south-west peninsula of England (Devon and Cornwall). Dartmoor is a good example of a typical granite landscape. Exposures of granite are the tops of batholiths and this usually produces flat-topped moorland areas.
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Granite is an impermeable rock and so there is a high drainage density, in other words, there are a lot of rivers and streams. Granite is resistant to weathering so usually forms upland areas, Dartmoor is no exception. There is a lot of rainfall so there are peat bogs and areas of standing water on the surface. Valleys are usually noticeably V-shaped with fairly steep sides and on a map, the contour lines are close together as the slopes tend to be steep.
Carboniferous limestone makes up a large part of the Pennines. It is a sedimentary rock made up mainly from one mineral - calcium carbonate. This is soluble in acids and so it will slowly dissolve in rainwater (which is slightly acidic). The structure of limestone is a bit like building blocks. There are vertical joints and horizontal bedding planes. These allow water to seep in (we say limestone is a permeable rock) and so limestone areas have a low drainage density and there can be underground rivers. As the rainwater dissolves the limestone, the joints and bedding planes can become enlarged. At the surface, this creates limestone pavement and swallow holes (some swallow holes have streams that flow into them). Underground, pothole systems and caves with stalactites and stalagmites form. Other key features are dry valleys and gorges caused where cave rooves have collapsed.
Chalk is made from the same mineral as limestone but in a different way. Chalk hills are usually called 'downs' and have dry valleys that were formed when the ice from the last ice age melted. Chalk is porous so surface water seeps into the ground and drainage density is very low. In some places, the chalk is underlain by impermeable rock and the water reappears as springs. Where chalk hills meet the sea, tall, vertical white cliffs are formed, for example, the seven sisters in East Sussex. The South Downs is a good example of a chalk area.
Clay is often associated with chalk and is a sedimentary rock that is made from extremely fine particles from the weathering of older rocks. It forms gentle flat or undulating landscapes that are easily waterlogged after rain as clay is effectively impermeable. It has a high drainage density and is rich in nutrients.
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1.
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Granite forms which of the following types of landscape? |
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[ ] |
Plains |
[ ] |
A dust bowl |
[ ] |
Moorland |
[ ] |
Fens |
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2.
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Which of the following features is most associated with granite landscapes in the south-west peninsula of England? |
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[ ] |
Stalactites and stalagmites |
[ ] |
Tors |
[ ] |
White cliffs |
[ ] |
Underground streams |
|
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3.
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Which of the following is the least likely to be found in a granite landscape? |
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[ ] |
Underground caverns |
[ ] |
High drainage density |
[ ] |
Peat bog |
[ ] |
Areas of standing water |
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4.
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Clay is: |
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[ ] |
a hard and porous rock |
[ ] |
a hard and impermeable rock |
[ ] |
a soft and porous rock |
[ ] |
a soft and impermeable rock |
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5.
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Why do chalk downs have a low drainage density? |
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[ ] |
Chalk is porous and permeable |
[ ] |
Chalk is neither porous nor permeable |
[ ] |
Farmers have created underground channels to prevent water contamination |
[ ] |
Chalk is only found in deserts |
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6.
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Which of the following statements about a chalk landscape is untrue? |
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[ ] |
It is most often located in the upland areas of Britain |
[ ] |
Chalk forms white cliffs on the south coast |
[ ] |
Chalk soils are thin and poor |
[ ] |
Acid rain can dissolve chalk |
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7.
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Which of the following is likely to be found in a limestone landscape. |
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[ ] |
Dry valleys |
[ ] |
Swallow holes |
[ ] |
Gorges |
[ ] |
All of the above |
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8.
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Limestone pavement is created by which of the following processes? |
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[ ] |
Attrition |
[ ] |
Solution |
[ ] |
Saltation |
[ ] |
Hydraulic action |
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9.
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Why does a granite landscape have a high drainage density? |
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[ ] |
Granite is criss-crossed with underground aquifers |
[ ] |
Granite is highly porous |
[ ] |
Granite is an impermeable rock |
[ ] |
The soil is very thin |
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10.
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A geographer on a field trip noticed that the fields of barley around the study centre were waterlogged even though it hadn't rained for over a week. What might she guess about the underlying rocks? |
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[ ] |
It is probably chalk |
[ ] |
It is probably limestone |
[ ] |
It is probably granite |
[ ] |
It is probably clay |
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1.
|
Granite forms which of the following types of landscape? |
|
[ ] |
Plains |
[ ] |
A dust bowl |
[x] |
Moorland |
[ ] |
Fens |
|
|
2.
|
Which of the following features is most associated with granite landscapes in the south-west peninsula of England? |
|
[ ] |
Stalactites and stalagmites |
[x] |
Tors |
[ ] |
White cliffs |
[ ] |
Underground streams |
|
|
3.
|
Which of the following is the least likely to be found in a granite landscape? |
|
[x] |
Underground caverns |
[ ] |
High drainage density |
[ ] |
Peat bog |
[ ] |
Areas of standing water |
|
|
4.
|
Clay is: |
|
[ ] |
a hard and porous rock |
[ ] |
a hard and impermeable rock |
[ ] |
a soft and porous rock |
[x] |
a soft and impermeable rock |
|
|
5.
|
Why do chalk downs have a low drainage density? |
|
[x] |
Chalk is porous and permeable |
[ ] |
Chalk is neither porous nor permeable |
[ ] |
Farmers have created underground channels to prevent water contamination |
[ ] |
Chalk is only found in deserts |
|
|
6.
|
Which of the following statements about a chalk landscape is untrue? |
|
[x] |
It is most often located in the upland areas of Britain |
[ ] |
Chalk forms white cliffs on the south coast |
[ ] |
Chalk soils are thin and poor |
[ ] |
Acid rain can dissolve chalk |
|
|
7.
|
Which of the following is likely to be found in a limestone landscape. |
|
[ ] |
Dry valleys |
[ ] |
Swallow holes |
[ ] |
Gorges |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|
8.
|
Limestone pavement is created by which of the following processes? |
|
[ ] |
Attrition |
[x] |
Solution |
[ ] |
Saltation |
[ ] |
Hydraulic action |
|
|
9.
|
Why does a granite landscape have a high drainage density? |
|
[ ] |
Granite is criss-crossed with underground aquifers |
[ ] |
Granite is highly porous |
[x] |
Granite is an impermeable rock |
[ ] |
The soil is very thin |
|
|
10.
|
A geographer on a field trip noticed that the fields of barley around the study centre were waterlogged even though it hadn't rained for over a week. What might she guess about the underlying rocks? |
|
[ ] |
It is probably chalk |
[ ] |
It is probably limestone |
[ ] |
It is probably granite |
[x] |
It is probably clay |
|
|