KS3 limestone scenery - made from organism remains

Geography Quiz - Limestone Scenery 01 (Questions)

Limestone landscapes are full of caves, cliffs and disappearing streams. This KS3 Geography quiz explores how limestone is formed, shaped by weathering and erosion, and used by people.

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Fascinating Fact:

In many limestone areas surface streams disappear underground, so the land above can look dry while water flows through caves and potholes below.

In KS3 Geography, you study how rocks shape the landscape. Limestone scenery includes steep cliffs, dry valleys and underground cave systems where slightly acidic rainwater has dissolved the rock over thousands of years.

Key Terms

Limestone: A sedimentary rock made mainly of calcium carbonate from shells and skeletons of sea creatures, which can be easily dissolved by acidic water.
Carbonation: A type of chemical weathering where carbonic acid in rainwater reacts with limestone and slowly dissolves it.
Karst landscape: An area with distinctive landforms such as sinkholes, caves and dry valleys created by the dissolution of limestone.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is limestone scenery in KS3 Geography?

Limestone scenery is a type of landscape formed on limestone rock, with features such as cliffs, pavements, sinkholes, caves and dry valleys created by weathering and erosion.

How is limestone formed as a rock?

Limestone is formed when tiny pieces of shell and skeletons from sea creatures build up on the sea bed, are buried, compacted and cemented over millions of years.

What landforms are found in limestone areas?

Limestone areas often have limestone pavements, swallow holes where streams disappear, underground caves with stalactites and stalagmites, gorges and steep scar cliffs.

Try These Related Quizzes

During which of the following geological periods was limestone formed?

[ ]	Cambrian
[ ]	Carboniferous
[ ]	Palaeocene
[ ]	Permian

Which area has spectacular limestone landscapes?

[ ]	Dartmoor
[ ]	Lake District
[ ]	Snowdonia
[ ]	Yorkshire Dales

What type of rock is limestone?

[ ]	Igneous
[ ]	Metamorphic
[ ]	Punk
[ ]	Sedimentary

Bare rock outcrops are called limestone…what?

[ ]	Kerbs
[ ]	Pavements
[ ]	Ridges
[ ]	Shelves

'Icicles' on the roof of a limestone cave have what name?

[ ]	Dolomites
[ ]	Stalactites
[ ]	Stalagmites
[ ]	Stalinites

What is limestone made of?

[ ]	Calcium carbonate
[ ]	Calcium chloride
[ ]	Calcium dioxide
[ ]	Calcium sulfide

Why do limestone areas usually have a dry surface?

[ ]	Local villages use all the rainwater
[ ]	Streams disappear underground
[ ]	Surface water evaporates quickly
[ ]	They have very low rainfall

Which of these words best describes limestone?

[ ]	Impervious
[ ]	Permafrost
[ ]	Permeable
[ ]	Volcanic

Gaping Gill is an excellent example of what feature?

[ ]	Gorge
[ ]	Stalagmite
[ ]	Swallow hole
[ ]	Tufa screen

10.

Which hobby is popular in limestone regions?

[ ]	Parachuting
[ ]	Potholing
[ ]	Skiing
[ ]	White water rafting

Geography Quiz - Limestone Scenery 01 (Answers)

During which of the following geological periods was limestone formed?

[ ]	Cambrian
[x]	Carboniferous
[ ]	Palaeocene
[ ]	Permian

This is referred to as Carboniferous limestone and is the type that gives rise to spectacular landscape features. There is also limestone formed more recently during the Jurassic period, which is interesting in its own right but without the dramatic features of the Carboniferous limestone

Which area has spectacular limestone landscapes?

[ ]	Dartmoor
[ ]	Lake District
[ ]	Snowdonia
[x]	Yorkshire Dales

The scenery is a big tourist attraction to the area. There are other ares of the UK in which Carboniferous limestone can be found

What type of rock is limestone?

[ ]	Igneous
[ ]	Metamorphic
[ ]	Punk
[x]	Sedimentary

Thick sediments were squashed together over time

Bare rock outcrops are called limestone…what?

[ ]	Kerbs
[x]	Pavements
[ ]	Ridges
[ ]	Shelves

Limestone pavement consists of clints and grykes but do you know which is which?

'Icicles' on the roof of a limestone cave have what name?

[ ]	Dolomites
[x]	Stalactites
[ ]	Stalagmites
[ ]	Stalinites

Formed from drops of water containing dissolved limestone. As the drops slowly evaporate, the dissolved limestone is precipitated out and so the stalactite slowly grows

What is limestone made of?

[x]	Calcium carbonate
[ ]	Calcium chloride
[ ]	Calcium dioxide
[ ]	Calcium sulfide

There are other materials in there too like particles of mud, but it is mainly calcium carbonate

Why do limestone areas usually have a dry surface?

[ ]	Local villages use all the rainwater
[x]	Streams disappear underground
[ ]	Surface water evaporates quickly
[ ]	They have very low rainfall

This is why limestone has underground features like potholes and caves

Which of these words best describes limestone?

[ ]	Impervious
[ ]	Permafrost
[x]	Permeable
[ ]	Volcanic

Permeable means it lets water through. It is permeable because it contains lots of cracks and rainwater can dissolve it, widening the cracks