KS3 limestone scenery - all about the sedimentary rock

Geography Quiz - Limestone Scenery 02 (Questions)

This KS3 Geography quiz looks at British limestone. Discover how different limestone types formed, and why Carboniferous limestone creates some of our steepest cliffs, pavements and gorges.

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Fascinating Fact:

There are two main types of limestone in Britain, and the older Carboniferous limestone, formed about 363–325 million years ago, creates the most dramatic limestone scenery.

In KS3 Geography, you learn how rock type affects landscape. British limestone can be older Carboniferous limestone or younger Jurassic limestone, and each creates different landforms, from bare pavements to rolling hillsides and cliffs.

Key Terms

Carboniferous limestone: An older limestone formed in warm tropical seas hundreds of millions of years ago, often making steep cliffs, gorges and limestone pavements.
Jurassic limestone: A younger limestone formed later in Earth’s history, usually creating gentler landscapes with rounded hills and escarpments.
Limestone pavement: A flat blocky surface of exposed limestone with deep cracks called grykes and blocks called clints, created by weathering.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What are the main types of limestone in Britain?

In Britain the two main types of limestone are Carboniferous limestone and Jurassic limestone. Carboniferous limestone is older and often forms dramatic cliffs, while Jurassic limestone forms smoother upland areas.

Why does Carboniferous limestone give dramatic scenery?

Carboniferous limestone is thick, heavily jointed and easily dissolved by acidic rainwater. This combination helps create steep scar cliffs, deep gorges, caves and blocky limestone pavements.

Where can I see limestone scenery in the UK for KS3 Geography?

Classic limestone scenery can be seen in the Yorkshire Dales, the Peak District, the Mendip Hills and parts of South Wales, where pavements, gorges and caves are well developed.

Try These Related Quizzes

Gordale Scar in Yorkshire is an example of what?

[ ]	A gorge
[ ]	A limestone pavement
[ ]	A stalactite
[ ]	A swallow hole

Lines of horizontal weakness between layers of limestone are called what?

[ ]	Bedding planes
[ ]	Carboniferous fissures
[ ]	Rupture lines
[ ]	Settling levels

Rainwater attacks limestone by which process?

[ ]	Abrasion
[ ]	Chemical weathering
[ ]	Exfoliation
[ ]	Physical weathering

Redeposited limestone rising from a cave floor has what name?

[ ]	Dolomite
[ ]	Kryptonite
[ ]	Stalactite
[ ]	Stalagmite

Limestone areas often have which economic activity?

[ ]	Coal mining
[ ]	Fishing
[ ]	Forestry
[ ]	Quarrying

Which of these National Parks has the most extensive limestone area?

[ ]	Dartmoor
[ ]	Lake District
[ ]	Peak District
[ ]	Snowdonia

Which streams only appear on limestone after heavy rain?

[ ]	Intermittent
[ ]	Latent
[ ]	Misfit
[ ]	Sub-continuous

On a diagram, limestone has what type of shading?

[ ]	Brick wall
[ ]	Circles
[ ]	Cross hatching
[ ]	Diagonal stripes

What are upright blocks in a limestone pavement called?

[ ]	Brads
[ ]	Clints
[ ]	Grints
[ ]	Tors

10.

Why does a gorge floor contain lots of boulders?

[ ]	From the collapse of a cavern roof
[ ]	They were carried there by glaciers
[ ]	They were deposited by streams
[ ]	They were thrown by vandals

Geography Quiz - Limestone Scenery 02 (Answers)

Gordale Scar in Yorkshire is an example of what?

[x]	A gorge
[ ]	A limestone pavement
[ ]	A stalactite
[ ]	A swallow hole

It's approximately 15-16 million years old

Lines of horizontal weakness between layers of limestone are called what?

[x]	Bedding planes
[ ]	Carboniferous fissures
[ ]	Rupture lines
[ ]	Settling levels

Most sedimentary rocks have bedding planes

Rainwater attacks limestone by which process?

[ ]	Abrasion
[x]	Chemical weathering
[ ]	Exfoliation
[ ]	Physical weathering

Limestone dissolves in rainwater because rainwater is naturally slightly acidic

Redeposited limestone rising from a cave floor has what name?

[ ]	Dolomite
[ ]	Kryptonite
[ ]	Stalactite
[x]	Stalagmite

The largest of these can be millions of years old - they grow at a very slow rate

Limestone areas often have which economic activity?

[ ]	Coal mining
[ ]	Fishing
[ ]	Forestry
[x]	Quarrying

The rock has many uses e.g. building, in steelworks, making toothpaste

Which of these National Parks has the most extensive limestone area?

[ ]	Dartmoor
[ ]	Lake District
[x]	Peak District
[ ]	Snowdonia

The Peak District is mainly in Derbyshire but extends into neighbouring counties

Which streams only appear on limestone after heavy rain?

[x]	Intermittent
[ ]	Latent
[ ]	Misfit
[ ]	Sub-continuous

They will only appear when there has been a lot of rain. Some are seasonal and disappear in the summer, like the river Manifold on the border of Derbyshire and Staffordshire

On a diagram, limestone has what type of shading?

[x]	Brick wall
[ ]	Circles
[ ]	Cross hatching
[ ]	Diagonal stripes

Because the rock is full of cracks like some brick walls