Distinctive Landscapes

How the concept of a landscape can be defined, including the differences between built and natural landscapes. 

• Overview of the distribution of upland, lowland and glaciated landscapes in the UK. 

• Overview of the characteristics of these landscapes which make them distinctive including their geology, climate and human activity. 

• The geomorphic processes that are involved in shaping landscapes, including weathering (mechanical, chemical, biological), mass movement (sliding, slumping), erosion (abrasion, hydraulic action, attrition, solution), transport (traction, saltation, suspension, solution), deposition. 

• The formation of coastal landforms including headlands, bays , cave, arch, stack, beach and spit. 

• The formation of river landforms including waterfall, gorge, v-shaped valley, floodplain, levee, meander, ox-bow lake. 

Case study of two landscapes in the UK:

• Coastal Landscape: Jurassic Coast (including Swanage Bay)

• River landscape: The River Wye

For each case study you must know:

1. its landforms created by geomorphic processes 

2. the geomorphic processes operating at different scales and how they are influenced by geology and climate 

3. how human activity, including management, works in combination with geomorphic processes to impact the landscape.