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Geo Summaries - Term 2- Chapter 1

The document discusses the topography associated with horizontally layered rocks, focusing on the characteristics and processes that form hilly landscapes, basaltic plateaus, canyon landscapes, and karoo landscapes. It defines key terms such as weathering, erosion, and various landforms, while explaining how these landscapes evolve through processes like scarp retreat and back wasting. Additionally, it highlights the limited economic importance of these arid landscapes for farming, transport, and tourism potential.

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2 views5 pages

Geo Summaries - Term 2- Chapter 1

The document discusses the topography associated with horizontally layered rocks, focusing on the characteristics and processes that form hilly landscapes, basaltic plateaus, canyon landscapes, and karoo landscapes. It defines key terms such as weathering, erosion, and various landforms, while explaining how these landscapes evolve through processes like scarp retreat and back wasting. Additionally, it highlights the limited economic importance of these arid landscapes for farming, transport, and tourism potential.

Uploaded by

desasherriff
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 1: Topography associated with

horizontally layered rocks


Unit 1: Characteristics/Processes associated with the
development of hilly landscapes/basaltic plateaus/canyon
landscape and karoo landscapes
Definitions to know:
Weathering: The breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces, mechanical due to
temperature differences, chemicals due to chemical reactions with minerals in
the rocks and water, or biological, where plants or animals break the rocks down

Erosion: The removal of broken rock material by an agent such as


wind/water/ice
Horizontally: Parallel to the horizon
Dolerite: An example of igneous rock that formed when magma solidifies a
little way below the surface of Earth
Basalt: An example of volcanic igneous rock
Plateau: A raised, level or flat area
Canyon: Deep, narrow valley in an arid area
Back wasting: Slopes eroding back parallel to their original position, common
in dry climates where there is very little surface water runoff, also known as a
scarp retreat
Mesa: Flat-topped hill with the distance across its top being greater than its
height
Butte: Smaller than a mesa: a flat topped hill with the distance across the top
being less than its height
Conical hill: A rounded hill that forms after the resistant cap rock of a mesa or
butte has been removed by weathering and erosion

1.1 Characteristics and processes associated with


the development of hilly landscapes

- Hills are formed when the top layer of rock is more resistant to
weathering/erosion than the layers beneath it
- The flat tops are due to the rocks laying horizontally to the horizon
- 3 Ways in which flat-top hills can be formed:
1. Horizontally laid sedimentary rock
- Sedimentary rocks are made up of layers which may erose/weather at different
rates
2. Igneous intrusions – sills
- Igneous form when hot magma squeezes between 2
layers of sedimentary rock and
cools/solidifies
- In SA = most sills are made of dolerite
- Igneous doesn’t erode as quickly as sedimentary rock and form a flat-top hill when
exposed on
Earth’s surface
3. Lava flows – Basaltic plateaus
- Lower ridges are composed of sandstone and the high cliffs are made of basalt from
an ancient lava flow
1.2 Basaltic plateaus and canyon landscapes

- Basaltic lava is very runny = able to flow across Earth’s surface and spread very far
- When it cools/solidifies = large flat area forms (basaltic plateau)
- Very few rivers can carve valleys into the basaltic plateau because the rock is very
resistant to weathering/erosion
- The rivers that can carve valleys = canyons

- Graph A: Canyons

- Referring to Graph A
- Rivers that erode canyons flow areas with high rainfall into dry areas
- Canyons are made of many layers of sedimentary rocks (each with different
resistance)
- More resistant layers wear back slowly = steep slopes
- Softer rock wears faster = more gentle slopes

- 1.3 Karoo landscapes

- Graph B: Landforms associated with horizontally layered rocks (pg 143)


- Referring to Graph B:
- This is a karoo landscape
- In arid and semi-arid areas like this, there isn’t a lot of rainfall = little surface runoff
of water to more eroded material down the slopes
- Dry + little rainfall = weathering/erosion of the canyon slopes
- However, over time, the canyons that are carved into the plateau gradually widen by
back wasting
- When the distance across the top of the flat-top hill > the height of the hill = mesa
- When the distance across the top of the flat-top hill < the height of the hill = butte
- Eventually all the resistant rock will be removed = softer rock forms a rounded hill
(conical hill)
Unit 2: Scarp retreat (back wasting)
- Definitions to know
Scarp retreat: (aka Back wasting or Scarp Recession) Slopes eroding back parallel to
their original position; common in dry climates where there is very little surface water
runoff; also known as back wasting

- Graph C: Scarp retreat (pg 144)

Note that the angle is


both parallel in Stage
1 and 2

- Referring to Graph C:
- Karoo landscapes usually have a concave shape (the slopes on the side go from big
to small)
- Over time (because of scarp retreat/back wasting) plateaus are reduced to mesas
and then buttes

This happens in 2 stages:


Stage 1.
- Pieces of rock fall from the cliff
- Cliff wears back parallel to the original position
- Brocken pieces of rock collect on the talus slope below (they break down easy
because they are
already broken)
- Result: the angle of the talus slope also remains parallel to its original place
Stage 2:
- The areas where scrap retreat takes place = the plateau area decreases
- But the cliff (scarp) and the talus keep the same angle

Unit 3: Utilisation of these landscapes by


people
- Why landscapes associated with horizontally layered rock in arid areas
have little economic importance:
1. Limited farming: Arid climates are not suitable for crop farming, only small-scale
sheep or goat farming (this farming would usually take place on plateaus or
pediments)
2. Transport is difficult: Steep canyon walls make it hard/expensive to access
water or build infrastructure like bridges
3. Tourism potential: Canyons can attract tourists, creating a form of tourist-
income

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