Geography essay plans revision
PAPER 1
Glaciated landscapes
16 mark questions
“Using a case study, assess the relative importance of the different physical factors
influencing a landscape shaped by the action of ice sheets”
INTRO: Introduce Minnesota case study: Laurentide ice sheet reached 1km thick in some places and
covered 13 million km2. Overall geology is most important, interrelated
PARA 1: Geology- most important
Oldest rocks lie in alternating bands of granite (volcanic) and gneiss (metamorphic). The hard rocks
form more dominant landforms- mountains used to occupy the landscape eroded and reduced to hills
with peaks of 500m by the Laurentide ice sheet
Differential erosion (large ellipsoidal basin) + areal scouring (causing hollows) caused the lakes to
form eg. Upper and Lower red lakes in N. Minnesota
Influence on geomorphic processes - abrasion, helping areal scouring, creating/ destroying
landscapes
PARA 2: Climate
Climatic change influences initiates growth of ice sheet and leads to its eventual retreat - influences
rate and type of movement
4 different lobes- Wadena, Superior, Rainey and Des Moines. Advancing lobes - erratics and
striations, indicating direction of ice flow, arrowhead region. Retreating - depositing till, Red=
northeast, Gray= northwest , links heavily to geology, highlighting significance
Retreat= melting of ice sheet, Great lakes formed, Lake superior formed and Lake agassiz which is no
longer there- massive change to landscape, although it was due to geology that it was excavated to a
depth of around 210m
Wadena lobe- drumlin field
PARA 3: Latitude and altitude - has an influence on the climatic conditions and therefore the growth
in terms of scale and thickness of the ice sheet, High latitude location -Temperatures are so low the
base is always below PMP, even when taking account the huge thickness of ice
CONC: Geology most important due to influence on geomorphic processes and most visual impact
“Glaciated landscape systems change only slowly over long periods of time.’ Discuss” (2019)
INTRO: introduce glaciated landscape systems, short and long periods of time
PARA 1: Yes- formation of vast unique landscapes such as in the Lake district, glacial troughs and
Helvellyn range. The influence of geology such as more resistant rock on rates of geomorphic
processes.
PARA 2: No- human activity, relatively short period of time eg. in periglacial environments the pipeline
and flaring. Dam construction affecting river levels & turbidity etc.
PARA 3: No- Rockfall happening in seconds, another input to the glacier system, resulting in faster
rates of abrasion later. Seasonal changes such as retreats and advances depending on climatic
conditions
,CONC: No they don’t only change slowly over long periods of time. They can change within seconds,
to months or years. The short term changes are what fuels the more drastic long term changes
"Glacial periods are more influential in shaping the landscape than inter-glacial periods”. To
what extent do you agree with this statement?” [16]
INTRO: Define and differentiate between interglacial (fluvio-glacial activities and periglacial
conditions) and glacial periods, introduce LD, Alaska and Minnesota, overall i agree
PARA 1: Agree- Original erosional landforms were created in glacial periods. E.g. Red Tarn, Striding
Edge and Helvellyn in Loch Lomond Stadial. Important as these were the first glacial landforms.
Glacial troughs - vast and immense
PARA 2: Disagree - Alaska, periglacial, warming temperatures, thawing of permafrost, vastly shaped
the landscape due to thermokarst landscapes, mention types of permafrost, also human activity
enhancing it urban heat island Barrow
Also - freeze thaw weathering due to temperature fluctuations- Lake District, continues to subtly
change landscape
PARA 3: Agree- Minnesota - glacial period, differential erosion, areal scouring (reduction of
mountains by 1000m in some places) and creation of ellipsoidal basin
“To what extent are long-term changes more influential on glaciated landscape systems than
short-term changes?”
INTRO: Glaciated landscapes = vast and stunning, influenced on different scales by both long term
and short term changes. Introduce case study (Lake District) (Alaska), overall view
PARA 1: LT more influential- over thousands of years eg. formation of glacial troughs and Walla Crag
truncated spur
Erosion in valley glacier, formation of arete such as striding edge which is part of helvellyn range-
11km long ridge, LARGE SCALE landforms, huge unique changes that shape the landscapes for an
extensive period of time
PARA 2: ST more influential - from days to a fraction of a second
Human activity such as in Alaska, oil pipe is 49℃ - thawing of permafrost causing thermokarst
landscapes - economic, social and environmental influence
Also, debris being added to glacier by plucking, rockfall - small scale and spatial, doesn’t have a
significant impact on landscape at the time but in the longer process it does
PARA 3: LT more influential - climate change such as end of ice age causing a retreating glaciers,
changing glacial periods, changing size and shape of glacier or ice sheet which in turn changes the
shape of landscape
CONC: more stunning and vast landscapes created by long term changes. However, without short
term changes the long term changes wouldn’t be as effective - less material so lower abrasion rates
, “The changes caused by human activity in glaciated landscapes are always negative.’’
(already answered but whole class haven’t)- FILL OUT
INTRO: Hugely valuable both economically and environmentally- risk from human activity- drilling for
oil and dam construction for HEP. Can affect both periglacial and glacial environments
PARA 1: Negative- oil extraction has undoubtedly changed the periglacial landscape, Area 1002 in
ANWR expected to contain around 12 billion barrels of oil (lots of activity such as drilling and flaring
which releases methane and CO2 into the atmosphere- enhanced greenhouse effect). Warmer temps
= permafrost thaws- vast thermokarst landscapes dominated with water filled depressions,
transportation difficult. Alaskan pipeline (1300 km from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez) oil is 49℃. Solely
negative- regional, global and local scale (Barrow heat island 2.2)
WILLOW PROJECT
PARA 2: Positive- formation and construction of GDD in Switzerland, positive economically,
environmentally and socially. 85% of water for electricity to 400,000 homes. Clean energy= positive
environmental, only 5% of Switzerland's energy comes from fossil fuels- reduction in contribution to
enhanced greenhouse effect. Renewable energy as it’s sourced from outwash of 35 nearby glaciers
(no change to inputs or outputs of glacial system). Tourists= economically good
PARA 3: Negative- impact on river channels GDD. Trapping sediment behind dam- clear water
returning to natural river channels, excess energy due to low turbidity, increased channel erosion.
Impacting the landscape- housing downstream at risk from flooding in future. Lack of discharge in
below dam rivers- some virtually dry up. Amount flowing into Lake Geneva has virtually halved .
CONC: Universal change has mainly been negative - local and global implications. Unintentional,
however still negative.
“Discuss the relative importance of geomorphic processes in forming glacial landforms”
Intro - glacial landforms either erosional or depositional
P1: very important - Lake District formation of helvellyn range - erosional, glacial processes
P2: not as important - climatic conditons eg. Glacials, allowing ice to be present, Minnesota - sheer
weight of ice sheet due to climatic conditions that caused glacial landforms such as upper and lower
red lakes (land of 10,000 lakes). Without climatic conditions the geomorphic processes would not be
occurring in terms of the formation of glacial landforms
P3: very important - Lake District, erratics, depositional, weathering
Conc - are important in terms of the formation of glacial landforms and their uniqueness in terms of
size and shape however without climatic conditions these would not be able to form
PAPER 1
Glaciated landscapes
16 mark questions
“Using a case study, assess the relative importance of the different physical factors
influencing a landscape shaped by the action of ice sheets”
INTRO: Introduce Minnesota case study: Laurentide ice sheet reached 1km thick in some places and
covered 13 million km2. Overall geology is most important, interrelated
PARA 1: Geology- most important
Oldest rocks lie in alternating bands of granite (volcanic) and gneiss (metamorphic). The hard rocks
form more dominant landforms- mountains used to occupy the landscape eroded and reduced to hills
with peaks of 500m by the Laurentide ice sheet
Differential erosion (large ellipsoidal basin) + areal scouring (causing hollows) caused the lakes to
form eg. Upper and Lower red lakes in N. Minnesota
Influence on geomorphic processes - abrasion, helping areal scouring, creating/ destroying
landscapes
PARA 2: Climate
Climatic change influences initiates growth of ice sheet and leads to its eventual retreat - influences
rate and type of movement
4 different lobes- Wadena, Superior, Rainey and Des Moines. Advancing lobes - erratics and
striations, indicating direction of ice flow, arrowhead region. Retreating - depositing till, Red=
northeast, Gray= northwest , links heavily to geology, highlighting significance
Retreat= melting of ice sheet, Great lakes formed, Lake superior formed and Lake agassiz which is no
longer there- massive change to landscape, although it was due to geology that it was excavated to a
depth of around 210m
Wadena lobe- drumlin field
PARA 3: Latitude and altitude - has an influence on the climatic conditions and therefore the growth
in terms of scale and thickness of the ice sheet, High latitude location -Temperatures are so low the
base is always below PMP, even when taking account the huge thickness of ice
CONC: Geology most important due to influence on geomorphic processes and most visual impact
“Glaciated landscape systems change only slowly over long periods of time.’ Discuss” (2019)
INTRO: introduce glaciated landscape systems, short and long periods of time
PARA 1: Yes- formation of vast unique landscapes such as in the Lake district, glacial troughs and
Helvellyn range. The influence of geology such as more resistant rock on rates of geomorphic
processes.
PARA 2: No- human activity, relatively short period of time eg. in periglacial environments the pipeline
and flaring. Dam construction affecting river levels & turbidity etc.
PARA 3: No- Rockfall happening in seconds, another input to the glacier system, resulting in faster
rates of abrasion later. Seasonal changes such as retreats and advances depending on climatic
conditions
,CONC: No they don’t only change slowly over long periods of time. They can change within seconds,
to months or years. The short term changes are what fuels the more drastic long term changes
"Glacial periods are more influential in shaping the landscape than inter-glacial periods”. To
what extent do you agree with this statement?” [16]
INTRO: Define and differentiate between interglacial (fluvio-glacial activities and periglacial
conditions) and glacial periods, introduce LD, Alaska and Minnesota, overall i agree
PARA 1: Agree- Original erosional landforms were created in glacial periods. E.g. Red Tarn, Striding
Edge and Helvellyn in Loch Lomond Stadial. Important as these were the first glacial landforms.
Glacial troughs - vast and immense
PARA 2: Disagree - Alaska, periglacial, warming temperatures, thawing of permafrost, vastly shaped
the landscape due to thermokarst landscapes, mention types of permafrost, also human activity
enhancing it urban heat island Barrow
Also - freeze thaw weathering due to temperature fluctuations- Lake District, continues to subtly
change landscape
PARA 3: Agree- Minnesota - glacial period, differential erosion, areal scouring (reduction of
mountains by 1000m in some places) and creation of ellipsoidal basin
“To what extent are long-term changes more influential on glaciated landscape systems than
short-term changes?”
INTRO: Glaciated landscapes = vast and stunning, influenced on different scales by both long term
and short term changes. Introduce case study (Lake District) (Alaska), overall view
PARA 1: LT more influential- over thousands of years eg. formation of glacial troughs and Walla Crag
truncated spur
Erosion in valley glacier, formation of arete such as striding edge which is part of helvellyn range-
11km long ridge, LARGE SCALE landforms, huge unique changes that shape the landscapes for an
extensive period of time
PARA 2: ST more influential - from days to a fraction of a second
Human activity such as in Alaska, oil pipe is 49℃ - thawing of permafrost causing thermokarst
landscapes - economic, social and environmental influence
Also, debris being added to glacier by plucking, rockfall - small scale and spatial, doesn’t have a
significant impact on landscape at the time but in the longer process it does
PARA 3: LT more influential - climate change such as end of ice age causing a retreating glaciers,
changing glacial periods, changing size and shape of glacier or ice sheet which in turn changes the
shape of landscape
CONC: more stunning and vast landscapes created by long term changes. However, without short
term changes the long term changes wouldn’t be as effective - less material so lower abrasion rates
, “The changes caused by human activity in glaciated landscapes are always negative.’’
(already answered but whole class haven’t)- FILL OUT
INTRO: Hugely valuable both economically and environmentally- risk from human activity- drilling for
oil and dam construction for HEP. Can affect both periglacial and glacial environments
PARA 1: Negative- oil extraction has undoubtedly changed the periglacial landscape, Area 1002 in
ANWR expected to contain around 12 billion barrels of oil (lots of activity such as drilling and flaring
which releases methane and CO2 into the atmosphere- enhanced greenhouse effect). Warmer temps
= permafrost thaws- vast thermokarst landscapes dominated with water filled depressions,
transportation difficult. Alaskan pipeline (1300 km from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez) oil is 49℃. Solely
negative- regional, global and local scale (Barrow heat island 2.2)
WILLOW PROJECT
PARA 2: Positive- formation and construction of GDD in Switzerland, positive economically,
environmentally and socially. 85% of water for electricity to 400,000 homes. Clean energy= positive
environmental, only 5% of Switzerland's energy comes from fossil fuels- reduction in contribution to
enhanced greenhouse effect. Renewable energy as it’s sourced from outwash of 35 nearby glaciers
(no change to inputs or outputs of glacial system). Tourists= economically good
PARA 3: Negative- impact on river channels GDD. Trapping sediment behind dam- clear water
returning to natural river channels, excess energy due to low turbidity, increased channel erosion.
Impacting the landscape- housing downstream at risk from flooding in future. Lack of discharge in
below dam rivers- some virtually dry up. Amount flowing into Lake Geneva has virtually halved .
CONC: Universal change has mainly been negative - local and global implications. Unintentional,
however still negative.
“Discuss the relative importance of geomorphic processes in forming glacial landforms”
Intro - glacial landforms either erosional or depositional
P1: very important - Lake District formation of helvellyn range - erosional, glacial processes
P2: not as important - climatic conditons eg. Glacials, allowing ice to be present, Minnesota - sheer
weight of ice sheet due to climatic conditions that caused glacial landforms such as upper and lower
red lakes (land of 10,000 lakes). Without climatic conditions the geomorphic processes would not be
occurring in terms of the formation of glacial landforms
P3: very important - Lake District, erratics, depositional, weathering
Conc - are important in terms of the formation of glacial landforms and their uniqueness in terms of
size and shape however without climatic conditions these would not be able to form
