Why are dry valleys common on the chalk downland of southern England?

Southern England lay beyond the ice as a periglacial zone, so its permeable chalk was frozen and carried surface streams that no longer flow.

Loess is a deposit of fine, wind-blown silt, usually pale yellow, laid down beyond the margin of an ice sheet.

Explain how a loess plateau forms.

Strong katabatic winds off the ice sheet pick up fine silt from bare outwash plains and carry it far downwind, where it settles in thick, uniform layers.

Why is loess agriculturally valuable?

It is deep, fine-textured, well drained and rich in minerals, so it makes some of the most fertile soil in the world.

WJEC A-Level Geography 601-8455-3

Coastal Landscapes

Glaciated Landscapes

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EcosystemsContemporary theme

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Economic Growth and Challenge: IndiaContemporary theme

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Economic Growth and Challenge: ChinaContemporary theme

Topic overview China's relief, drainage and climate China's population, society and governance China's resources, hazards and economic geography China's global role and economic growth Environmental pressures of China's growth Sustainable development strategies in China

Development in an African ContextContemporary theme

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Energy Challenges and DilemmasContemporary theme

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Fieldwork and Geographical Skills

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Key Concepts in Geography

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Glaciated Landscapes

Periglacial action of water and wind

3 things to know
AS Unit 1

Overview

How a dry valley forms in a periglacial environment, how a loess plateau forms and region with extensive loess deposits.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

Explain how a dry valley forms in a periglacial environment.

Key term

What is loess?

Key term

Name a region with extensive loess deposits.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Explain how a dry valley forms in a periglacial environment.
Model answer
Frozen ground stopped water soaking in, so summer meltwater flowed across the surface and cut a valley, which was left dry when the permafrost thawed and the rock became permeable again.
2
Why are dry valleys common on the chalk downland of southern England?
Model answer
Southern England lay beyond the ice as a periglacial zone, so its permeable chalk was frozen and carried surface streams that no longer flow.
3
What is loess?
Model answer
Loess is a deposit of fine, wind-blown silt, usually pale yellow, laid down beyond the margin of an ice sheet.
4
Explain how a loess plateau forms.
Model answer
Strong katabatic winds off the ice sheet pick up fine silt from bare outwash plains and carry it far downwind, where it settles in thick, uniform layers.
5
Why is loess agriculturally valuable?
Model answer
It is deep, fine-textured, well drained and rich in minerals, so it makes some of the most fertile soil in the world.
6
Name a region with extensive loess deposits.
Model answer
The Loess Plateau of northern China, with further deposits across central Europe and the American Midwest.

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