Key terms for Theme 1 Terms used in red font are used in the specification. It would be reasonable to expect question setters to use these terms. Other terms and their definitions have been provided by WJEC to support those learners who are extending their range of specialist geographical terms. The lists are provided as word documents so that you can edit them to suit the learning activities in your school. Distinctive landscapes Carrying capacity The ability of a landscape to absorb the activity of people without any lasting damage. Honey pot sites Places that attract many tourists and which are often congested at peak times. Place A geographical concept used to describe what makes somewhere special, unique or distinct. Scale A geographical concept used to describe the size or area covered by a feature. Scale varies from small (or local) through to regional, national and global. Spatial Patterns or geographical features that vary over two dimensions so that they can be shown on a map. Upland A landscape that is hilly or mountainous. Upland landscapes contain large areas of open space with few field boundaries. River process and landform Abrasion Erosion caused by friction which occurs when a river carries sand, gravel or pebbles and uses them to wear away the landscape. Attrition A type of erosion where rocks smash against each other making them smaller and more rounded. Deposition The laying down of material in the landscape. Deposition occurs when the force that was carrying the sediment is reduced. Drainage basin The area a river collects its water from. This is also called the river's catchment area. Floodplain The flat area beside a river channel that is covered in water during a flood event. Gorges Steep sided, narrow valleys often found below a waterfall. Gulley A narrow, V-shaped channel cut by running water on steep slopes. Hydraulic action Erosion caused when water and air are forced into gaps in rock or soil. Impermeable Soil or rock which does not allow water to pass through it, such as clay. Interlocking spurs A feature of V-shaped valleys where the river meanders from side to side so that the hillsides interlock rather like the teeth of a zip. Lateral erosion The process by which a river can cut sideways into its own river bank.
Aseismic A description of buildings that are designed to withstand the shaking during an earthquake. Ash cloud Powdered rock fragments thrown from a volcano during an explosive eruption. Caldera A huge hollow in the earth’s surface caused by the collapse of a volcano after a massive eruption. Capacity The ability of a group of people to withstand a natural disaster such as an earthquake or lahar. Capacity is the opposite of vulnerability. Cinder cone A volcanic hill that is conical in shape. A cinder cone is formed by the eruption of red hot lava that is thrown from the vent. Constructive (plate margin) A boundary between two plates of the Earth's crust which are moving away from one another. Divergence zone has the same meaning. Crust The outer layer of the Earth which is made of solid rock. Destructive (plate margin) A boundary between two plates of the Earth's crust which are moving towards one another. See constructive for the opposite type of boundary. Divergence zones A boundary between two plates of the Earth's crust which are moving away from one another. Constructive plate boundary has the same meaning. Fold mountains Large mountain ranges that have been formed by folding as two tectonic plates collide into one another. Hazard map A map or plan that shows areas at risk of volcanic or earthquake hazards. Island arc A group of islands formed by the eruption of volcanoes. When viewed from space the islands make a crescent (or arc) shape in the sea. Lahar An Indonesian word that describes a flood of water and volcanic ash or a mudslide down the slope of a volcano. Lava flows Features formed as molten rock (lava) runs away from a volcanic vent. Lava flows often form large flat features known as lava fields. Lava tube A natural tunnel through solidified volcanic rocks that is formed when hot lava flows just below the surface of the ground. Magma Molten, or semi-molten, rock that is stored beneath the surface of the Earth in, for example, a magma chamber beneath a volcano. Moment magnitude scale (Mw) A measure of the strength of an earthquake. Ocean ridge Long chains of mountains that run down the centre of several oceans. Oceanic ridges are formed by the process of plate divergence. Ocean trench Long, deep gorges in the ocean floor. Oceanic trenches are formed by the flexing of the oceanic plate during the process of subduction.