LC Geography flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Divergent plate boundary

A constructive margin where two plates move apart and magma rises to form new oceanic crust, producing mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys and shallow earthquakes, with volcanism along the ridge axis.

Subduction zone

A destructive margin where denser oceanic crust sinks beneath continental or oceanic crust, generating deep ocean trenches, fold mountains, explosive volcanoes and deep-focus earthquakes.

Freeze-thaw weathering

A mechanical process in which water in rock joints freezes, expands by about nine per cent, prises the rock apart, then thaws and repeats, producing angular scree on cold mountain slopes.

Carbonation

Chemical weathering in which slightly acidic rainwater dissolves calcium carbonate in limestone along joints, creating underground drainage, caves and karst landforms such as swallow holes and limestone pavement.

Hydraulic action

River and coastal erosion by the force of moving water compressing air in cracks in the rock, weakening and prising away material during high-energy flow or storm waves.

Oxbow lake

A crescent-shaped lake formed when erosion on the outside of a meander cuts through the narrow neck, the river takes the shorter route and the abandoned loop is sealed by deposition.

Longshore drift

The zigzag movement of sediment along a coast: waves carry material up the beach at the swash angle and back at right angles to the shoreline, shifting sediment in the dominant wave direction.

Region

An area unified by one or more shared characteristics, either physical, human or administrative; regional boundaries are transitional zones rather than sharp lines and change over time.

Core-periphery model

A model describing how investment, skilled labour and decision-making concentrate in core regions while peripheral regions supply raw materials and labour, widening inequality unless counterbalanced by policy.

Dependency ratio

The number of dependants, people under fifteen and over sixty-four, expressed as a percentage of the working-age population; a high ratio indicates heavy pressure on workers.

Concentric zone model

Burgess's model of urban structure with rings expanding from the central business district through a zone of transition and working-class housing to an outer commuter zone.

European Regional Development Fund

An EU fund that co-finances infrastructure, innovation, business support and urban renewal in less developed regions to reduce economic and social disparities between member states.

Systematic sampling

A fieldwork strategy in which data are collected at regular intervals, such as every tenth metre along a transect or every fifth pebble, giving even spatial coverage without personal bias.

Discharge

The volume of water passing a river cross-section per second, calculated as cross-sectional area in square metres multiplied by mean velocity in metres per second, measured in cumecs.

Spearman's rank correlation

A statistical test that ranks paired data and produces a coefficient between minus one and plus one, showing the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables.

Six-figure grid reference

A map location given as a three-digit easting followed by a three-digit northing, read eastwards along the bottom then northwards up the side of the grid square.

Choropleth map

A map in which administrative areas are shaded in graded tones to represent the density or value of a variable, allowing quick visual comparison of spatial patterns.

Quaternary sector

The knowledge-based part of the economy covering research, design, information technology, finance and consultancy, which employs a growing share of workers in developed economies.

Footloose industry

An industry not tied to raw materials or energy sources, able to locate where labour, markets, transport links or government incentives are most favourable, such as electronics assembly.

Agglomeration economies

Cost savings that firms gain by locating close to one another, including shared suppliers, skilled labour pools, transport infrastructure and a larger local market.

Human Development Index

A composite measure of development combining life expectancy, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita, expressed between zero and one.

Common Agricultural Policy

The European Union's farm support system, providing income payments to farmers and funding rural development, with growing emphasis on environmental measures and area-based payments.

Demographic Transition Model

A five-stage model tracing population change as birth and death rates fall at different speeds during economic development, from high stationary through rapid growth to low stationary stages.

Population pyramid

A paired bar graph showing the number or percentage of males and females in each age band, revealing birth rates, ageing, dependency and the impact of migration or conflict.

Rural-to-urban migration

The movement of people from countryside to towns and cities, driven by push factors such as low farm incomes and pull factors such as employment, education and services.

Central business district

The commercial core of a city with the highest land values, tallest buildings, concentrated retail and office functions, and severe peak-hour congestion and limited space.

Rural-urban fringe

The transition zone where town meets countryside, characterised by out-of-town retail parks, industrial estates, motorways, low-density housing and competing land uses.

Globalisation

The growing interconnection of economies and societies through trade, foreign investment, migration, information technology and cheaper transport, creating integrated global production and markets.

Trading bloc

A group of countries that reduce or remove tariffs and trade barriers among members, such as the European Union single market, while maintaining common external barriers.

Terms of trade

The ratio of a country's export price index to its import price index, multiplied by one hundred; a falling figure means exports buy fewer imports.

Fair trade

A trading partnership guaranteeing producers a minimum price, a social premium, long-term contracts and environmental standards, aiming to reduce exploitation by middlemen.

Sustainable development

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, balancing economic, social and environmental objectives.