Physical Geography: Processes, Systems and Maltese Landscapes
What this domain tests
Physical Geography in the MATSEC Intermediate paper tests process explanation, not labelling. Expect weathering and mass movement, limestone and karst, drainage basins and hydrographs, weather and climate controls, and ecosystem processes, frequently applied to Maltese landforms such as dry valleys, solution hollows, caves and terraced slopes.
Core rules and concepts
- Work in systems: inputs (precipitation, insolation), stores (soil moisture, aquifer), flows (overland flow, throughflow), outputs (evaporation, sediment yield).
- Weathering breaks rock in situ; erosion removes and transports the debris. They are not synonyms.
- Carbonation on limestone: CaCO3 + H2CO3 ⇌ Ca(HCO3)2. The reaction is reversible, which is why deposition (tufa, stalactites) can follow solution in caves.
- Hydrograph logic: lag time shortens and peak discharge rises as infiltration falls - impermeable surfaces, compacted soil, steep slopes, sparse vegetation.
- Mediterranean climate: hot dry summers, mild wet winters. Rainfall intensity and storminess often matter more than annual totals for erosion and runoff.
Worked example
Two catchments of equal area receive 30 mm of rain in one hour. Catchment A is woodland on deep soil; Catchment B is 60 per cent built-up. B shows a shorter lag time and a higher, sharper peak because infiltration and soil storage are reduced, so water reaches the channel quickly. B also has a larger total runoff volume; A's hydrograph is lower and more drawn out. The reasoning chain is: surface type → infiltration capacity → storage → routing speed → hydrograph shape.
Traps that cost marks
Naming a landform without the process that formed it; confusing weathering with erosion; misreading hydrograph axes; describing rainfall totals when the question asks about intensity or seasonality; forgetting that limestone solution requires acidic water.