How did ice shape the UK's mountains, and how is glaciated land used today?
Glacial processes of erosion, transport and deposition, the resulting erosional and depositional landforms, and the economic opportunities and conflicts in glaciated upland areas.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Geography 3.1.3 glacial landscapes, covering glacial processes, erosional landforms such as corries and U-shaped valleys, depositional landforms, and the opportunities and conflicts of land use in glaciated uplands.
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What this dot point is asking
This is AQA GCSE Geography (8035) Paper 1, Section C (3.1.3 Physical landscapes in the UK). AQA expects you to explain glacial processes (erosion, transport and deposition), describe and explain the erosional and depositional landforms left by ice, and assess the economic opportunities (tourism, farming, quarrying and energy) and the conflicts they cause in a named glaciated upland area. Glaciation is one of the three landscape options.
Glacial processes
During the last ice age (which ended about 10,000 years ago) ice sheets and valley glaciers covered much of upland Britain. Although the ice has gone, the landforms remain, which is why glaciation is studied through "relict" landscapes such as the Lake District and Snowdonia.
Erosional landforms
These landforms are seen clearly in the Lake District and in Snowdonia, where ice carved the present mountain scenery. Long, deep U-shaped valleys later flooded by lakes give the Lake District its "ribbon lakes" such as Windermere.
Depositional landforms and land use
When a glacier melts it dumps its load. Moraine is a ridge of unsorted till: terminal moraine is deposited at the snout (the furthest point the ice reached), lateral moraine along the sides, and medial moraine where two glaciers merge. Drumlins are smooth, elongated, egg-shaped hills of till, with the steep, blunt end facing the direction the ice came from and the tapered end pointing the way it flowed, so they record the direction of ice movement. Erratics are large boulders carried far from their source rock and left stranded.
Glaciated uplands offer economic opportunities: tourism (walking, climbing, sightseeing, water sports on the lakes), hill farming (hardy sheep on the steep, thin soils), quarrying for slate, forestry and hydroelectric power in steep, high-rainfall valleys. But these uses create conflict: tourist traffic congestion and parking pressure, footpath erosion on popular routes, second homes raising house prices beyond local incomes, and disputes between farmers, conservationists, the National Park authority and developers.
Try this
Q1. Explain how a corrie is formed. [4 marks]
- Cue. Snow collects in a hollow, compacts into ice, erodes by plucking and abrasion to deepen the basin, leaving an armchair shape.
Q2. Explain one conflict that arises from land use in a glaciated upland area. [3 marks]
- Cue. Tourism brings traffic and footpath erosion, or second homes raise prices so locals cannot afford to buy.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20196 marksExplain the formation of a corrie and an arete. (Paper 1, Section C)Show worked answer →
A 6-mark "Explain" question on Paper 1 Section C (UK physical landscapes), assessing AO1 and AO2 with a sequenced process. Markers reward two linked landform sequences and correct terminology.
For the corrie: snow collects in a north-facing hollow, compacts under its own weight through firn into glacial ice; the ice rotates and erodes by plucking (freezing onto and pulling away rock at the back wall) and abrasion (deepening the basin floor), while freeze-thaw weathering steepens the back wall. A rock lip is left at the front, often holding a tarn after the ice melts. For the arete: when two corries erode back to back, the land between them is reduced to a narrow, knife-edged ridge (Striding Edge on Helvellyn). The strongest answers name the processes (plucking, abrasion, freeze-thaw) and the rotational movement.
AQA 20229 marksAssess the extent to which economic activities in a glaciated upland area create land use conflicts. Use a named example. (Paper 1, Section C)Show worked answer →
A 9-mark levelled extended response assessing AO1, AO2 and AO3 (evaluation). The command "Assess the extent" needs a balanced argument and a clear judgement, anchored to a named upland such as the Lake District.
Strong answers identify several economic activities (tourism, hill sheep farming, quarrying for slate, forestry, reservoirs and hydroelectric power) and the conflicts they cause: tourist traffic congestion on narrow roads and honeypot sites such as Bowness; footpath erosion on popular fells; second homes inflating house prices so local young people are priced out; quarrying scarring the landscape and conflicting with conservation in a National Park. The balance: many uses coexist and tourism funds conservation and jobs, so conflict is real but manageable through planning, park-and-ride schemes and visitor management. Markers reward the named example, specific places and a reasoned final judgement on "the extent".
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Geography (8035) specification — AQA (2016)