Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Grey, and I'm so excited that you've decided to join me for today's geography lesson.

Today's lesson is in our unit of Ice and glaciers: how are cold places affected by a warming planet? And the title of today's lesson is Evidence of glaciation in the U.

K.

By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to describe the evidence for glaciation in the U.

K.

There are some keywords that we'll come across in today's lesson.

They are upland area, moraine, and erratic.

An upland area is a region of high elevation, typically featuring mountains, hills, and valleys.

A moraine is a ridge on mound of debris that's been deposited by glacier.

And an erratic is a large boulder transported and deposited by glacial ice, out of place, as its rock type differs from the rocks around it.

Today's lesson on evidence of glaciation in the U.

K.

is split into two learning cycles.

The first, what if the landscape of the Lake District like? And the second, how has glaciation shaped the Lake District? So, let's have a look at that first learning cycle then, what is the landscape of the Lake District like? So, the Lake District is a region of mountains and lakes located in the northwest of England.

And you can see what the Lake District looks like there on the map, and it's highlighted on that map of the U.

K.

You can see where the Lake District is in the northwest of England.

Now, the Lake District is an upland area, which is a region of high elevation, typically featuring mountains, hills, and valleys.

There's two photographs there showing the Lake District, and you can see the mountain regions can't you? You can see the mountains and the hills, and you can also see that the valleys there in the Lake District.

Now, the Lake District is situated in the county of Cumbria, and it's England's largest national park.

This here is an OS map of the Lake District.

And if you have a look at that OS map, you can see lots and lots of different features.

Have a look and can you identify the Lake District's highest peak and its largest lake? You have a look and see that.

So, the lakes are gonna be the areas of blue, and they're all named.

They're also named in blue.

Can you see which one's the largest? And peaks on an OS map are identified as a triangle.

They're also labelled, and they've got the height written on there so that you can identify the highest.

So, did you get it right? Scarfell Pike, that's the highest mountain in England.

It's 978 metres above sea level, and that's the highest peak in the Lake District, the highest mountain in England.

And Windermere, that's the largest natural lake in England.

It's around 10.

5 miles long.

Really, really big lake.

Okay, so our first check of the lesson then.

What is the highest mountain in the Lake District? Is it A, Ben Nevis, B, Snowdon, C, Scarfell Pike, or D, Helvellyn? What do you think? So, pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? What is the highest mountain in the Lake District? Ben Nevis, Snowdon, Scarfell Pike, or Helvellyn? The answer is C, Scarfell Pike.

Did you get that right? Well done.

What's the largest lake in the Lake District? Is it Wast Water, Windermere, Ullswater, or Grassmere? What do you think? So, pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? What's the largest lake in the Lake District? The answer is B, Windermere.

Did you get that one right? Well done.

Okay.

So, the landscapes of the Lake District have been formed over millions of years, and the landscapes have been formed because of glacial activity, they've been shaped.

The landscapes have been shaped by glacial activity.

During the Last Glacial Maximum, which was 2 million years ago, the Lake District was covered by the British-Irish Ice Sheet.

And if you have a little look at this map here, you can see the world, and you can see the areas that have been covered by ice.

And the Lake District in the U.

K.

is covered by this big ice sheet known as the British-Irish Ice Sheet.

You can see a more zoomed in version here.

And then there's the Lake District identified.

So, 2 million years ago, completely covered by ice.

That could have had a major impact on what the land looks like.

So, glaciers formed in the valleys.

And with the ice sheet, shaped the landscape that we see today.

So, because we had the ice sheet and because we have glaciers that formed, that's shaped the landscape of the Lake District that we see today.

Now the Lake District's unique blend of glacial features along with its natural beauty and cultural heritage earned it the designation of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.

So, have a look at some images that display why it got that.

So, can you see these images demonstrate some of the glacial features, some of its natural beauty, and some of its cultural heritage, and that's why it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

So, we're onto our first task of the lesson then.

So, for number one, on the OS map of the Lake District, can you identify and label the highest peak and largest lake? So, have a look at that OS map there of the Lake District.

Remember what we're looking for when we're looking for the highest peak.

And remember what we're looking for when we're looking for a lake.

Just need to identify them, and then you need to draw an arrow and label them.

So, say what they're called and label them.

The highest peak and the largest lake.

And then next, you're gonna answer some questions.

So, question 2, why is the Lake District classed as an upland area? Why is it an upland area? What has it got that makes it an upland area? Question 3, why is the Lake District a UNESCO World Heritage Site? And question 4, a task for you to complete.

Use online map resources such as Google Earth or you could use the Geography Visualizer in 3D mode to investigate the landscape of Helvellyn and Ullswater in the Lake District.

Okay, so pause the video, work through the tasks and the questions, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? So, question 1, on the OS map of the Lake District, identify and label the highest peak and the largest lake.

So, you should have identified Scarfell Pike as the highest peak, and Windermere as the largest lake.

Did you get those two? Well done.

So, question 2, why is the Lake District classed as an upland area? So, the Lake District is an upland area because it is a region of high elevation, typically featuring mountains, hills, and valleys.

Question 3, why is the Lake District a UNESCO World Heritage Site? The Lake District's unique blend of glacial features, natural beauty, and cultural heritage earned at the designation of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.

How did you get on with those questions? Did you get them right? Well done.

Okay, so we finished our learning cycle on what is the landscape of the Lake District like.

We've looked at the different features and what the Lake District looks like.

Now we're gonna look at how has glaciation shaped the Lake District.

So, mountains, valleys, and lakes in the Lake District have been shaped by ice sheets and the actions of glaciers.

The rocks of the Lake District were shaped by ice sheets and the actions of glaciers and meltwater.

They eroded the river valleys and created deep U-shaped valleys.

Can you see this image there that shows a lovely U-shape that's been carved out by glaciers, with the steep sides and the flat bottom? U-shaped valleys were formed when glaciers moved through preexisting V-shaped river valleys, deepening and widening them through erosion.

So, we've got valleys that are already a V-shape being eroded through rivers, but then the valleys become a U-shape, deeper and wider as the glacier pushes through and erodes a lot of that material.

The immense weight and movement of the glaciers scraped away the valley floor and sides, making it wider and deeper.

Langdale valley in the Lake District is an example, with steep sides and a flat valley floor.

And you can see Langdale valley there on that image.

Really, really steep sides, and the valley floor is very, very flat.

That's a U-shaped valley in the Lake District.

Another check for us now then.

So, what shape are valleys formed by glaciers? Is it A, V-shaped, B, U-shaped, C, circular, or D, flat? What do you think? So, pause the video, Write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? What shape are valleys formed by glaciers? And the answer is B, U-shaped.

Well done.

So the Lake District has all the 16 lakes and towns.

It's being compared to a wheel, the valleys and lakes radiate out from a central hub, like spokes.

You can see on the map there where, they've been identified.

Can you see how it looks a little bit like a wheel? That's why it's being compared to that.

They radiate out a little bit like spokes.

The glaciers that eroded and carved out the U-shaped valleys left deep troughs on the valley floor.

These hollows ran along the valley floor and eventually became ribbon lakes like Ullswater.

And this shows s water in the Lake District.

So, the glaciers that are carving out these big valleys, they're leaving deep troughs on the valley floor, and that's what's becoming the lakes that we find in the Lake District.

Now, the base of many of these valleys consists of impermeable volcanic rock.

So, this stops water draining away, and instead, the water accumulates to form lakes.

It's because that's the rock underneath is impermeable, the water can't soak through, the water can't drain away.

So, instead, it all collects together to form lakes.

So, a glacier moves through a valley, the softer rock is eroded more than the harder rock, which creates a depression.

And after the glacier melts, water collecting that hollow, forming a ribbon lake.

So, what type of glacial landform is Ullswater? This is another check for us.

What type of glacial landform is Ullswater? Is it A, a U-shaped valley, B, a moraine, or C, a ribbon lake? So, pause the video, have a think, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? What type of glacial landform is Ullswater? The answer is C, a ribbon lake.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Now, erosion by glaciers also creates hollows, which are called corries, and these are then filled with water, and that area is then called a tarn.

This is an image here of Red Tarn on Helvellyn in the Lake District.

Moraines are ridges are mounds of debris, which is rock, sand, and clay, which have been deposited by a glacier.

So, the glacier carries material that it erodes.

And then when it melts, it deposits that material and it forms mounds.

And those mounds are called moraines.

As glaciers advance, they pick up material through processes like plucking and abrasion, which are erosional processes.

When the glacier retreats and the glacier melts, this material is left behind, and those mounds are called moraines.

And can you see, this is an image here of the Lake District, and can you see some of those mounds that have been left behind there in the Lake District? And these are moraines.

Another check for us now then.

What is a moraine? Is it a sharp ridge? Is it a ridge or mound of debris? Or, is it a boulder out place? What do you think? So, pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did dig it on? What is a moraine? The answer is B, a ridge or mound of debris.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Let's have a look at another landform then, erratics.

Erratics are large boulders transported and deposited by glaciers, often far from their original location.

Let's have a look at what one looks like.

So, these rocks often stand out because their composition, what they're made of, is different from the local geology.

They stand out because they shouldn't really be there.

They aren't naturally there.

So, the glacier has transported that from somewhere else and put it down in amongst rocks that are different to it.

This is the Bowder Stone, a famous erratic in the Lake District.

Another check for us now then.

What is an erratic? Is it A, a region of high elevation, typically featuring mountains, hills, and valleys? Is it B, a ridge or mound of debris deposited by a glacier? Or, is it C, a large boulder transported and deposited by glacial ice, out of place, as its rock type differs from the rocks around it? So, pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? What is an erratic? And the answer is C a large boulder transported and deposited by glacial ice, out of place, as its rock type differs from the rocks around it.

Well done.

The Lake District also has some sharp ridges which are called aretes, which is a picture of an arete here in the Lake District.

So, this arete here is Striding Edge, the sharp ridges that separate neighbouring corries.

So, when curries form on either side of a mountain, that forms that really sharp ridge called an arete, and this is called Striding Edge.

So, final task of the lesson then.

Question 1, match up the type of glacier landform with the Lake District features.

So, we've got three Lake District features, Striding Edge, the Bowder Stone, and Langdale Valley, and we've got three glacier landforms, erratic, U-shaped valley, and arete.

And so you need to match them up.

Question 2, describe what a moraine is and how it forms. Remember that a moraine is created by deposition.

So, you've got a couple of questions to answer, a little activity and then a question to answer.

So, pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on then? So, question 1, match up the type of glacial landform with the Lake District features.

So, Striding Edge is an arete, the Bowder Stone is an erratic, and Langdale Valley is a U-shaped valley.

Question 2, describe what a moraine is and how it forms. So, this is something that you might have written.

Moraines are ridges or mounds of debris, including rocks, sand, and clay, deposited by glaciers.

As glaciers move forward, they gather material through processes such as plucking and abrasion.

When the glacier recedes, this collective debris is left behind, creating moraines.

How did you get on with those questions? Did you get them right? Well done.

Through the end of our lesson today on the Evidence of glaciation in the U.

K.

, let's have a little look at some of the things that we've learned.

The Lake District is a region of mountains and lakes in the northwest of England.

Mountains and valleys in the Lake District have been shaped by ice sheets and the actions of glaciers.

And the landforms of the Lake District include U-shaped valleys, mountains, and sharp ridges.

I've really enjoyed today's geography lesson.

I hope you have too.

I'll see you again soon.