Topic 3 of 6 · Form 5
Rocks, weathering and tropical environments
Plate boundaries and associated landforms; rock types and their characteristics.
Notes for this topic 1 file, in order
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Plate tectonics and rocks
Plate boundaries and associated landforms; rock types and their characteristics.
Weathering and mass movement
Physical, chemical and biological weathering; climatic controls (Peltier diagram); slope processes (heave, flows, slides, falls); slope stabilisation.
Tropical environments
- Climates: humid tropical and seasonally humid (savanna).
- Ecosystems: rainforest and savanna structure, nutrient cycling (Gersmehl model), succession.
- Landforms: deep weathering, inselbergs, bornhardts and tors (e.g. the Matobo Hills), tropical karst.
- Sustainable management: deforestation and conservation strategies.
Worked example: Explain the formation of tors using the two-stage model.
Deep chemical weathering along joints under humid conditions forms corestones in regolith; a later change in climate or base level strips the regolith, exposing the corestones.
Exam tip: Use named examples from tropical areas, including Zimbabwe, to support explanations.
Check yourself
- Which weathering process is dominant in hot, humid climates?
- What is a bornhardt?
- Give two causes of mass movement on slopes.
Show answers
- Chemical weathering (especially hydrolysis).
- A steep-sided dome of bare rock rising from a plain, formed by deep weathering and stripping.
- Any two: heavy rainfall, steep slopes, removal of vegetation, undercutting, earthquakes.
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