Question 1 Report
Fig. 1 shows a rock pedestal photographed during a study in the Atacama Desert. The narrow lower section was measured at 0.7 m wide, whereas the upper cap is 1.4 m wide. Sand grains moved close to the ground during strong afternoon winds. The geographer wants to use the shown figure to identify the erosional process acting most strongly near the base.
(a) Which process is most likely to have formed the narrow lower section: abrasion, hydraulic action or solution? [1]
(b) Outline why the lower section is eroded more rapidly than the upper cap. [2]
(c) Draw two short arrows on Fig. 1 to show the usual direction of sand movement around the base. [1]
(a) Abrasion [1] (b) Sand is carried close to the ground [1]; grains strike/scrape the lower rock surface more often [1]. (c) Two arrows moving horizontally towards/across the base near ground level [1]
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