New
New
Year 8

Limestone landscapes

I can identify the key features of limestone, and describe different limestone landscapes.

New
New
Year 8

Limestone landscapes

I can identify the key features of limestone, and describe different limestone landscapes.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Limestone is a sedimentary rock made of calcium carbonate.
  2. Grykes are deep cracks on the surface on limestone formed by chemical weathering.
  3. Clints are exposed blocks of limestone separated by grykes.
  4. Limestone landscapes include limestone pavements, such as Malham Cove, and limestone caves, such as Gough's Cave.

Keywords

  • Limestone - a hard sedimentary rock

  • Grykes - deep cracks on the surface of limestone pavements

  • Clints - exposed blocks of limestone

  • Solution - a form of chemical weathering where rock is slowly dissolved by acidic water

  • Limestone pavement - flat, exposed area of limestone

Common misconception

Some students may think that grykes and clints are type of rock, rather than being a feature of limestone landscapes.

Students will be taught what clints and grykes are in relation to limestone.


To help you plan your year 8 geography lesson on: Limestone landscapes, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

A helpful way to remember what clints and grykes are, is: clints are clumps, and grykes are gaps.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which type of rock can contain fossils?
Igneous
Metamorphic
Correct answer: Sedimentary
Q2.
Which type of rock is formed from cooled lava or magma?
Sedimentary
Correct answer: Igneous
Metamorphic
Fossil
Q3.
What are rocks made of?
Metal
Correct answer: Minerals
Plastic
Water
Q4.
What is weathering?
The formation of new rocks
The heating of rocks by the sun
The movement of rocks by water and wind
Correct answer: The breakdown of rocks at Earth's surface
Q5.
How do weathering and erosion differ?
Correct answer: Weathering breaks down rocks, erosion moves the broken pieces
Weathering and erosion both break down rocks in the same way
Erosion happens first, then weathering
Only erosion affects landscapes over time
Q6.
Which process helps recycle rocks over millions of years?
Erosion
Fossilisation
The water cycle
Correct answer: The rock cycle

4 Questions

Q1.
What is limestone primarily made of?
Sand
Clay
Correct answer: Calcium carbonate
Granite
Q2.
What are grykes and clints in a limestone landscape?
Types of rock
Forms of volcanic rock
Correct answer: Features of a limestone pavement
Layers of metamorphic rock
Q3.
What type of erosion commonly affects limestone?
Wind erosion
Correct answer: Chemical erosion
Glacial erosion
Thermal erosion
Q4.
Where are famous limestone landscapes found in the UK?
The Lake District
Correct answer: The Yorkshire Dales
Snowdonia
The Scottish Highlands