The Alps case study
- Created by: katiebrocklehurst251
- Created on: 30-10-14 19:41
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- Geography- Case study: The Alps
- Physical features
- Glaciated valleys
- U-shaped valleys e.g. Rhone valley
- High mountain peaks
- e.g. Mont Blanc in the western Alps at 4,810m
- Ribbon lakes
- Depressions filled with rainwater e.g. Lake Como
- Rivers
- Steep slopes and high precipitation lead to rivers e.g. River Rhine
- Glaciated valleys
- Uses of the Alps
- Mining
- Decreased because its cheaper to import minerals from foreign countries
- Minerals in the alps: iron ore, magnesium, zinc, silver, copper and salt
- Hydroelectric power
- Perfect conditions e.g. high precipitation, steep slopes and melting glaciers
- HEP electricity is cheaper and used in aluminium smelting or smelting or it's exported
- 60% of electricity in Switzerland is HEP from the Bieudron power station
- Tourism
- Popular attributes all year around
- Winter: skiing resorts such as Chamonix are popular
- Summer: resorts such as Garda popular with walkers and climbers
- Agriculture
- Sunnier southern slopes
- Transhumance used
- In summer livestock taken to high slopes so crops are grown on valley floor
- In winter the livestock taken back to valley floor to eat crops grown
- coniferous trees grown on northern slopes
- Mining
- Adaptations to the Alps
- Poor soil
- Coniferous trees grown as they will grow in the soil
- Cattle graze where soil quality is poor
- Crops grown on the valley floor where the soil is more fertile
- Steep relief
- cable cars built
- goats and cattle well adapted to steep relief
- trees planted to protect from avalanches and landslides
- Limited communications
- Improved phone signals
- railways and roads built on valley floor
- roads built between low points of the mountains
- e.g. Brenner pass between Italy and Austria
- Tunnels cut through the mountains
- Poor soil
- Physical features
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