... tunnels and caves. This is the reason why distinctive rolling hills and vales are common in chalk scenery areas. Chalk scenery is also closely associated with the development of escarpments or cuestas which have steep scarp slopes and gentle dip slopes. However these features are more a product of erosion than of weathering. As with all limestone scenery, there is little surface drainage on chalk. Dry valleys are common features, and the size of these suggests different climatic conditions in earlier times. There are several theories which have been put forward explain their formation: * Higher sea levels at the end of the last Ice Age resulted in the higher water-table levels and surface streams. Later, as sea level fell, the water-table also dropped, causing the valleys to become dry. * The freezing of water in rock pores during glacial periods caused the chalk to become impermeable and allowed surface drainage to ...

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