2.1 Coastal Features

Question 1

What is the back shore?

Answer 1

The part of the littoral zone most inland, which is usually above the influence of the waves

Question 2

What is the foreshore?

Answer 2

The second most inland part of the littoral zone, it is also referred to the inter-tidal / surf zone. Here sand runnels and ridges form

Question 3

What is the near shore?

Answer 3

The near shore is the second most seaward part of the littoral zone, it is also referred to as the breaker zone because waves often break here forming longshore bars on the sand

Question 4

What is the offshore?

Answer 4

Part of the littoral zone that is furthest from the land, it is beyond the influence of the waves

Question 5

How can coast be classified?

Answer 5

• lével of wave energy (high or low)
• geology ( concordant or discordant)
• balance between erosion and deposition leads to different landforms
• formation processes e.g. primary coasts (formed by land processes like rivers) and secondary coasts (formed by marine processes like wave action)

Question 6

What is a cliffed coast and how does it typically form?

Answer 6

• Transition from land to sea is abrupt
• e.g. white cliffs of Dover
• forms when resistant geology is greeted by a high energy environment but can withstand the erosive forces

Question 7

What is a sandy coastline and how does it typically form?

Answer 7

• in high tide the sandy beach can be inundated but vegetation stabilises the coast and prevents erosion
• often forms in a sheltered, low energy environment where waves have a stronger swash than backwash resulting in deposition
• e.g. swanage bay or lulworth cove
• forms in bays and coves

Question 8

What is an estuarine coastline and how does it form?

Answer 8

• extensive mud flats are cut by channels
• there is a gradual transition into the sea
• waves have low energy as they are confronted by the river current, often results in deposition to form a spit across parts of the river mouth
• e.g. Thames estuary

Question 9

What is the tees ex line?

Answer 9

• divides the north west and Cornwall from the south wasn’t
• in the east the rock is softer and sedimentary
• in the west the rock type is more resistant and metamorphic/ igneous