3.7 Landforms and Landscapes of Coastal Deposition

Question 1

Define beach.

Answer 1

A deposition also landform extending from the highest high tide to lowest low tide.

Can be swash or drift aligned depending on their orientation relative to the prevailing wind.

Question 2

Outline swash aligned beaches.

Answer 2

Tend to form in low energy environments eg bays that are affected by waves arriving parallel to the shore.

The bay head may consist of sand / shingle, depending of factors eg nature of sediment and power of waves.

Question 3

Outline drift aligned beaches.

Answer 3

Waves approach the coats at an angle.

Longshore drift moves sediment along a beach, often culminating in the formation of a spit.

Finer shingle particles are likely to be carried further by longshore drift and become increasingly round as they move.

Question 4

Define spit.

Answer 4

A long, narrow feature made of sand that extends from the land into the sea (or partway across an estuary).

Often form on drift aligned beaches.

Question 5

Define tombolo.

Answer 5

A beach (or ridge of sand) that has formed between a small island and the mainland.

Question 6

Define offshore bar.

Answer 6

Submerged (or partly exposed) ridges of coarse sediment created by waves offshore from the coast.

Question 7

Define barrier beach.

Answer 7

Where a beach or spit extends across a bay to join to headlands.