7. Landforms And Landscapes Of Coastal Deposition

Question 1

What are the main landforms and landscapes of coastal deposition?

Answer 1

Beaches, spits, tombolos, offshore bars, barrier beaches and islands
Sand dunes

Question 2

What is a swash-aligned coastline?

Answer 2

Parallel to the incoming wave crests
Minimal longshore drift
On irregular coastlines where longshore drift is impeded and waves hit sections head on

Question 3

What is a drift-aligned coastline?

Answer 3

Parallel to the direction of longshaw drift
Waves at an angle to the beach
Large amounts of sediment carried long distances
Regular coastline

Question 4

Describe the formation of a spit?

Answer 4

Longshaw drift carries material in the direction of the prevailing wind
Where the coastline changes direction, sand and shingle continues to build up in the same direction
The material forms a spit that may be simple or compound with a number of minor spits in the landward side

Question 5

What curves the end of a spit?

Answer 5

Refraction carries material into sheltered water and the second most dominant wind adds to the curvature of the spit

Question 6

How does a salt marsh develop?

Answer 6

The area behind a spit is sheltered and low energy which leads to deposition of silt and clay which forms a slatmarsh

Question 7

What’s the difference between a tombolo and a bar?

Answer 7

Tombolo- a spit that joins an island to the mainland

Bar- a spit that develops across a bay where there is no strong flow of water from the landward side

Question 8

What are the features of a bay?

Answer 8

Storm beach, berms, cusps, ripples, breached ridge

Question 9

What’s forms a beach in a bay?

Answer 9

Accumulation of sand and shingle deposited between high and low tide
Waves are low energy

Question 10

What is an offshore bar?

Answer 10

A ridge of material that is semi-submerged and sea wards of the refer zone

Question 11

What is a barrier beach?

Answer 11

A bank of material parallel to the coast

Not submerged by tides

Question 12

What is the energy input in the formation of sand dunes?

Answer 12

Wind

Question 13

Wha are the main processes in dune formation?

Answer 13

Saltation- bounding movement of small sand particles taking place up to 1m above the surface
Creep- the surface movement of larger sand particles

Question 14

What conditions are required for sand dunes to develop?

Answer 14

Good supply of sand
A shallow offshore zone that allows large areas of sand to dry out at low tide
A wide backshore for sand to accumulate
Prevailing onshore winds

Question 15

How are dunes formed?

Answer 15

Sand dries out on a beach
The wind blows in inland
Sand accumulated around prices of detritus
The increase in sand increases the friction so more sand is deposited

Question 16

What stabilises dunes?

Answer 16

Vegetation like marram grass

Question 17

What is the typical sequence of sand dune development?

Answer 17

Pioneer species
Embryo dunes
Foredunes
Fixed dunes
Wasting dunes

Question 18

What are ridges in sand dunes?

Answer 18

Sequences of dunes parallel to the coastline

Question 19

What are slacks?

Answer 19

Depressions which reach down to the wager table and separate dunes

Question 20

What are blowouts?

Answer 20

They form where fragile sand dunes have their vegetation’s cover destroyed by grazing animals and human activity

Question 21

What are the main landforms and landscapes of coastal deposition?

Answer 21

Beaches, spits, tombolos, offshore bars, barrier beaches and islands
Sand dunes

Question 22

What is a swash-aligned coastline?

Answer 22

One that develops where there is minimal longshaw drift

The coastline is irregular and waves hit headlands

Question 23

What is a drift-aligned coastline?

Answer 23

Parallel to the direction of longshaw drift

Waves at an angle to the beach

Question 24

Describe the formation of a spit?

Answer 24

Longshaw drift carries material in the direction of the prevailing wind
Where the coastline changes direction, sand and shingle continues to build up in the same direction
The material forms a spit that may be simple or compound with a number of minor spits in the landward side

Question 25

What curves the end of a spit?

Answer 25

Refraction carries material into sheltered water and the second most dominant wind adds to the curvature of the spit

Question 26

How does a salt marsh develop?

Answer 26

The area behind a spit is sheltered and low energy which leads to deposition of silt and clay which forms a slatmarsh

Question 27

What’s the difference between a tombolo and a bar?

Answer 27

Tombolo- a spit that joins an island to the mainland

Bar- a spit that develops across a bay where there is no strong flow of water from the landward side

Question 28

What are the features of a bay?

Answer 28

Storm beach, berms, cusps, ripples, breached ridge

Question 29

What’s forms a beach in a bay?

Answer 29

Accumulation of sand and shingle deposited between high and low tide
Waves are low energy

Question 30

What is an offshore bar?

Answer 30

A ridge of material that is semi-submerged and sea wards of the refer zone

Question 31

What is a barrier beach?

Answer 31

A bank of material parallel to the coast

Not submerged by tides

Question 32

What is a spit?

Answer 32

An elongated, narrow ridge of land that had one end joined to the mainland and projects out into the sea or across an estuary

Question 33

What is a simple spit?

Answer 33

Straight or recurves

Do not have minor spots or recurved ridges along their landward edge

Question 34

What are compound spits?

Answer 34

Have a number of recurved ridges, or minor spits, along their landward side

Question 35

Give an example of a tombolo.

Answer 35

Chesil Beach, south coast England

30km long