A-Level - Coastal Systems & Landscapes Glossary: Flashcards
List Marine Erosional Processes:
1) Hydraulic Action,
2) Abrasion,
3) Attrition,
4) Solution,
5) Corrasian,
6) Wave Quarrying,
7) Glacial Erosion,
8) Freeze Thaw Weathering.
What is Hydraulic Action?
The pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face, causing the rock to weaken and break apart.
What is Abrasion?
Loose material is ‘sandpapered’ along the walls and floors of the river, cliff, or glacier.
What is Attrition?
The smashing of sediment against each other, causing rocks to break apart becoming smaller and more rounded.
What is Solution / Corrosion?
The acidic properties of the seawater causing alkaline rocks such as limestone to be eroded.
What is Corrasion?
When breaking waves hurl material / sediment at a cliff face, physically eroding material.
What is Wave Quarrying?
The process of breaking waves hitting a cliff face, exerting a pressure up to 30 tonnes per metre squared, significantly more powerful than hydraulic action.
What is Glacial Erosion?
The removal of loose material by glacier ice, involving plucking, abrasion, crushing, and basal meltwater.
What is Freeze Thaw Weathering?
A form of sub-aerial weathering, where water freezes in the cracks of a rock, expands, and enlarges the crack, weakening the rock.
List Marine Transportational Processes:
1) Traction,
2) Saltation
3) Suspension,
4) Solution,
5) Longshore Drift,
6) Mass Movement,
7) Subaerial Processes.
What is Traction?
Large, heavy rocks being rolled along the river bed.
What is Saltation?
Smaller sediment bouncing along the sea bed, being pushed by the current.
What is Suspension?
Fine light material carried along in the waters current.
What is Solution?
Dissolved minerals / sediment within the water, potentially in chemical form.
What is Longshore Drift?
The transportation of sediment along a beach, determined by the direction of the prevailing wind.
What is Mass Movement?
The falling or movement of rock, often due to gravity.
What are Sub-Aerial Processes?
The combination of mass movement and weathering that affects the coastal land above the sea.
What is Weathering?
The breakdown of rocks, (mechanical, biological, or chemical) over time.
What is Mechanical (Physical) Weathering?
The breakdown of rocks due to exertion of physical forces without any chemical changes taking place.
What are the Three Examples Of Mechnical Weathering?
1) Freeze-Thaw Weathering,
2) Salt Crystallation,
3) Wetting & Drying.
What is Chemical Weathering?
The breakdown of rocks through chemical reactions.
What are the Three Examples of Chemical Weathering?
1) Carbonation,
2) Oxidation,
3) Solution.
What is Biological Weathering?
The breakdown of rocks by organic activity.
What are the Five Examples of Biological Weathering?
1) Plant Roots,
2) Birds,
3) Rock Boring,
4) Seaweed Acids,
5) Decaying Vegetation.
What is Freeze Thaw Weathering?
A form of sub-aerial weathering, where water freezes in cracks, expands, weakening the rock.
What is Salt Crystallation?
The process of seawater evaporating, leaving salt behind, forming salt crystals, which exert pressure on a rock face, forcing cracks to widen.
What is Wetting & Drying?
Rocks such as clay expanding when wet, and contracting again when drying. Causing rocks to break apart.
What is Carbonation?
Rainwater absorbing CO2 from the air to create a weak carbonic acid, reacting with calcium carbonate to form calcium bicarbonate which can be easily dissolved.
What is Oxidation?
When minerals become exposed to the air through cracks and fissures, the mineral becomes oxidised increasing its volume causing the rock or crumble through mechanical weathering.
What is Solution?
Rock minerals such as rock salt dissolving in water.
What is Rock Boring?
Wildife secreting chemicals that dissolve rocks, or borrowing into rock faces.
What are Seaweed Acids?
Seaweed species containing packets of sulphuric acid, which dissolve rock minerals on impact.
What is Decaying Vegetation?
Water that flows through decaying vegetation, which is acidic, causing chemical weathering.
What is Soil Creep?
The movement of soil particles downhill, leading to the formation of shallow terracettes.
What is Soliflucation?
The top layer of ice melting, flowing over the frozen layers.
What are Mudflows?
The increase in water content within the soil, reducing friction, causing mud to flow over underlying bedrock.
What is Rockfall?
When steep or sloped cliffs are exposed to mechanical weathering, leading to scree or rock fragments falling.
What is a Landslide?
Heavy rainfall leading to water infiltration between joints and bedding planes, reducing friction and creating a landslide.
What is Landslip / Slumping?
A curved slope collapsing under its own weight, as a result of pore water increasing pressure.
What are the Six Examples of Mass Movement?
1) Soil Creep,
2) Rockfall,
3) Land Slip / Slumping,
4) Landslide,
5) Soliflucation,
6) Mudflow.
What is Grading?
The layering of sediments based on their size.
What is Till?
Deposits of angular rock fragments in a finer medium.
What is Gravity Settling?
The water’s velocity decreases, so sediment begins to be deposited.
What is Flocculation?
Clay particles clump together due to chemical attraction, and then sink due to their high density.
What is Geology?
The structure and arrangement of a rock.
What is Beach Morphology?
The surface shape of the beach.
What is Nearshore?
The area before the shore where the wave steepness breaks before they reach the shore and then reform before breaking on the beach.
What is Foreshore?
The lower part of the beach covered twice a day at high tide.
What is Backshore?
The upper part of the beach closest to the land.
What is an Emergent Coastline?
A coastline that is advancing relative to the sea level.
What is a Submergent Coastline?
A coastline that is shrinking relative to the sea level.
What is a Concordant Coastline?
A coastline where bands of alternate geology run parallel to the coastline.
What is a Discordant Coastline?
A coastline where bands of alternate geology run perpendicular to the coastline.
What is a Dalmation Coastline?
A concordant coastline with several river valleys running perpendicular to the coast. They become flooded to produce parallel long islands and long inlets.
What is a High Energy Environment?
A coastline where wave action is predominantly large destructive waves, causing high levels of erosion.
What is a Low Energy Environment?
A coastline where wave action is predominantly small constructive waves, causing deposition.
What is the Littoral Zone?
The area of land between the cliffs or dunes on a coast, and the offshore area that is beyond the influence of the waves.
What is the Littoral Cell?
An open system section of coast, within which involves sediment movement.
What is the Sediment Cell?
Sections of the coast bordered by prominent headlands. Dynamic equilibrium.
What is the Sediment Budget?
Use of data inputs, output stores, and transfers to assess the gains and losses of sediment within a sediment cell.
What is Eustatic Change?
Global changes to the sea levels.
What is Isostatic Change?
A change in local coastline or land height relative to sea level.
