coast past paper question

Question 1

Explain the role of flows of energy in the formation of a tombolo.

Answer 1

There is controversy over the exact formation – some formed by drift aligned features, others through sea level rise
* Prevailing winds determine direction and power of waves that would create conditions suitable for deposition
* Wave refraction around an off-shore island causing a wave-energy shadow where increased deposition occurs on the landward side
* Longshore drift would be caused by waves causing movement of sediment through energy absorbed by winds
* A spit starts to form growing seawards until they reach and adjoin an offshore island
* The resulting beaches may be covered during high tide e.g. Lindisfarne, Northumberland or St Agnes, Scilly Isles
* Chesil Beach, Dorset is a tombolo formed in a more complex manner. Most likely the beach developed as a barrier island and moved onshore during the Flandrian Transgression as sea levels rose, enabling waves to move material onshore

Question 2

explain the role of one geomorphic process in forming landform A

Answer 2

Water may enter cracks in the rock (). When this water freezes, there is subsequent expansion (). This increases pressure on the rock and it breaks apart ().

Question 3

What is a geomorphic process

Answer 3

any mass movement, weathering, erosional