Coastal Landforms Flashcards
explain the formation of headlands and bays
headlands and bays form along coasts that are made of alternative bands of hard (resistant) and soft (less resistant) rocks. this is called a discordant coastline. due to differential erosion, the waves erode the softer rocks more quickly to form bays and the harder rocks are eroded more slowly and left jutting into the sea to form headlands. overtime bays will become more sheltered and sandy beaches will form.
NE: Swanage Bay in the Dorset Coast
explain the formation of a wave cut platform
we’ve got platform forms when a notch is cut into the base of a cliff by waves. overtime, the notch gets larger and deeper, mainly due to hydraulic action. Eventually, the unsupported rock above will collapse into the sea. Due to gravity. The sea will remove this debris and the process repeats itself. Eventually wave cut platform will be left in front of the cliff, where the cliff used to be.
NE: kimeridge Bay in the Dorset coast
explain the process of longshore drift
longshore drift is responsible for the creation of several landforms of deposition. Longshore drift is the process through which material is moved along a beach. Waves approach the beach a similar angle to the prevailing wind. Waves break and the swash carries material up the beach at the same angle as the wave, the backwash and any material carried by it, returns by the shortest route at right angles to the beach. This continuous process gradually moves the material along the beach in a zigzag pattern.
explain the formation of a cave/arch/stack and stump
waves crash into headlands eroding the weaker part such as cracks. Joints are faults. The cracks are eroded by three different processes, corrosion, hydraulic action and solution. The cracks get larger deeper and wider developing into cave overtime. The horizontal erosion of a cave may cut through the headland to the other side to form an arch very occasionally, a blow hole will be created with a cave where vertical erosion has taken place. Further erosion widen, the walls of the arch causing less support for the roof leading to its collapse, and the formation of a stack needle or pillar, the stack will be eroded collapse and become a stump.
NE: old, Harry, and old Harry’s wife in the Dorset coast 
explain how a spit is formed
a spit forms when beach material is transported along the coast by longshore drift until eventually, there is a change in coastline, causing the longshore drift to continue to transport the beach material along and into the water a ridge of sand, builds up and outwards, forming a spit
NE: Chesil beach in the dorset coast
