Coastal Landforms Flashcards
What are cliffs and wave-cut platforms, and how do they form?
These are caused by erosion. Cliffs form as the sea erodes the land, overtime cliffs retreat due to the actions of waves and weathering. Wave-cut platforms are flat surfaces that are left behind when a cliff is eroded.
What are headlands and bays, and how do they form?
These are also caused by erosion and form when there are bands of alternating hard and soft rock at right angles to the shoreline. The soft rock is eroded quickly, forming a bay. Whereas the harder rock is eroded slower and what is left sticking out is a headland.
What are caves, arches and stacks, and how do they form?
Caused by erosion. Found within cliffs, weak areas within the cliffs are eroded to form caves. Caves on the other side of a narrow headland could eventually join up and form an arch. Once an arch collapses it forms a stack.
What are beaches and how do they form?
They are caused by deposition. And they form when constructive waves deposit sediment on the shore. They are a store in the coastal system.
What are spits and how do they form?
Spits are also caused by deposition. They tend to form when the coast suddenly changes direction, such as at a river mouth. LSD continues to deposit material across the river mouth, leaving a bank of sand and shingle sticking out into the sea. And occasional changes to the dominant wind could lead to the spit developing a curved end (recurved end).
What are offshore bars and tombolo’s, and how do they form?
These two features are caused by deposition. Bars are formed when a spit joins two headlands together. A lagoon forms behind the bar. A bar that connects the shore to an island is called a tombolo.
