Coastal Landscapes

Question 1

What is weathering?

Answer 1

Weathering is the breakdown of rocks where they are.

Question 2

What is erosion?

Answer 2

Erosion is when rocks are broken down and carried away by something.

Question 3

What is mechanical weathering?

Answer 3

Mechanical weathering is the breakdown of rock without changing its chemical composition.

Question 4

What happens during freeze-thaw weathering?

Answer 4

Water enters cracks in rocks, freezes and expands, then thaws and contracts, causing the rock to break up.

Question 5

What is chemical weathering?

Answer 5

Chemical weathering is the breakdown of rock by changing its chemical composition.

Question 6

What is carbonation weathering?

Answer 6

Carbonation weathering occurs when rainwater, containing carbon dioxide, reacts with calcium carbonate in rocks.

Question 7

What is mass movement?

Answer 7

Mass movement is the shifting of rocks and loose material down a slope.

Question 8

What causes mass movement?

Answer 8

Mass movement occurs when the force of gravity exceeds the force supporting the material.

Question 9

What effect does water have on mass movement?

Answer 9

Water acts as a lubricant and makes the material heavier, increasing the likelihood of mass movement.

Question 10

What is a scarp?

Answer 10

A scarp is a steep ‘cut’ in the side of a slope created by material shifting.

Question 11

What are destructive waves?

Answer 11

Destructive waves have a high frequency and are high and steep, removing material from the coast.

Question 12

What are constructive waves?

Answer 12

Constructive waves have a low frequency and are low and long, depositing material on the coast.

Question 13

What is hydraulic power in the context of erosion?

Answer 13

Hydraulic power occurs when waves crash against rock, compressing air in cracks and widening them.

Question 14

What is abrasion in the context of erosion?

Answer 14

Abrasion is when eroded particles in the water scrape against rock, removing small pieces.

Question 15

What is attrition in the context of erosion?

Answer 15

Attrition is when eroded particles collide, breaking into smaller pieces and becoming more rounded.

Question 16

What is longshore drift?

Answer 16

Longshore drift is the transportation of material along the coast by waves hitting at an oblique angle.

Question 17

What is traction in sediment transport?

Answer 17

Traction is when large particles like boulders are pushed along the sea bed by the force of water.

Question 18

What is saltation in sediment transport?

Answer 18

Saltation is when pebble-sized particles are bounced along the sea bed by the force of water.

Question 19

What is suspension in sediment transport?

Answer 19

Suspension is when small particles like silt and clay are carried along in the water.

Question 20

What is solution in sediment transport?

Answer 20

Solution is when soluble materials like limestone dissolve in water and are carried along.

Question 21

What is deposition?

Answer 21

Deposition occurs when water carrying sediment loses energy and slows down.

Question 22

When does a coast build up?

Answer 22

A coast builds up when the amount of deposition is greater than the amount of erosion.

Question 23

What increases the amount of material deposited on a coast?

Answer 23

• Lots of erosion elsewhere on the coast
• Lots of material transported into the area

Question 24

What type of waves drop more material than they remove?

Answer 24

Constructive waves drop more material than they remove.

Question 25

What are the two types of coastlines based on rock type and geological structure?

Answer 25

Concordant and Discordant coastlines

Question 26

How do hard rocks like granite differ from softer rocks like sandstone in terms of erosion?

Answer 26

Hard rocks take a long time to erode, while softer rocks erode more quickly

Question 27

What type of coastline consists of alternating bands of hard and soft rock at right angles to the coast?

Answer 27

Discordant coastline

Question 28

What type of coastline has alternating bands of hard and soft rock that are parallel to the coast?

Answer 28

Concordant coastline

Question 29

What forms along discordant coastlines due to the presence of resistant and less resistant rock?

Answer 29

Headlands and bays

Question 30

What happens to the less resistant rock along a discordant coastline?

Answer 30

It erodes faster, forming a bay with a gentle slope

Question 31

What geological features are formed when headlands are eroded?

Answer 31

Caves, arches, and stacks

Question 32

What process leads to the formation of caves in headlands?

Answer 32

Waves crashing into headlands enlarge cracks through hydraulic power and abrasion

Question 33

What is an example of an arch formed by erosion in a headland?

Answer 33

Durdle Door

Question 34

What is formed after continued erosion of an arch causes its collapse?

Answer 34

A stack

Question 35

What is a wave-cut notch?

Answer 35

A notch formed at the foot of a cliff due to wave erosion

Question 36

What happens to the rock above the wave-cut notch over time?

Answer 36

It becomes unstable and eventually collapses

Question 37

What landform is left behind after repeated collapses of a cliff?

Answer 37

Wave-cut platform

Question 38

What type of waves are responsible for forming beaches?

Answer 38

Constructive waves

Question 39

What characterizes sand beaches?

Answer 39

Created by low energy waves, flat and wide

Question 40

What characterizes shingle beaches?

Answer 40

Created by high energy waves, steep and narrow

Question 41

What is a spit?

Answer 41

A landform that forms at sharp bends in the coastline

Question 42

What process transports sand and shingle to form a spit?

Answer 42

Longshore drift

Question 43

What happens to the area behind a spit?

Answer 43

It becomes sheltered from waves, allowing material to accumulate

Question 44

What is formed when a spit joins two headlands together?

Answer 44

A bar

Question 45

What can form behind a bar?

Answer 45

A lagoon

Question 46

How are offshore bars formed?

Answer 46

Waves slow down due to friction with the seabed, depositing sediment offshore

Question 47

How are sand dunes formed?

Answer 47

Sand deposited by longshore drift is moved up the beach by the wind

Question 48

What role do obstacles like driftwood play in the formation of sand dunes?

Answer 48

They cause wind speed to decrease, allowing sand to be deposited

Question 49

What are embryo dunes?

Answer 49

Small dunes formed when sand is deposited and colonized by plants

Question 50

What is the significance of vegetation in dune formation?

Answer 50

Roots stabilize the sand, encouraging more accumulation

Question 51

What are dune slacks?

Answer 51

Small pools that form in hollows between dunes

Question 52

What are some examples of erosional landforms?

Answer 52

* Caves * Arches * Stacks * Cliffs * Wave-cut Platforms ## Footnote Erosional landforms are formed by the removal of material from the landscape due to processes like wave action and weathering.

Question 53

How are cliffs represented on maps?

Answer 53

Cliffs (and other steep slopes) are shown as little black lines. ## Footnote This representation helps in identifying steep terrain on topographic maps.

Question 54

What do wave-cut platforms look like on maps?

Answer 54

Wave-cut platforms are shown as bumpy edges along the coast. ## Footnote These features indicate areas where waves have eroded the land.

Question 55

What color are beaches shown in on maps?

Answer 55

Beaches are shown in yellow on maps. ## Footnote This color coding helps to easily identify coastal depositional features.

Question 56

What is a characteristic feature of spits on maps?

Answer 56

Spits are shown by a beach that carries on out to sea, but is still attached to the land at one end. ## Footnote Spits are formed by the deposition of sediment and often indicate changes in coastal currents.

Question 57

How are sand beaches and shingle beaches represented on maps?

Answer 57

* Sand beaches are shown as pale yellow. * Shingle beaches are shown as white or yellow with speckles. ## Footnote The differentiation in color helps in identifying the type of beach material present.

Question 58

True or False: Caves and arches can be seen on a map.

Answer 58

False. ## Footnote Caves and arches cannot be seen on maps due to the rock above them.

Question 59

What do stacks look like in the sea on maps?

Answer 59

Stacks look like little blobs in the sea. ## Footnote Stacks are isolated columns of rock that remain after erosion has removed surrounding material.

Question 60

What are coastal defences?

Answer 60

Structures built to control the flow of the sea and reduce flooding and erosion.

Question 61

What is hard engineering in coastal defence?

Answer 61

Man-made structures designed to control coastal processes.

Question 62

What is a sea wall?

Answer 62

A wall made out of a hard material like concrete that reflects waves back to sea.

Question 63

What are gabions?

Answer 63

A wall of wire cages filled with rocks, usually built at the foot of cliffs.

Question 64

What is rock armour?

Answer 64

Boulders that are piled up along the coast, also called rip-rap.

Question 65

What are groynes?

Answer 65

Wooden or stone fences built at right angles to the coast that trap material transported by longshore drift.

Question 66

What is beach nourishment?

Answer 66

Sand and shingle added to the upper part of beaches from elsewhere.

Question 67

What is dune regeneration?

Answer 67

Creating or restoring sand dunes by nourishment or planting vegetation to stabilise the sand.

Question 68

What are the benefits of hard engineering coastal defences?

Answer 68

* Prevents erosion of the coast * Acts as a barrier to prevent flooding

Question 69

How do gabions benefit coastal defences?

Answer 69

They absorb wave energy and reduce erosion. They're cheap and easy to build.

Question 70

What is a disadvantage of sea walls?

Answer 70

Creates a strong backwash that erodes under the wall.

Question 71

What is a major cost associated with gabions?

Answer 71

They can corrode over time and are considered ugly.

Question 72

How do groynes impact nearby beaches?

Answer 72

They can starve beaches further down the coast of sand, making them narrower.

Question 73

What is managed retreat in coastal defence?

Answer 73

Removing current defences and allowing the sea to flood the land behind.

Question 74

What happens over time with managed retreat?

Answer 74

The land becomes marshland, providing protection against flooding and erosion.

Question 75

What is one advantage of managed retreat?

Answer 75

It is a cheap and easy strategy that doesn't require maintenance.

Question 76

What is a conflict that can arise from managed retreat?

Answer 76

Flooding farmland can affect the livelihood of farmers.

Question 77

What example is given for managed retreat?

Answer 77

Alkborough Flats, Lincolnshire.

Question 78

What was created at Alkborough Flats to allow water flow?

Answer 78

A 20-metre-wide breach in the flood wall.

Question 79

What habitats are supported by the new marshland created from managed retreat?

Answer 79

Habitats for many bird and fish species.

Question 80

True or False: Beach nourishment is a very expensive defence.

Answer 80

True.

Question 81

Fill in the blank: Dunes create a barrier between land and sea and absorb wave energy, preventing _______.

Answer 81

[flooding and erosion]