Coastal landscapes and management in the uk Flashcards
What is erosion?
Wearing away of the land
What is abrasion what does it erode?
CLIFFS
waves hurl pebbles against cliffs, grind down/ wearing the rock away
What does hydraulic action erode and what is it?
CLIFFS
`force of waves crash into cliffs
air trapped in cracks is compressed, breaks up rock
What is Solution, what does it erode?
CLIFFS
acids contained in sea water will dissolve some types of rock such as chalk or limestone.
What is attrition what does it erode?
BEACH MATERIAL
pebbles rolled back and forth. Collide with eachother making them smaller and rounder>eventually sand
When does deposition occur?
River deposits material when speed of flow is too low to continue carrying the load
- lack rainfall
- inside of meander
- mouth, river flow vs direction of sea
What is deposition?
Dropping of material carried by river
Describe process of longshore drift?
Sediment moved along coatline
Waves approach the coast at an angle because of the direction of the prevailing wind. The swash will carry the material towards the beach at an angle. The backwash then flows back to the sea, down the slope of the beach. The process repeats itself along the coast in the zig-zag movement.
Describe process of longshore drift?
Waves transporting material driven along the
coast
1. Material brought in by waves at angle from direction of prevailing wind, swash
2. Waves retreat perpendicular to coastline due to gravity.
backwash
3. Process repeats material transported along the
coastline in zig-zag motion.
Compare chalk cliffs/clay and sand?
chalk cliffs steeper than clay and sand
• chalk cliffs have rockfall whilst clay and sand have slumping
• both are high
• both have vegetation on mass movement features
• chalk fronted by pebbles and clay with sand
• chalk have wave cut platform whilst clay has beach
What are waves
Waves form when wind blows over the sea
they erode the landcape and are a vital factor in wearing away and shaping the coast
What does the strength of a wave depend on?
- The fetch-how far it has travelled
- how long the wind has been blowing for
- the strength of the wind
What type of waves do south westerly winds produce?
Large powerful waves because they have a long fetch
What waves will south easterly wind produce
Small waves bc of short fetch (british channel)
What are the 2 wave types?
- Constructive
- destructive
What is the name for water that flows up the beach?
swash
The water that flows back towards the sea is known as?
Backwash
What determines wave type?
Energy of swash and backwash
Characteristics of a destructive wave?
- Strong backwash and weak swash
- stormy conditions, strong winds
- tall with short wavelength
- arrive quickly and have high frequency
- strong backwash removes sediment from beach
Characteristics of a constructive wave?
- Strong swash and weak backwash
- occur in calm conditions not much wind
- waves are low with long wave length and further apart
- strong swash brings sediment up the beatch
- weak backwash isn’t strong enough to remove sediment
What are exposed rocks on a coastline broken down by?
Weathering
Three main types of weathering?
- Physical
- biological
- chemical
What type of weathering is freeze-thaw?
Physical
FREEZE-THAW ACTION:
1.rainwater enters cracks in rock
2.when temp drops (night), water freezes and expands, widens cracks
3. (Day) ice melts, more water added to larger gap
4.process repeats until crock falls off
What type of weathering is salt crystal growth?
Physical SALT CRYSTAL GROWTH: 1. Seawater left on rock 2.water evaporates leaving salt behind 3.slat crystals grow and exert pressure on rock 4. Rock breaks apart
What type of weathering is plant root growth?
Biological PLANT ROOTS: 1.plants grow on cliff top 2.roots push into cracks in rock 3.roots grow, crack larger 4. Rock breaks away
What type of weathering is burrowing animals?
Biological
BURROWING ANIMALS:
1.small animals burrow through soil and into cracks
2.rocks broken apart
Example of chemical weathering?
CARBONATION
- rain/seawater enter cracks in rock
- Act as weak acid, dissolve carbonates in limestone/chalk
- Cracks get bigger
What is mass movement?
2 examples?
Downhill movement of sediment (rocks/stones) due to gravity
landslide/rockfall
Why do rockfalls occur?
Bits of rock eroded on cliff face (usually bc freezee thaw weathering)
move down slope
What is a landslide?
Large blocks of rock becoming detached and slide down hill