Coastal Landscapes in the UK Flashcards

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1
Q

Define weathering.

A

Breakdown of rocks where they are, erosion is when the rocks are broken down and carried by something eg:seawater.

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2
Q

Define mechanical weathering?

A

Breakdown of rock without changing its chemical composition.

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3
Q

Explain the example of mechanical weathering that affects coasts.

A

Freeze-thaw weathering
Happens when temperature alternates above and below 0 degrees (freezing point of water)
Water gets into the rock that has cracks eg:granite
When the water freezes it expands which puts pressure onto the rock
When the water thaws it contracts which releases the pressure on the rock.
Repeated freezing and thawing widens the cracks and causes the rock to break up.

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4
Q

Define the term chemical weathering.

A

Breakdown of rock by changing its chemical composition

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5
Q

Give an example of chemical weathering and how it happens.

A

Carbonating weathering
Happens in warm and wet conditions
Rainwater has carbon dioxide dissolved in it, which makes it a weak carbonic acid.
Carbonic acid reacts with rock that contains calcium carbonate For example: Carboniferous limestone so the rocks are dissolved by the rainwater.

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6
Q

Define the term mass movement

A

The shifting of rocks and loose material down a slope eg: a cliff.

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7
Q

When does mass movement?

A

When the force of gravity acting on a slope is greater than the force supporting it.

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8
Q

What does mass cause?

A

Coasts to retreat rapidly.

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9
Q

When is mass movement more likely to happen?

A

When the material is full of water, acts as a lubricant and makes the material heavier.

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10
Q

Give the three types of mass movement.

A

Slides
Slumps
Rockfalls.

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11
Q

Define the term of mass movement called slides.

A

Material shifts in a straight line.

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12
Q

Define the term of mass movement called slumps.

A

Material shits with a rotation.

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13
Q

Define the term of mass movement called rockfalls.

A

Material breaks up and falls down slope.

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14
Q

Waves wear the coast using three processes of erosion -what are they called?

A

Hydraulic action
Abrasion
Abrasion
Attrition

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15
Q

Define the term hydraulic power

A

waves crash against the rock and compresses the air in the cracks.
This puts pressure on the rocks.
Repeated compression widens the cracks and makes bits of rock break off.

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16
Q

Define the term abrasion.

A

eroded particles in the water scrape and rub against rock, removing small pieces.

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17
Q

Define the term attrition.

A

eroded particles in the water smash into each other and break into smaller fragments.
Their edges also get rounded off as they rub together.

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18
Q

What are the types of wave that carry out erosional processes?

A

destructive waves.

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19
Q

What is the frequency of a destructive wave like?

A

High frequency, 10-14 waves per minute

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20
Q

Give one feature of a destructive wave.

A

They are high and steep.

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21
Q

Describe the backwash of a destructive wave.

A
The backwash (movement of the water back down the beach) is more powerful than their swash (the movement of the water up the beach).
This means that material is removed from the coast.
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22
Q

Give the six steps to how a wave cut platform is made.

A

1: waves cause most erosion at the the foot of a cliff.
2: this forms a wave cut notch which is enlarged as erosion continues.
3: the rock about the notch becomes unstable and eventually collapses
4: collapsed material is washed away and a new wave cut notch starts to form.
5: repeated collapsing results in the cliff retreating.
6: a wave cut platform is the platform that’s left behind as the cliff retreats.

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23
Q

What do hard rock cliffs tend to be like?

A

More vertical and soft rock cliffs more sloping.

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24
Q

How are headlands and bays formed?

A

Soft rocks or rocks with lots of joints have low resistance to erosion.
Hard rocks with solid structure have high resistance to erosion.
Headlands and bays form where there are alternative bands of resistant and less resistant rock along the coast.
Les resistant rock like clay is eroded quickly and this forms a bay, bays have a gentle slope.
Resistant rock like chalk erodes more slowly and is left jutting our forming a headland they have steep sides.

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25
Q

How do headlands creates caves arches and stacks?

A

Headlands usually made of resistant rocks that have weaknesses like cracks.
Waves crash into headlands and enlarge cracks mainly by hydraulic power and abrasion.
Repeated erosion and enlargement of cracks causes a cave to form.
Continued erosions deepest cave until breaks through headland and forms an arch eg: Durdle door
Erosion continues to wear away the rock supporting the arch until it finally collapses.
This forms a stack which is an isolated rock that’s separate from headland eg: old harry

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26
Q

Give the order of wha headlands create.

A
Cracks 
Cave
Arch
Collapsed material
Stack
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27
Q

How is material transported along the coast?

A

Long shore drift.

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28
Q

Describe how long shore drift works?

A

Waves follow direction of prevailing wind
The hit the coast at an oblique angle (any angle that’s not a right angle)
The swash carries material up the beach, in same direction as the waves.
Backwash carries material down the beach at right angles back towards the sea
Over time material zig zags along the coast.

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29
Q

Name the 4 processes of transportation.

A

Traction
Saltation
Solution
Suspension

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30
Q

Define traction

A

Large particles like boulders are pushed along the sea bed by the forces of water.

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31
Q

Define suspension.

A

Small particles like silt and clay are carried along in the water.

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32
Q

Define salutation.

A

Pebble sized particles bounced along the sea bed by the force of the water.

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33
Q

Define solution.

A

Soluble materials dissolve in the water and are carried along.

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34
Q

What is deposition?

A

material being carried by seawater is dropped on the coast. It occurs when water carrying sediment slows down so that it isn’t moving fast enough to carry so much sediment.

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35
Q

How are coasts built up?

A

When the amount of deposition is greater than the erosion.

36
Q

When is the amount of material that is deposited on an area of coast increased?

A
  • there’s lots of eroison elsewhere on the coast so their is lots of material available.
  • lots of transportation of a material into an area.
37
Q

What do low energy waves bring?

A

Carry material to the coast but they are not strong enough to take a lot of material away - this means there’s lots of deposition and very little erosion

38
Q

What are constructive waves

A

Waves that deposit more material than they erode

39
Q

4 features of constructive waves?

A
1= low frequency 6-8 waves per minute
2= low and long
3= swash is powerful and it carries material up the coast
4= backwash is weaker and it doesn't take a lot of material back down the coast, which means material is deposited on the coast.
40
Q

Where are beaches found on the coast?

A

Between the high water mark (the highest point on the land the sea level gets to) and the low water mark (the lowest point on the land the sea level gets to)

41
Q

How are beaches formed?

A

constructive waves which deposit material like sand and shingle.

42
Q

Characteristics of sand beaches

A

Flat and wide- sand particles are small and the weak backwash can move them back down the beach, creating a long gentle slope

43
Q

Characteristics of a shingle beach

A

Steep and narrow
Shingle particles are large and the weak backwash can’t move them back down the beach.
The shingle particles build up and create a steep slope.

44
Q

How are spits formed?

A

Form at sharp bends in the coastline eg:at river mouth
Longshore drift transports sand and shingle past the bend and depoisits it in the sea
Strong winds and waves can curve the end of the spit forming a recurved end
The sheltered area behind the spit is protected from waves- lots of material accumulates in this area which means plants can grow there
Over time the sheltered area can become a mud flat or a salt marsh.

45
Q

How are bars formed?

A

A bar is formed when a spit joins two headlands together
The bar cuts off the bay between the headlands from the sea
This means a lagoon can form behind the bar

46
Q

How do sand dunes form?

A

Sand dunes are formed when sand deposited by longshore dirft is moved up the beach by the wind.
Obstacles like driftwood cause wind speed to decrease so sand is deposited.
The sand is colonised by plants and grasses
The vegetation stabilises the sand and encourages more sand to accumulate there forming sand dunes called embryo dunes
Over time the oldest dunes migrate inland as newer embryo dunes are formed.
These mature dunes can reach heights of up to 10m

47
Q

Give two examples of erosional lanforms.

A
1= Caves Arches and stacks
2= Cliffs and wavecut platforms
48
Q

What do caves stacks and areches look like on a map?

A

Cant be seen on amps due to rocks above them

They look like little blobs in the sea.

49
Q

What cliffs and wave cut platoforms look like on maps?

A
1= Cliffs and steep slopes, shown as little black lines
2= Wave cut platforms shown as bumpy edges along the coast.
50
Q

Name 2 depositional land forms on a map.

A
1= Beaches
2= Spits
51
Q

What do beaches look like on maps?

A

Sand beaches shown as plain yellow

Shingle beaches are white or yellow with speckles

52
Q

What do spits look like on a map.

A

Shown by a beach that carries out to sea but is still attatched to land at one end
Might be a sharp bend in coast that caused it to form

53
Q

Give 4 examples of coastal landforms in Dorset coast

A

Durdle Door
Lulworth cove
Chesil Beach
Swanage Bay, the foreland and studland bay

54
Q

What is Dorset coast made from?

A

Made from bands of hard rock like limstone and chalk, and soft rock like clay.
Rock has been eroded at different rates giving headlands and bays.

55
Q

Describe durdle door.

A

Arch

Erosion by waves opened up a crack in the limestone headland which became a cave then developed into a arch

56
Q

Describe lulworth cove

A

Small bay formed after a gap was eroded in a band of limestone.
Behind limestone is band of clay been eroded away to form the bay.
Same is now starting to happen at Stair Hole further west along coast.

57
Q

Describe Chesil beach.

A

A tombolo a type of bar formed by longshore drift.
Joins Isle of Portland to mainland
Behind chesil beach is shallow lagoon called the fleet lagoon

58
Q

Describe Swanage Bay, The Foreland and Studland bay

A

There are two bays with beaches called Swanage and Studland bay.
There are areas of soft rock sandstone and clay.
In between them is a headland called the foreland made from a band of hard rock called chalk.
End of headland has been eroded to become a stck called Old Harry and a stump called Old Harry’s wife.

59
Q

What is Hard Engineering?

A

Man made structures built to control the flood of the sea and reduce flooding and erosion.

60
Q

What is soft engineering

A

Schemes set up using knowledge of sea and its processes to reduce effects of flooding and erosion

61
Q

What is a hard engineering defence called sea wall

A

Wall made out of hard material like concrete that reflects waves back to the sea

62
Q

Benefits of hard engineering called sea wall.

A

Prevents erosion of the coast

Acts as a barrier to prevent flooding

63
Q

Negatives of hard engineering called sea walls

A

Creates strong backwash which erodes under the wall

Sea walls are expensive to build and maintain.

64
Q

What is the hard engineering called Gabions.

A

Wall of wire cages filled with rocks usually built at the foot of cliffs

65
Q

Benefits of gabions

A

Absorb wave energy
Reduce flooding and erosion
Cheap and easy to build

66
Q

Negatives of gabions

A

Boulders can be moved around by strong waves so they need to be replaced.

67
Q

What are the hard engineering groynes?

A

Wooden or stone fences that are built at right angle to coast.
Trap material transported by long shore drift

68
Q

Benefits of hard engineering groynes

A

Create wider beaches which slow waves
Gives greater protection from flooding and erosion
Fairly cheap

69
Q

Negatives of groynes

A

Stave beaches further down the coast of sand making them narrower.
Narrow beahces don’t protect coasts as well leads to greater erosion and floods.

70
Q

What is soft engineering beach nourishment and reprofiling

A

Sand and shingle from elsewhere from seabed or from lower down the beach that is added to the upper part of the beach

71
Q

Benefits of beach nourishment and reprofilling

A

Creates wider beaches that slow the waves

Gives greater protection against flooding and erosion

72
Q

Negatives of beach nourishment and reprofilling

A

Taking material from sea bed can kill organisms like sponges and corals
Very expensive defence has to be repeated

73
Q

Soft E= what is dune regeneration?

A

Creating or restoring sand dunes by either nourishment or planting vegetation to stabilise sand

74
Q

Soft E= positives of dune regeneration?

A

Provide barrier between lands and sea
Wave energy is absorbed this prevents flooding and erosion.
Stabilisation is cheap

75
Q

Soft E= negatives of dune regeneration?

A

protection limited to small area

nourishment is expensive

76
Q

What is managed retreat?

A

Coastal realignment

Involves removing current defences allowing sea to flood land behind

77
Q

Positives of managed retreat

A

Over time land is marshland which protects land behind from flooding and erosion.
Cheap easy strategy no maintenence
Marshland create new habitats for plants and animals

78
Q

Negatives of managed retreat.

A

Land is lost to sea so choosing areas to flood causes conflict.
Flooding farmland affects farmer livelihood
Saltwater negatively effects ecosystems

79
Q

What is happening in holderness coast line?

A

Erosion is causing cliffs to collapse alongthe holderness coastline.

80
Q

What is causing the erosion at holderness coastline?

A

Prevailing winds means that eroded material is moved south along the coast by longshore drift instead of staying in the place it came from. This exposes new area of cliff to erosion and causing the coastline to retreat.

81
Q

How much land is lost each year at holderness coast?

A

1.8 m of land every year

In great cowden rate of erosion over 10m per year Fams businesses and homes are threatened

82
Q

Why is 11km of Holderness being managed using hard engineering?

A
  • Towns like Hornsea have population of over 8000
  • Withernsea has a population of over 6000
  • People live in mappleton
  • Important infrastructure like B1242 road which links many towns and businesses along the coast
  • Gas terminal at easington supplies 25% of Uks gas and is right on edge of cliff
83
Q

How much was spent on mappleton to protect it?

A

1991 450m of coastline protected at cost of 2 million pounds
61000 tonnes of rock used

84
Q

Describe two types of coastal managment hard engineering at Mappleton

A

-Rock armour along bas of cliff to absorb power of waves
-Building two rock groynes to trap sand and create beach to absorb power of waves.
Hornsea has a sea wall and groynes
Withernsea has sea walls groynes and rock armour

85
Q

Was coastal management at mappleton succesful?

A

Yes, village Mappleton and B1242 road is no longer at risk

86
Q

Has management in mappleton caused conflict?

A

Rock groynes prevented sediment moving south along coast by longshore drift, which has caused increase erosion south of mappleton this led to

  • loss of land south of mappleton Near great crowdens farm and caravan
  • Coast guard and lifeboat service at spurn head under threat due to erosion
  • loss of habitat for wild life at spurn head, less material is coming down the coast to collect at Spurn head so at risk of being washed away
  • 1999 1km stretch of coast near gas terminal easington has to be protected by rock aromour this costs 6.6 million
  • Bays forming near protected areas and protected areas becoming headlands.
  • defences are too expensive