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Geography year 8 > Coastal processes > Flashcards

Coastal processes Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 5 steps of coastal processes

A

Weathering, mass movement, erosion, transportation and deposition

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2
Q

What is weathering

A

The insitu (original place) breakdown of rock

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3
Q

What are the three types of weathering

A

Biological, Chemical and physical

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4
Q

What is biological weathering

A

Occurs when plants or animals break down rock

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5
Q

What is chemical weathering

A

When the chemical composition of a rock changes

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6
Q

Give an example of biological weathering

A

Trees growing in cracks of rocks and forcing it apart

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7
Q

Give an example of chemical weathering

A

Acid rain, such as sulfuric and nitric acid, in the rain react with minerals in rocks and break them down. In addition, when carbon dioxide dissolves rainwater, it forms carbonic acid so all rain is slightly acidic.

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8
Q

What is an example of physical weathering

A

When there is a crease (porous/ permeable) in a rock, water fills up the gap and freezes, resulting in a 9% expansion. The rock breaks apart due to water going deeper in the crack. This is called freeze thaw weathering. In addition, onion skin weathering is caused by thermal shock, the outer layer expands in the sun but contracts when it’s cool which creates stress and the outer layers peel away

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9
Q

What is physical weathering

A

When physical processes affect the rock such as temperature, wind, rain and waves

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10
Q

What is hydraulic action

A

Power of water wave forces air and water into cracks which creates fractures to fault and notches that grow. It is laid called cavitation and occurs during winter and spring storms

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11
Q

What is abrasion

A

The waves pick up rocks and throw them against other rocks or cliff faces and it smooths the rock, like sandpaper. It happens all year round.

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12
Q

What is a shingle

A

Rounded rocks that are between 0.2 cm and 20cm

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13
Q

What is corrosion

A

Salt and chemicals in the water act to dissolve the rocks they touch, an example - limestone is dissolved by sea salt. Corrosion is also named solution and sea water is slightly alkali and happens in spring where sea water and air affect the rock

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14
Q

What is attrition

A

The sea picks up angular rocks and knocks them into each other. This chips away the corners to make it rounder and occurs in winter and spring during large storms

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15
Q

What is mass movement

A

The downhill movement of rock and soil under gravity

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16
Q

What is erosion

A

The breakdown and removal of rock along the coastline

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17
Q

What is transportation

A

Long shore drift (LSD) and movement of material along the coast

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18
Q

How are waves formed

A

The wind caused a wave as the water particles move in a regular circular formation. It breaks on the shore because the particles can’t move together

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19
Q

What affects wave height

A

Wind speed, wind duration and fetch

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20
Q

Why do small waves occur

A

If the wind speed is slow, the waves will also be small, regardless of the wind duration and fetch

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21
Q

Why do big waves occur

A

The stronger the wind, the larger the waves(wind speed). The longer the wind acts upon the waves, the larger they will be (wind duration). The longer the distance where waves can form (fetch)

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22
Q

What is wind duration

A

How long the wind blows for

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23
Q

What is fetch

A

The maximum distance which waves can form (between coasts) where the wind blows in one direction

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24
Q

What is swash

A

When water goes up the beach

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25
What is backwash
When water goes down the beach
26
What are prevailing winds
The most frequent wind direction a place has (eg. UK’s prevailing wind is south west)
27
What is the largest fetch that goes to the UK
The fetch is up to 8000km from Brazil
28
What are constructive waves
Constructive waves have a long wave length and low wave height (low frequency), a strong swash but weak backwash and has a rolling break on the shore
29
What is the result of constructive waves having a strong swash
The wave pushes material up the beach (deposition)
30
Why do constructive waves have a weak backwash
Most energy is absorbed by friction
31
What are destructive waves
They have a high wave height and low wave length (high frequency), a crashing break on the shore which picks up rocks and shingle, a powerful swash and even stronger backwash
32
What is the result of destructive waves having a strong swash
It breaks apart the cliff face
33
What is the result of destructive waves having a strong backwash
It carries material away (erosion)
34
What are the horizontal lines called on a cliff face
Bedding planes
35
What are the vertical lines called on a cliff face
Joints planes
36
How do wave cut platforms occur
1. Weathering weakens the cliff 2. Base of cliff breaks off by destructive waves, resulting in a wave cut notch 3. Abrasion wears away at the wave cut platform 4. The wave cut platform (base) is eroded 5. The undercutting of the cliff cause it to collapse
37
What is the intertidal zone
The area between the high tides and low tides
38
Where is the power from destructive waves generated
Gravity from the large wave height
39
What type of beaches are formed from destructive waves
Steep beaches
40
What type of beaches are formed by constructive waves
Flat beaches
41
How is it noticeable there is not a lot of mass movement
If there is vegetation, there is no to little mass movement otherwise it wouldn’t have enough time to grow
42
What are the types of mass movement
Rockfall, mudflow, landslide and rotational slip
43
What is rockfall mass movement
Bits of rock fall of the cliff face as scree, usually due to freeze thaw weathering, and it occurs on steep/ vertical cliffs.It is also fast
44
What is mudflow mass movement
Saturated soil (soil filled with water) flows down a slope. There is a lack of vegetation (roots) to hold it together. The lobe is a rounded extension of flowing mud that shows the direction of mass movement. It is also slow
45
What is scree
Loose rock that covers a mountain to cliff
46
What is landslide mass movement
Large blocks of rock slide downhill. The greater the angle (steep) it will go faster but the smaller the angle (flat) the slower the rocks will move.
47
What is rotational slip mass movement
Saturated soil falls down a curved surface and slides into the sea. It is also a slow process and has grass+ vegetation
48
How is it known rotational slip mass movement is a short process
It has vegetation
49
What are the four parts of rotational slip mass movement in order
Head, scarp, feet and toe
50
What is the head in rotational slip mass movement
The start of the landslide, usually the steepest
51
What is the scarp in rotational slip mass movement
It shows where it was eroded before the material slid down
52
What is the foot in rotational slip mass movement
The flat base of the slope that bulges out due to the collection of fallen materials
53
What is the toe in rotational slip mass movement
It collects all of the settled material or eventually can push it to the ocean
54
What are the 4 methods of transportation
Saltation, suspension, traction and solution
55
How do headlands and bays form and what are they
When there is hard and soft rock, the soft rock erodes quicker so the hard rocks sticks out while the soft rock is inwards. The part where the hard rock sticks out is called the headlands and when the bay is deeper inwards it’s called the bays
56
What is solution transportation
Minerals in rocks are dissolved by sea water
57
What is suspension transportation
Small particles suspended in the flow of water
58
What is saltation transportation
Small pieces of shingle are bounced along the seabed
59
What is traction transportation
Larger rocks are rolled along the sea bed
60
How does deposition occur
When the sea loses energy it drops the material it was carrying
61
How does differential erosion occur
When different rocks erode at different rates
62
What is another name for abrasion
Corrasian
63
What is long shore drift
1. The waves hit the coast at an angle 2. Swash carries sediment to the beach 3. Backwash carries sediment down at right angles to the beach 4. This creates a zig zag pattern
64
What is a sand dune
When wind brings sand further up the beach but objects can be in the way, such as sticks, can block the wind leading to hills of sand. This leads to build up of sand.
65
What are salt marshes
Coastal wetlands that are flooded by salt water
66
What is a tombolo
A stretch of sand that joins an island to a main island
67
Which rock is most resistant to erosion
Granite
68
What is the difference between transportation and long shore drift
Transportation is the movement of sediment but long shore drift is the movement of sediment along the coast
69
How are caves, arches, sea stacks and stumps formed
1. Crack of weakness from hydraulic action on a headland 2. Cracks widen by abrasion and hydraulic action so a cave forms 3. If a cave forms on both sides, it forms an arch 4. The base of the arch widens but the roof gets heavy and becomes unstable so it collapses leaving a stack 5. The stack turns into a stump either by erosion so it topples over or weathering from the top of the stack until it becomes a stump
70
How are beaches made
Deposition
71
How are spits formed
1. Longshore drift moves material along the coastline 2. The coastline changes direction and material is deposited so a spit forms over time 3. The spit grows and develops a hook if the wind direction changes 4. Waves can’t get over a spit so silt is deposited and mud flats or salt marshes form 5. The spit doesn’t form a sand bar because of the river current behind the river estuary
72
What is a sand bar
1. There is a bay 2. Long shore drift drags sand from the bay head beach 3. A sand bar and lagoon is formed. There is a bar of sand and water (lagoon) is trapped behind
73
Example of an arch in a headland
Durdle Door in Dorset
74
What is a discordant coastline
Where there are different types of rock along a coastline so the coast erodes unevenly. The rock strata is 90 to the coastline.
75
What is a concordant coastline
Where there is the same type of rock along a coastline. The rock strata is parallel to the coastline.
76
Example of headland
Peveril point
77
Example of a bay
Swanage Bay
78
Layout of a question asking what process and why
1. Process 2. Conditions 3. Cause 4. Result
79
What is unconsolidated sediment
Loose rocks and this can be used to describe rotational slip and mudflow
80
What is a bay head beach
The sand underneath a bay
81
What is a river estuary
Where rivers meet the sea
82
What is the difference between weathering, erosion and transportation
Weathering is the in situ breakdown of rocks while erosion is the breakdown of rock and removal from the rocks original location. Transport is the movement of rock from one location to another.
83
What is the end of spit connected to the land
Proximal
84
What is an estuary
The wise part of the river mouth where it merges with the sea
85
What is longshore drift
The way material is carried along the coast
86
What is it called when the ground absorb hold any more water
Saturated
87
What category is the shape and steepness of a beach
Profile
88
What determines the angle at which the swash moves up the beach
Prevailing wind direction
89
What rock does limestone turn to
Marble when metamorphosed
90
Are rocks with a low silicon content light or dark in colour
Dark
91
How are sedimentary rocks formed
1. Weathering and erosion breaks down the rock and the sediment is transported 2. Deposition settles the sediment at the bottom of the ocean 3. Compaction and cementation causes the build up of sediment and the weight of the upper layers compresses the lower layers (compaction). The minerals in the water can act like cement, binding the particles together 4. Lithification is the process of loose sediment turning into solid rock
92
How are metamorphic rocks formed
Movements above the crust can cause rocks to be squashed together. As a result, the rock are under great heat and pressure and the minerals are changed chemically, forming metamorphic rock
93
How are extrusive igneous rocks formed
The cooling of lava on Earth’s surface
94
How are intrusive igneous rocks formed
The cooling of magma in the Earth’s crust
95
How can you tell if an igneous rock is intrusive or extrusive
Extrusive rocks have small crystals ( may virtually appear to have none) because it cooled quickly on the Earth's surface and had less time to form crystals. Intrusive rocks have large crystals because it cooled slowly in the crust.
96
Examples of igneous rock
Granite (intrusive), basalt (extrusive) and obsidian (extrusive)
97
Examples of sedimentary rocks
Sandstone, limestone, chalk and shale
98
Why don’t you get fossils in metamorphic/ igneous rock
The severe heat and pressure would crush or burn the fossil. However, you may find traces in metamorphic rock because the sedimentary rock before it metamorphosed may have had a fossil but majority would be crushed or burnt
99
How can rocks be recycled
Sedimentary rocks can change to metamorphic due to heat and pressure from movements of the earth. The metamorphic rocks can be weathered/ eroded and transported. They could then settle at the bottom of a lake or sea, eventually forming a sedimentary rock again.
100
Examples of metamorphic rock
Marble, slate and gneiss
101
What type of rock is toughest
Metamorphic

Geography year 8 (4 decks)

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