Coastal Processes and Landforms Flashcards
What are Active Margins?
Moving tectonic layers colliding or plates moving past each other
- Convergent Plate
- Transform Plate
Two tectonic settings:
- Active Margins
- Passive
What is a Passive Margin?
A passive margin is the transition between oceanic and continental lithosphere that is not an active plate margin. A passive margin forms by sedimentation above an ancient rift, now marked by transitional lithosphere. Continental rifting creates new ocean basins.
What are Submerging coastlines? How are they formed?
- Landforms under water
- Formed from a rise in sea level
What are emergent coastlines?
- Uplifted land surface formed by sediment deposition
- Above sea level
What effects salinity?
Evaporation of ocean water and formation of sea ice both increase the salinity of the ocean. However these “salinity raising” factors are continually counterbalanced by processes that decrease salinity such as the continuous input of fresh water from rivers, precipitation of rain and snow, and melting of ice.
What is the difference of a Sediment source and sink?
Some examples..
Source: Body of water that erodes and deposits sediment e.g.) Rivers, tidewater glaciers, coastal erosion
Sink: Body of water that collects sediment e.g) Beaches, lagoons, coastal dune fields, estuaries
Why are ocean tides important?
- Energy transport
- creation of waves -waves distribute sediment to the coast that shapes the coastline
Spring tide
New and full moon - the suns gravitational forces is added to the moon
Neap tide
Sun and moon counteract each other at the first and third quarter moon
Wind fetch
The distance over the water that the wind blows
Types of waves?
Plunging, Spilling, Surging
What are erosional waves?
Waves that arrive at the headlands faster and cause erosion
Whats a head land?
Piece of land that has water on three different sides - projects out from the coast
Depositional waves?
Waves that arrive slowly and cause deposition - Eg) Bays Bitch
